iPhone 5: Free music streaming to take on Spotify?
We’re less than a week away from the debut of the iPhone 5, and while we’ve got a good idea of what to expect – a bigger screen, smaller dock and iOS 6 – that may not be all. A new report today reveals that Apple is working on a music streaming service like Pandora or Spotify: will we see it next week as well?
Both the respected Wall Street Journal and New York Times are reporting today that Apple is working on a streaming internet radio service that plays songs of a similar genre to one you specify, much like Pandora or the radio feature of Spotify. That’s different to the current iTunes offering of individual song downloads you have to pay for.
Official: iPhone 5 launches a week today!
According to the Times’ three sources, Apple is negotiating with labels for flexible rights as to what can be played and how often, and may use its own iAd service to show ads within the app.
It’s not clear yet though whether Apple will charge a subscription fee for this service, or whether it will be free like Nokia Music for Lumia Windows Phones – or when it will launch. But when it does, you can expect devices like the iPhone 5 will be able to take full advantage of it.
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