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What Is the Purpose of the iPhone's Default "Marimba" Ringtone?
Alexander Graham Bell's first practical ringer was a bell struck by a solenoid-controlled hammer. Fast forward to the original "marimba" ringtone for the iPhone, an audio file of a wooden key being struck with a mallet. Both ringtones are influenced by the same factors. Both were created within the constraints of the technology available at the time. Human factors, as well as the brain's ability to translate the ringtone as an alert, played a significant role in the decision.
Steve originally intended for iPhone users to be able to create their own ringtones from iTunes music files. This meant that Steve would have to fight a two-front battle with the record labels on one side and the cell phone companies on the other. There was not enough time to win these battles and still meet the iPhone delivery deadline. The RIAA was also pushing for the US Patent and Trademark Office to issue a ruling on the legal status of a ringtone. Was it a rework, a performance, or something else?
Apart from Steve's aesthetic of purity, which was diametrically opposed to the glamour "statement" ringtones that some consumers desired, all of these issues forced Steve to exclude custom ringtones from the first iPhone/iOS release. Thus, the 25 ringtones that were to be released had to meet Steve's high quality standards. They had to be ridiculously good. When the iPhone was first released, it was certainly unique and perhaps considered great by many.
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