Downloaded some new tunes from the iTunes Store, but forgot to synch them to your iPhone or iPod Touch? Drat, right? For now, anyway. A new patent application filed by Apple seems to point to them working on a method for you to stream your music over the Internet to your device.
For some reason, Apple felt it necessary to remind us on Thursday that the iPhone 3G launches on Friday (via a press release). At the same time, however, iTunes 7.7 became available, and you can already access the App Store using it.
With an initiative Real Networks is calling "Music Without Limits," Rhapsody, which is co-owned by Real Networks and Viacom's MTV Networks, launched an assault on iTunes Monday, with promotions by partners such as Verizon and Yahoo!, as well as an all-MP3 store.
McDonald's has nothing to worry about - yet - but Apple still has reason to crow. Thursday it announced that the iTunes store has sold over 5 billion songs.
At the same time Apple announced that iTunes is renting over 50,000 movies a day, making it, according to Apple, the most popular online video rental retailer.
Apple has been adamant about pricing of videos on iTunes, and in fact that's one of the reasons that NBC left the iTunes store and eventually wound up at the Zune Marketplace. But now it appears they have become more flexible, as HBO and Apple announced on Tuesday that HBO shows are now available on iTunes - and some are priced above the $1.99 price Apple had previously set as a ceiling.
A story in the New York Times had the blogosphere up in arms, but Microsoft indicates we shouldn't believe it. The Times said that Microsoft is working to implement an anti-piracy filter into its Zune media players, which would prevent playback of unauthorized videos.
On Tuesday Microsoft released a new version of Zune software, but that hardly scratches the surface of what really occurred. In the process, Microsoft added a lot of content and features that moved Zune Marketplace a lot further in the direction of the iTunes store - though not quite all the way.
Just yesterday Apple announced same day video sales from the iTunes store, meaning video downloads will be available on the same day as DVDs hit retail. It seems that Apple was pretty anxious to get into this deal, as it appears that they are losing money on every sale.
On Thursday Apple announced a deal that means "same day" video sales from iTunes - from now on new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios will be available on the same day that their DVDs release.
When we last visited Wal-Mart's attempt at DRM-free music, they had only managed to get EMI and Universal Music Group signed up for the DRM-free portion of their store. They've now decided to go all-MP3, but they're still stuck without Warner Music Group and Sony BMG, which are unfortunately the top two record labels.
Is Apple ready to jump on the music subscription bandwagon? It seems out of character, since they won't (at least so far) even go so far as to consider tiered pricing, but the reports are there. More to the point: does it make sense for Apple and the music industry?
If nothing else, it appears that the contentious divorce between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills has led to one good result - well, not for either of them, but for music fans. McCartney has authorized the release of the Beatles' back catalog on iTunes in a deal that is valued at $400 million.
