“Apple will be launching its own music service in the coming weeks,” the Wall Street Journal reports today.
Macworld UK reports on the Wall Street Journal article, “The WSJ confirms that the service will integrate with Apple’s iTunes music software, with individual songs available for download at around 99 cents per track, though the price may differ on a per-song basis. The service will be Mac-only, and more consumer-friendly than existing music download services. The service compensates for the lack of Mac support on existing services – currently, only emusic.com supports the platform, with help from a third-party utility. The service is Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ ‘brainchild,’ the report claims. It is Jobs’ attempt to create an easy-to-use, elegant music download service that offers a viable alternative to existing services that lack such elegance.
Macworld UK continues, “‘Jobs managed to persuade music industry officials that his new creation, armed with Apple’s trademark elegance and simplicity, could win over consumers to the idea of paying for online music,’ says the Wall Street Journal. It warns that rights issues may limit what tracks are available using the service and observes that fee-based music services need to be able to match the tracks available through illegal networks in order to attract consumers away from those networks. The report also states Apple has sold a total of 588,000 iPods since its launch in late 2001, according to analyst firm, Needham & Co.”
Full Macworld UK report here.
The Wall Street Journal requires a $39 subscription to access their article here.
iPod guinea pigs again.