Hard Day's Night for Beatles iTunes Deal

Fab Four's iconic catalog was noted holdout

(NEWSER) - Fab Four fans, rejoice: Or at least hold your breath, because the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Steve Jobs' pending iTunes news is that Apple is nearing a deal to bring the Beatles' catalog at long last onboard. Apple is readying an announcement, anonymous insiders say, while also warning that plans could still change at the last minute. The Journal notes that an agreement would end decades of tension between the two giants; the Beatles originally sued Apple in 1978 for copyright infringement on their Apple Records and Apple Corp. Ltd. More»

Long-awaited move follows settlement of Apple trademark case

(NEWSER) - The long and winding road leads to your computer: The Beatles' catalogue should finally arrive online in 2008, says Paul McCartney. The release has been expected since February’s settlement in the trademark dispute between record label Apple and iTunes-provider Apple. The Beatles' work is among the most high-profile still unavailable in digital format, Reuters writes. More»

Apple hypes it like crazy

(NEWSER) - After decades of legal battles over the “Apple” brand name, the Beatles and Steve Jobs have officially let it be and come together on iTunes. It’s not the big announcement many tech prognosticators were expecting , but Apple is hyping it to the nines, devoting its entire homepage to it. A round of TV commercials are planned as well, according to Tech Crunch . The Fab Four have even cropped up on Ping. More»

(NEWSER) - Apple has joined forces with four major record labels on a mission to get music buyers to start buying albums again instead of just single tracks, the Financial Times reports. The project—codenamed "Cocktail"—will bundle album downloads with lyrics sheets, sleeve notes, photos, and assorted interactive features in an effort to lure consumers into buying the whole package. More»

(NEWSER) - Apple has sold 928 million programs to mobile users and plans to celebrate its billionth App Store download by awarding a random customer a huge haul of merchandise, CNET reports. The lucky customer will walk away with a MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod Touch, and a $10,000 iTunes gift certificate. Which of the 30,000 apps available propelled Apple to these heights? The Facebook app tops the free column, while the most customers paid for Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D. More»