Apple to Unveil iTunes Live Stream

If you see the Apple website homepage today, it has a cryptic message stating - Tomorrow is just another day. That you'll never forget. Check back here tomorrow for an exciting announcement from iTunes.



Music industry sources point out that deals between Apple and EMI have materialised and they will sell The Beatles songs via iTunes Store. But the geeks and enthusiasts who love dismantling every single fibre (read code) coming from Apple, have found out new needle in the hay stack of code. French website Consomac dismantled iTunes 10.1 update and bet that Apple will bring iTunes Live Stream service anytime soon.


Count this as a speculation or a rumor but there is solid information dug up in the Property list (info.plist) file of iTunes 10.1 media player and music store software. Bits of information in the info.plist file code point at a new 'iTunes Live Stream URL' tag indicating a new feature in iTunes Store is up in the anvil. This iTunes Live Stream URL with 'itls' URL Scheme is very similar to the 'itms' that (might stand for iTunes Music Store) that connects to the iTunes Store.

What could be iTunes Live Stream? Well, it's too early to jump the guns and we might end up shooting in wrong directions. It could be Live streaming of TV episodes or streaming any audio-video concert like YouTube streamed U2 concert.

Apple's September 1 iPods unveiling event and October 20 Back To Mac event was Live streamed via HTTP protocol to Apple devices and operating system. Looks like HTTP Live Streams of those events was sort of a pilot to bring the iTunes Live Stream service in the near future. Apple always had Cloud computing related ambitions in form of gigantic new data center which were revealed last year by Leander Kahney of CultofMac.

We don't know if it is going to be The Beatles hitting the iTunes Store or new iTunes Live Stream service launch. In either case, it's a win-win situation for all of us (meaning 23 countries where iTunes Store sells music).