Version store App Store for the iPad, which is expected to start this Saturday, can be viewed from a computer through iTunes Store. If you enter a query in iTunes «iPad», «HD» or «XL», it will automatically be asked to look only for applications for the iPad. If you download the application on your computer, it will be installed on the iPad during subsequent synchronization.

On Tuesday, Apple also released a version of iTunes 9.1, supports synchronization with iPad, including books iBooks.

According to Apple, to April 3, when iPad officially goes on sale, it will be available for more than a thousand applications. Many of them are versions of programs already exist for the iPhone, as seen by their names. In particular, this Scrabble for iPad ($ 9,99), Brushes – iPad Edition ($ 9,99), and Twitterific for iPad (free). They all can be downloaded via iTunes .

Via AppleInsider

According to CNet, Apple will provide their own streaming music service is not immediately with the start of sales iPad (April 3), and later in the year. This service, as previously reported, will enable users to store their own music on Apple servers and listen to it streaming from any device.

For many, this information will be disappointed because it was thought that the new service will immediately work on the iPad.

Recall that in December last year, Apple has acquired digital music service from Lala to turn it into a remote mediahranilische and connect to iTunes.

Via AppleInsider

Music Format LP, also known as Cocktail, Apple introduced with the filing of record companies, yet does not justify the hopes. GigaOM citing sources in the music industry said that after six months of sales records in this format never attracted the attention of the mass of the buyer.

Initially it was assumed that the new format encourages sales of entire albums. Music labels have long worried about the growing trend when users buy individual songs rather than whole albums. LP format provides a variety of additional content such as photos and video. It is believed that the way Apple made music label reciprocal concession after removal from the iTunes digital rights DRM in the past year.

Now in LP format is available for only 29 albums. One of the obstacles to its development, may be the price. One source of AppleInsider admitted that the cost of creating the album in this format can go up to $ 60 thousand, which is quite a lot. Recently, Apple released a toolkit for creating albums in the LP, that some cheaper and simplified the process, but reverse the situation so far failed.

Via AppleInsider

The site AppleInsider citing CNET wrote that Apple is in talks with movie studios to secure their agreement to create a cloud storage films, which can connect with any device, be it computer, iPhone or iPad. Recently, similar negotiations with Apple led record companies over the same storage for music content.

It is noteworthy here is that AppleInsider a year ago, wrote about the existence of a project called iTunes Replay, which allows to remotely store and view movies purchased from the iTunes Store. After that, nothing about it was known – until this day.

One of the main problems faced by buyers of digital movies and TV shows, is the complexity of their storage. Many iTunes customers complained that they have to either erase after viewing the films, or buy new hard drives or burn them to DVD. The Apple decided once and for all solve this problem, sparing users from having to download all files on your computer: they can be stored on the server and view streaming (with broadband connection).

The main difficulties in the projects of this type is not so much technical as legal. Not all studios are ready to enter into contracts with Apple on favorable terms.

Via AppleInsider

In the Warner Music Group noted a slowdown of sales of digital music. In the fourth quarter of last year, sales growth amounted to only 5% in the third quarter was 10% in the second – 11%. General Director Warner Music, Edgar Bronfman (Edgar Bronfman) tend to associate it with a new marketing policy, Apple.

At the beginning of last year, Apple to convince record companies to abandon DRM protection system in the store iTunes. As a result, many popular songs have risen in price by 30% – from $ 0.99 to $ 1.29.

iTunes is the leader in the music market (not just digital) in the U.S.: in the past year through this online store has sold a quarter of all music tracks. In the second place on the retail chain Walmart with 14% of the market. If we consider only selling online, here iTunes owns 69% of the market. The total market for digital music downloads in the past year increased by 35%. However, while the main musical formats is a good old CD-ROM: a CD last year sold 65% of all music.

Via AppleInsider

According to information from numerous sources, the portal CNET, Apple has discussed with the four largest record companies a new business model for distributing music streaming, what we actually wrote in our article about piracy.

