Apple To Join The Social Media Set?

Word on the street (all be it, from an anonymous source) is that Apple are working on a new version of iTunes that will include a social networking tool, allowing you to share the music that you’re listening to with your friends and networks.

Don’t get us wrong - we love a bit of product development, especially if it exposes us to great new music courtesy of our friend’s recommendations. (We trust our friends more than we trust the commercial bollocks that comes from everywhere else!) However, there was this little site around a few years ago, went by the name of something like… Napster? Well, we seem to remember all the big boys and girls getting their knickers a little twisted about their (almost identical) service, eventually deciding it was a touch, well… what do they call it? Ah yeah… illegal!

We’re sure there will be a completely different ($$$) argument brought to the table to defend the actions of a humongous musical powerhouse like Apple, and we’re pretty certain they’ll successfully prove that (although not unique or original) the product is necessary to save the dying music industry. (Haven’t Apple done well over the last decade, concentrating their efforts on the ‘dying music industry’???)

This is all pure speculation, so who really knows? However, it is very interesting to see the progression of ‘open source’ ideas from an organisation that, up until recently would only sell music in a format solely compatible with their hardware. One minute right’s protection is an absolute necessity, and then next it’s free love, free music, free chat and rich Apple. Money talks baby!

You can check out more of the story here.

What do you guys think? Leave them to it… sounds like a great tool? Or cheeky fuc&ers… why do the big boys always get their way?