Cingular may be provider for new Apple cellphone

Cingular Wireless is expected to be the service provider for a new Apple Computer Inc. cellphone, according to a published report.

The new phone and service could be unveiled as early as today, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website Monday night, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation.

Cingular representatives could not be reached Monday night, and Apple spokesman Steve Dowling did not return a call seeking comment.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs is expected to announce at least one revolutionary product during his keynote speech today at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco.

Speculation has focused mainly on an Apple-branded cellular phone, which some are calling iPhone, and iTV, a set-top box that allows people to send video from their computers to their televisions.

Cingular, a unit of AT&T; Inc., launched an Apple-related phone and MP3 player, called ROKR, in 2005.

But the product was widely considered a flop because it could hold only 100 songs and it required users to buy songs through a computer and download the songs to the phone -- deficiencies a new phone from Apple would probably remedy.