“It’s on again. Apple will announce the Australian iTunes Music Store at the end of April. AppleTalk sources have this afternoon confirmed that a date is set for the release, but at this stage will only go as far to say ‘end of April,'” Disko reports for AppleTalk – The Australian Macintosh Community. “Speculation on pricing of the tracks has been previously guesstimated at about $1.49 per track, though with the Australian dollar doing so well some have suggested $1.29.”
Rumors of the launch of the Australian iTunes Music Store first surfaced in October last year and again as recently as January, but the Australian iTMS remained a no show. Is it real this time?
Full article and discussion here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Report: Apple to debut Australian iTunes Music Store tomorrow – January 10, 2005
Apple Computer to launch Australian iTunes Music Store on January 12? – December 27, 2004
Hopefully it’s true this time. How many rumours does this make?
This is great news for our friends down under. The only question to ask now is when is Apple going to give our friends of the rising sun some iTMS goodness?
$1.29 AU is the perfect price. It’s exactly 99¢ (US). Although, to take into account for fluctuation, it’s possible that it may be $1.39 AU.
The Canadian iTunes is just CDN $0.99. With the exchange, it works out to a nice little discount. I wouldn’t be surprized if Apple just kept the $0.99 AU price. Doing this, might increase sales too.
I’ll believe it when I see it, but here’s hoping.
Apple Australia has been dragging its heels with a number of local customization issues for an eternity it seems. To be honest, I would of thought it more likely and achievable if they announced they we could print and supply the iPhoto books now. To think they have been able to sort out issues with local music labels for an April go-live iTunes store is almost unimaginable. Having said that, it does substantiate other things I’ve heard from a work colleague last week, so I’ll remain with my fingers well and truely crossed…
Yeah, Canadians do get a discount compared to most other countries. Curious though, that there is no free single of the week on the Canadian iTMS.
Is there any evidence of iPod sales spikes once a countries music store has been opened? Or does Apple guard these kind of figures?
And does Apple do much to promote the new service once started?
If Apple could finish saturating the planet with iTMS, they’d probably be able to get their 1.5mil/day up to 3 or 4 million daily downloads by the end of the year.
Now if some good music would come out to make me want to buy something new…
As an Aussie working in the UK I realise how much the Brits (and so I) are being ripped off (79p == $US1.49 or $A1.92). I hope I can buy the sonds with my Australian credit cards if the store does eventuate.
AHEM! WHAT ABOUT JAPAN! 200 MILLION PEOPLE..
let’s go apple.. AUS is cool, but JP is the big fish.. it was supposed to be out a while ago…
PS. CD’s in japan are soooo expensive..this is probably what’s taking so long
I’m with Mike. What about Japan? The rumor mill was saying end of March a while ago….
(there only around 130 million people, not 200. But still, these are really high tech consumers)
“My ancestor flogged a loaf of bread” :
Last year Apple Australia sold over 385 000 iPods, with the Australian population around 20 000 000. I think market penetration has already reached similar levels to that of the US.
Feature Parity for Australia please … that’s all we ask.
Oh yes, AND reasonable prices!