Apple, labels talk music in the cloud

leaders have talked with the top four record companies about plans to offer streaming music service free for consumers, several music industry sources told CNET.
Apple's leaders have not revealed many details about their plans, but did discuss the offer iTunes users a means to save copies of their music libraries on Apple's servers. The benefits to an iTunes user will include the ability to back up your music and access songs from the Internet from any Internet-connected device, and be from anywhere in the world.

Apple's song downloads, apparently not affected. Apple has told some music executives that they see on the streaming function as a "value add" that could help stimulate the sale. Apple indicated in negotiations that the current service could be ready to deploy as soon as this spring.

It is unlikely but not impossible that Apple will announce streaming service to a scheduled Jan. 27 press event, where Steve Jobs & Co. are widely expected to unveil a new tablet device. Apple has not publicly disclosed details of the plan, but to the four major record companies, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions. To provide this type of streaming service - even if it is to store and distribute the music you already purchased by a consumer - my sources say Apple may be necessary to negotiate new agreements with the labels.

An Apple spokesman would not comment.
Apple always the curiosity of iTunes fans last month when it bought Lala, a struggling streaming music service. Since then, many people guessed that Apple planned to use Lala and its leaders to stream music and possibly video too. Michael Roberton, founder of MP3.com and one of the tech sector's best-known agitators, led to more speculation Tuesday when he wrote on TechCrunch: "Apple plans to upgrade their users almost overnight into a cloud music service in an ambitious move to beat Amazon and others. "He cites unnamed music industry sources.

Robertson said Wednesday that many people involved in digital music thinks Apple is vulnerable when it comes to cloud computing. Streaming content is considered by many to be the next wave in digital entertainment, and Apple has not had much of a profile in this area. In the past two years, consumers have shown that they like streaming music. Pandora, the 10-year-old streaming radio service, last week announced it had recorded its first profitable quarter.

Robertson said he expects to see an "upload" button on iTunes as part of a future update.

Still, Robertson said an iTunes streaming plan can be problematic for the music industry. There is a possibility that Apple can not believe it has to compensate, or even buy new licenses to stream legally purchased songs to the owners, "says Robertson. As the largest music retailer in the world, Apple has kind of muscle to launch the service without asking for permission, according to Robertson.

"I have spoken with one of the labels the guys about this," Robertson said during our interview. "The person said that the labels are not very happy, but they are not sure that Apple will not try to jam this through no matter what the labels want. Apple can say: 'We sell 2 billion songs and this is what we do. "

On the issue of iTunes have licenses to play legally purchased music, Robertson has some experience. He fights a copyright lawsuit filed two years ago by EMI Music to its streaming-music service, MP3tunes.com. EMI argues that MP3tunes does not have authorization to exploit the company's music this way. Robertson counters that there is nothing illegal about the storage and streaming of someone's legally purchased songs. His case would come to a conclusion later this year.

Another possible conflict between Apple and the labels may come when Apple's streaming service starts to hurt subscription music services, "said Robertson. If Apple is allowed to stream music to a user anywhere in the world, why would anyone pay $ 8 a month subscription? I pointed out that the subscription services also offer all-you-can-eat music. Robertson says that the major and most important songs to music fans are the ones they already own.

"An iTunes streaming service could close the window of opportunity for labels to create a new type of subscription service," said Mr. Robertson.

Fox News "Confirms" Apple Tablet, iLife 2010 and Next iPhone OS

From Fox News, one article posted on Monday, arguing that not only next week's Apple event is now confirmed to host long-rumored tablet discovery, but see the next iteration of Apple's iLife software show. Fox's report also indicates that Apple will be discussed in the next iPhone OS update.

Article Fox News "Clayton Morris is boldly called" Apple Tablet, iPhone Launch 4 approved January 27 "(never mind that it is always iffy to" approve "any new Apple product until Steve Jobs is standing onstage with them), and further detailed Morris had had a conversation with an Apple source early Monday morning.

According to his conversation with the unnamed individual, for next week's San Francisco event will concentrate on three specific projects: a long-rumored Apple tablet the next iteration of iLife and the iPhone OS update. However, iPhone owners have reason to get too excited just yet, because the report indicated that discussions on the next iPhone software will be severely limited level.

TheNextWeb noted that the author Clayton Morris is properly distributed Apple related stories from the past with him, knowing now approved for the Apple event before anyone else.

However, despite Morris 'apparently assured sources, Apple's mysterious event invitation wording may suggest he is not right this time. Apple's invitation, welcomed the press to come and see the companies' most recent creation ". If you take into account the plural to the Apple event organized entirely devoted to the device, which is extensivly so wish, or they indicate that more than expected?

Also in the past Apple has a relatively open with their iPhone OS update notifications, and these events have come later in the year.

