There is heavy speculation over the next iTunes announcement. Image: Flickr / jelene / CC-BY
On Tuesday morning, an iTunes announcement will be made. This web-only announcement is a departure for Apple, which usually holds a large press event for new products. There is a lot of speculation about the iTunes announcement, including the possibility of a move to the cloud.
iTunes announcement on Tuesday
The iTunes store began showing an advertisement for its new iTunes announcement Monday morning. The tagline is simply “Tomorrow is just another day. That you’ll never forget.” At 7 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, iTunes will be making a big announcement. This will mark one of the first times that Apple makes a big announcement about an Apple product online only. This could indicate one of two things. First, it could indicate that the iTunes announcement will actually be relatively small. Given the size of the marketing, it is more likely Apple is trying to make a point with the online-only iTunes announcement.
iTunes announcement to be about the cloud?
The most popular theory is that the iTunes announcement will be cloud-based. “The cloud” is a system of storing information in such a way it can be accessed from any web-connected device. Apple has been building data centers in North Carolina, having spent more than $1 billion already. The data center should be up and running by the end of the year. There has also been speculation that the iTunes announcement will be that the store is moving to the cloud because about one year ago, Apple purchased digital streaming service LaLa, then shut it down in April. Apple could be using the technology it acquired from LaLa to create a cloud-based iTunes store. This would help expand its appeal as well as address many iTunes store users’ concerns about having to re-purchase music and apps.
Other possibilities for the iTunes announcement
The other main contender for the iTunes announcement is that it is simply a co-announcement of iOS 4.2. This major iPad update, as well as iPhone and iPod update, has been hotly anticipated for many weeks. Other frontrunners of a possibility for the iTunes announcement are a TV-streaming-rental service to go along with Apple TV. Whatever the announcement is, it is likely to affect iTunes users around the world, given that the iTunes announcement comes with multiple time zone indicators.
