$0.99 iTunes ringtone creator no more?

It seems like only yesterday Steve Jobs introduced make-your-own ringtones in iTunes, where you could take a song you already bought, and pay again just to use it in cut-down form as a ringtone. And -- whoosh! -- now it's gone from iTunes 10?

The recording industry is no doubt to blame for the $0.99 price tag -- they manage to both charge consumers and stiff artists on those, keeping all the money for themselves -- but I'm guessing there were at least a few people for whom the ease of use was worth the price.

You can still roll your own ringtones outside iTunes, or purchase them pre-made by Apple (though reader John shows you may be subjected to a humorous iOS downgrade image, after the break).

I never used the ringtone creator myself, so I won't lament it, but surely someone is going to miss it? Right?

[MacLife]

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.