iTunes subscriptions?

One columnist believes Apple will soon debut an iTunes subscription service that would allow customers to download unlimited amounts of music for a flat monthly fee. James Kim of CNET's MP3 Insider points to competition as the driving factor that will push Apple to offer music, and possibly video subscription services, as a medium for consumers to get the content they want. "Imagine a subscription-enabled iTunes 7 with all-you-can-stream access to more than 3 million tracks for $10 month," Kim suggests. "You'd also be able to compile playlists manually or automatically using a mix of your own songs and the entire iTunes catalog. You could actually fill up a 60GB iPod with the click of a button."

The columnist surmises that Apple will still allow customers to purchase tracks for 99 cents or less, but notes that customers would likely have to purchase the newest iPod which would contain an internal subscription clock.

"I can't believe that in five years, Apple won't have a subscription service," Kim adds. "The company has taken note of the problems on the WMA side, plus it has the advantage of controlling both the hardware and software sides of the subscription equation. The time is now for an easy-to-use, utterly convenient, and cheap subscription service from Apple."

by MacNN Staff