Apple's Latest Creation "event is 10 PST on January 27th at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for Theater Arts.

What would you like to see the next iPhone OS, and what are your hopes for the new version of iLife? Let us know the comments!

Apple added iTunes Store page for Haiti donations

Apple has added a page to the iTunes Store, which allows people to donate to the American Red Cross to help those affected by the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

On the page you can click to donate $ 5, $ 10, $ 25, $ 50, $ 100 or $ 200. Apple notes that 100 percent of donations go to the Red Cross, and "will support emergency relief efforts to help those affected by this earthquake." Donations can go to the emergency, mobilizing relief workers, or providing financial resources.

Apple also says that iTunes will not share your personal information with the Red Cross, so you only get a standard e-mail receipt from iTunes.

Many companies have recently promised to donate profits from their apps to the relief efforts as well.

Note that you can not use iTunes Store credit from donations, I have made a donation this morning and my balance did not change.

IPhone Mini drone and video games to real life

Drones now synonymous with U.S. military strikes in hotspots like Afghanistan. But the French company has now built a mini version piloted by giving iPhone video games on the streets.

Represents the flying saucer-like AR.Drone - your reality increases - caused a sensation when it was indicated on the unsuspecting world at trend setting consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas last week.

This week the creators gave AFP the company's next show in their offices at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, where quadricopter "" perplexed and impressed passers-by on a cold winter evening.

One of the 10 engineers who spent four years developing a drone tapped the button on the iPhone it takes from the land and make it hover near the dark waters of the canal.

Then he tilted the phone or forward it sideways to manoeuvre around nearby trees and park benches.

The machine's four propellers whirred calm as he moved through the air, a camera streaming live video from two cameras, three Wi-Fi, to the pilot on the telephone.

You can stay the drone moves at 18 kilometers (11 miles) per hour, airborne for 15 minutes after 60-minutes Battery charge, the maximum range of 50 meters (yards), and weighs just over 300 grams, or half a pound.

The automatic flight stabilization makes it much better to any other flying toys currently on store market, the company.

"We use very sophisticated technology development - technology used in military and commercial drones," said Henri Seydoux, founder of the Parrot, the company making the toys.

AR.drone is fun to pilot and probably would have hit if he has anything but flying around and onlookers astonish.

But its creators are far more plans for it: a video-gaming.

They represent and encourage this but they have no interest in having their engines used for aerial photography, spying or any other thing.

Back inside their offices, Parrot team proudly displayed their engine capacities.

An engineer to the drone in the air and as soon as they saw the cameras were targets set up around the room, was the transformation of the iPhone screen in the virtual robots to be then he could fire missiles.

To be a beacon serves as target drones on other permits two or more parties to tackle air inside or outside.

This is the aspect of increased reality - merging the physical world with the virtual world.

"This will be expressed drone not only kids play games on their computers but in the garden, the country, or on the beach," Seydoux said the Parrot, which employed 450 people and has previously specialized in the possession of wireless systems free.

"A child can pilot it. I want to make it both very easy to use and safe," he said.

The engineers increased gaming reality show, in essence, but they point out the AR.Drone built on the open platform and the company is inviting outside developers to create games for the device.

The prospect of creating a robot battles increasing reality in much excitement on the gaming world. Gaming websites are awash with comments from the hovered over the heads AR.Drone the awed visitors to the Las Vegas show technical.

Games blog on the Guardian newspaper said Britain was a prediction that has come true "that we all die one day be indulging in real life games, robotic strong slaves in battle on the streets of our towns and cities, as a control We carnage through our computers. "

There are already increasing reality applications in the fields of medicine, defense, navigation, education, and in gaming.

But many observers are touting the AR.Drone as heralding another major thing in the world of video games, in 2009 was worth more than 50 billion dollars (35 billion euros) worldwide, according to industry figures.

But gamers will have to be patient. Parrot says only that a drone going on sale some time this year, and they refuse to confirm the price of 500 dollars that bandied about in the newspapers.

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The Apple iTunes Store page for donations Haiti
Apple has added to the iTunes Store page that allows people to donate to the American Red Cross to assist people affected by the earthquake of January 12 in Haiti.

On these pages you can click on to donate $ 5, $ 10, $ 25, $ 50, $ 100, or $ 200. The Apple that goes 100 per cent of the donations to the Red Cross, and will "support emergency relief efforts to assist people affected by the earthquake." Donations can go to relief supplies, mobilizing relief workers, or providing financial resources.

Apple also says that iTunes for some personal information to the Red Cross, so that you get only receive email from the iTunes standard email.

Many companies have recently pledged to donate profits from their apps with the relief efforts as well.

Note that you can use iTunes Store credit-donations towards my donation this morning and did not change my credit balance.