Ability to buy a subscription to listen to music to appear at an early date. Certainly, it is likely that the new iTunes subservis be presented at the presentation of Apple, which will be held on January 27. However, if Apple was able to realize his idea so quickly? After news of the purchase of service Lala, whose specialists and had to tackle the problem appeared only at the end of last year.

Ability to play music should appear not only the player itself through iTunes, but also through the browser: iTunes Preview site 30 samples are available for listening.

Via CNET

According to the head of Michael Robertson, MP3tunes (Michael Robertson), Apple intends to create a remote storage service, music and video, and just for this purpose has acquired the service of Lala in the past year. Work it will be as follows: when a user listens to music or watching videos in iTunes, the file in the background is unloaded to the Internet, and eventually formed a remote repository, "mirror" all the user's media collection. With the iPhone, iPod (as well as hypothetical tablet), the user can connect to this store and play content directly from him. Since users already possess all the rights to upload files, to enter into new agreements with copyright holders Apple does not have to.

So, I repeat, says CEO MP3tunes, but official confirmation of those plans by Apple has not yet happened.

Some companies, such as Amazon VOD and VUDU, already provide similar services, but there it is less developed. Microsoft for the subscription fee of $ 15 per month (Zune Pass) provides unlimited access to the entire Zune Marketplace, but it can only download music.

Via Electronista

Company BetaNet sued once by 17 companies, including Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Kodak and others, accusing them of violating two of its patents, describing remote access to computers. Both patents are called "Secure system for activating personal computer software from a remote location.

According BetaNet, Apple in a patent infringement sells software on remote computers connected through iTunes, Aperture, QuickTime, and MobileMe.

«Apple uses, sells and offers for sale computer software through a process that uses the program file to a segment of loading and login shell … – said in a lawsuit BetaNet. – Program file contains the first performing a control program, representing a limited version of the program file. Information about the transfer of the license is entered in the registration envelope, and this information is passed from the login shell in a separate registration program on the registration computer.

Then in the lawsuit states: "Registration Program combines information about the transfer of licenses from performing a second control program, representing the full version of the program file, and thus creates a unique overlay file. This unique overlay file is transferred from the registration program in the registration envelope it contained a second executable control program. Overlay file is installed in the main program file and includes the full functionality of the program file.

According BetaNet, the same mechanism is used in the Adobe Creative Suite, Acrobat and Photoshop, Microsoft Office, OneCare, Windows Server and Sliverlight, McAffee VirusScan and several other programs. Lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas.

According to Apple, at the moment the company is protected from charges of violating 47 patents, 27 of which she was accused in the 2009 fiscal year. In December of the same Texas court has recognized Apple guilty, and then she had to pay a fine of $ 21.7 million

Via AppleInsider

The new pricing policy iTunes was not so good for popular songs, as would a major label.

Raising the cost of top songs to $ 1.29, online shop just to make sure that the new price only discourages customers, surpassing the psychological barrier of 30 cents.

For example, tracks with updated «price», almost immediately after the «welcome» news in the rating of hundreds of the most popular songs on average fell by 5.3 positions. On Wednesday, the decline continued for another 2 position.

At the same song for $ 0.99 just climbed on top of about 2.5 seats on Wednesday and 1.7 on Thursday.

Conclusion

It is felt that the labels for all of this says is that now the maximum price for a song must be no higher than $ 0.99.

As promised, iTunes moved to variable pricing system. According to Apple, it relates to the fact that labels are sometimes overstate the requirements for the cost of their product.

Thus, most of the top singles are sold at a price of $ 1.29. In doing so, the songs are in AAC format, 256 kbit / sec. These same tracks in the music online store Amazon, you can buy for $ 0.99. However, the recording quality is slightly worse – VBR 256 kbit / sec. But they are the same as in iTunes, not the technology protected by DRM.

Here's a policy at iTunes

Pricing Policy iTunes is that the songs will be sold for $ 0.69, $ 0.99 and $ 1.29. Nevertheless, at this point still has some of the tracks, above the maximum specified value.