Settlement: Apple introduces The Beatles iPod Special Edition

SAN JOSE, California—April 1, 2006—Apple® today introduced The Beatles iPod® Special Edition as part of a partnership between Apple, The Beatles and Apple Records (Apple Corps) to create innovative new products together for the new digital music era. The new Beatles iPod holds up to 7,500 songs and features a stunning “Union Jack” flag-themed enclosure and custom engraving of all of the Fab Four band members signatures. In addition, Apple Computer and Apple Corps have reached a settlement that will allow for Apple Computer to continuing using the Apple Computer, Inc. logo in conjunction with all music operations. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The Beatles and Apple have settled their differences and have always had a special relationship. Now they can start to redefine the music business,” said Neil Aspinall, managing director of Apple Corps. “The iPod along with iTunes is the most complete thought that we’ve seen in music in a very long time.”

“We want our audience to have a more intimate online relationship with the band, and Apple can help us do that,” said former member of The Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney. “With iPod and iTunes, Apple has created a crossroads of art, commerce and technology which feels good for both musicians and fans.”

“iPod and iTunes look like the future to me and it’s good for everybody involved in music,” said former drummer for The Beatles, Ringo Starr.

“The Beatles are the greatest band in rock and roll history and we are floored to be working with them,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We just want to make some innovative products together, and we hope fans of The Beatles will love having their very own special edition iPod.”

In addition to the new Beatles iPod, the results of the Apple Corps, Apple and The Beatles partnership include:
• All Beatles recordings are available exclusively in the US through the iTunes® Music Store;
• Apple and Apple Corps have created a breakthrough television ad featuring The Beatles performing a very special medley. The ad is a cross between Apple’s award-winning “Silhouette” ads and a music video; and
• Apple has created The Beatles’s first-of-its-kind “Digital Box Set.” The first digital box set, “The Beatles Forever,” will contain over 600 tracks including all of the band’s albums and over 75 rare and unreleased tracks. Fans of The Beatles will be able to purchase and download The Beatles Forever with just one click on the iTunes Music Store worldwide beginning today for just $349 (US).

The Beatles iPod features Apple’s patent pending Click Wheel, up to 20 hours battery life and Shuffle Songs, a command in the main menu that gives users instant access to one of the most exciting new ways to listen to their music library. All iPods work with Apple’s iTunes, providing music fans with the best digital jukebox on either a Mac® or Windows computer and access to the iTunes Music Store, the number one digital music service in the world. The Beatles iPod customers will receive a coupon for $100 off the purchase of “The Beatles Forever” available exclusively on the iTunes Music Store.*

iPod features Apple’s patent pending Auto-Sync technology that automatically downloads an entire digital music library onto iPod and keeps it up-to-date whenever it is plugged into a Mac or Windows computer. Users can transfer two songs per second from their Mac or Windows computer and can conveniently charge iPod with the included USB cable.

Pricing & Availability
The new 30GB iPod® Special Edition: The Beatles is available today for a suggested retail price of $399 (US) through the Apple Store® (http://www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The Beatles iPod includes earbud headphones, a 1.2m 30-pin to USB cable, and a CD with iTunes 6 for Mac and Windows computers. Optional accessories include the iPod Dock for $39 (US) and in-ear headphones for $39 (US).

iPod requires a Mac with USB 2.0 port and Mac OS® X version 10.3.9 or later or later (Mac OS X v10.4 or later recommended); or a Windows PC with USB 2.0 port, or USB 2.0 card and Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 4 or later), XP Home or Professional.

All iPods include rechargeable batteries which have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.

The Beatles formed in their native Liverpool in 1960 with band members: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The band has sold more than 2.5 billion records worldwide in an extraordinary career that has firmly established them the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band.

* Not available in all countries.

More information about The Beatles iPod® Special Edition can be found here.

Advertisements:
• Apple’s brand new iPod Hi-Fi speaker system. Home stereo. Reinvented. Available now for $349 with free shipping.
• Apple’s new Mac mini. Intel Core, up to 4 times faster. Starting at just $599. Free shipping.
• MacBook Pro. The first Mac notebook built upon Intel Core Duo with iLife ’06, Front Row and built-in iSight. Starting at $1999. Free shipping.
• iMac. Twice as amazing — Intel Core Duo, iLife ’06, Front Row media experience, Apple Remote, built-in iSight. Starting at $1299. Free shipping.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.

Related articles:
Tiger Woods signs long-term deal with Apple Computer as Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ spokesperson – April 01, 2005
Apple and IBM announce enterprise servers featuring Mac OS X Server – April 01, 2004
Michigan man to change name from ‘William Gates’ – April 01, 2003