Report: Streaming iTunes coming soon

Apple's been expected to launch a version of iTunes with streaming audio, and possibly video, for some time, and a new report says it's not far off.

The new version of iTunes will reportedly have three major features: Streaming music and movies from Apple servers to PCs and mobile devices, streaming from a home network to remote devices and wireless syncing with iTunes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Caveat: Boy Genius Report, which reported the story, citing a reliable source, has been wrong about iTunes rumors before. Last year the site reported that iTunes 9 would include a big push into social networking, letting users broadcast music and share playlists with friends. Instead, iTunes 9's only social feature was the ability to post iTunes Store links into Facebook and Twitter. BGR also published screenshots of Last.fm integration and a playlist entitled "social." Neither feature materialized in iTunes 9.

That said, Apple presumably gobbled up cloud music service Lala for a reason. The site, which sold streaming-only tracks at a cut rate of 10 cents each, shut down in May, five months after the Apple acquisition. It's safe to assume that some kind of iTunes streaming service will rise from Lala's ashes, it's just a matter of when.

ADVERTISEMENT

As for wireless sync, it's a much-needed feature that Apple is not letting third-party developers create. In May, Apple rejected one developer's wireless sync app from the App Store, forcing him to sell it in the Cydia store for jailbroken phones instead. I think this feature appeals to me more than streaming music and video.

BGR didn't provide a time frame for these features. If the report is accurate, I'm guessing we'll see the new version in September. That's when Apple held its iPod and iTunes event last year, and the company tends to launch new products and services in yearly cycles.

No posts to display