by , 3:00 PM EDT, June 11th, 2003
The New York Post, oft a source of mainstream coverage of Apple's iTunes Music Store (iTMS) of late, has published yet another piece on the subject, but this one contains a bit of unfortunate errata. The article deals with the success of the iTMS, and the way that success has garnered renewed interest in the area from the usual suspects in high-tech: Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo!, and Amazon, in this case. Note that earlier reports have been published that also say these four companies are looking to make a move on this market.
What's unfortunate is a note about Apple's own plans for a Windows version of the iTMS. Apple announced earlier this year that a Windows version of the service would be available by the end of 2003. According to the post, we can look for that by the end of this month. From the article:
However, industry insiders and analysts wonder if Apple's iTunes will give PC users the same freedoms. Apple is developing a PC/Windows Media version of iTunes, which the company plans to have ready by the end of the month.
We checked with an Apple spokesperson, who told us specifically that the Post's article is not correct, and that the end of the year is still the official time frame.
You can find the full article at the New York Post's Web site.
Be that as it may, we felt it important to get clarification from Apple on the subject, as any renewed time table would mean a major shift in Apple's strategy. That is not, however, the case.