Apple Unveils the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
Wireless Music Downloads Directly to iPod touch & iPhone Custom Ringtone
Maker Now Built into iTunes
SAN FRANCISCO–September 5, 2007–Apple today unveiled the iTunes Wi-Fi
Music Store, offering music fans the ability to browse, search, preview,
purchase and download songs and albums from the iTunes Music Store over a
Wi-Fi network directly onto their iPod touch or iPhone. With the iTunes
Wi-Fi Music Store, music fans can start enjoying their music purchases
immediately on their iPod touch or iPhone with no computer required. Once
they connect their iPod touch or iPhone back to their PC or Mac, downloaded
music will automatically sync back into their iTunes library. If users have
only partially downloaded a song or album onto their iPod touch or iPhone,
their computer will complete the download automatically. Prices and
selection on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store are the same as on the regular
iTunes Store.
“The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is really fun–you can browse, search, freely
preview, buy and instantly download music right onto your iPod touch or
iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Innovative products like this keep
iTunes at the forefront of the digital music revolution.”
In addition, iTunes customers will now be able to create custom ringtones
by selecting up to a 30-second segment from over a million participating
songs on iTunes and easily sync them onto their iPhone. Once a customer has
purchased a participating song from iTunes, including previously purchased
participating songs, it will only cost 99 cents to make up to a 30-second
segment of that song into a ringtone and easily sync it onto their iPhone.
Customers can personalize their ringtones by choosing which portion of the
song they want to use, and setting custom fade in and fade out points.
iPhone users can assign a custom ringtone to be their default ringtone and
they can also assign them to individual callers in their address book.
Customers still have full use of the originally purchased song.
Apple today also released the next generation of the world’s most popular
music and video jukebox, iTunes 7.4, now available as a free download at
www.iTunes.com. iTunes 7.4 includes a larger viewing area for movies and
TV, filling the entire iTunes window for a richer, seamless video playback
experience that looks better than ever. You can now rate entire albums as
well as individual songs.
The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie
store and has become the number three music retailer in the US, surpassing
both Amazon and Target.* The iTunes Store features the world’s largest
catalog with over six million songs, 550 television shows and over 500
movies and has sold over three billion songs, 100 million TV shows and over
two million movies.
Pricing & Availability
Both the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and custom iTunes ringtones for
iPhone will be available later this month. iTunes 7.4 is available
immediately as a free download at www.itunes.com. Music purchased from the
iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is priced the same as music from the iTunes store.
Ringtones are available for an additional 99 cents for participating songs
that have previously been purchased from iTunes. Internet access is
required and a broadband connection is recommended, fees may apply. The
iTunes Store is not available in all countries.
* Based on data from market research firm the NPD Group’s MusicWatch survey
that captures consumer reported past week unit purchases equivalized so
that one CD equals 12 tracks, excluding wireless transactions.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional
applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with
its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has
entered the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.
