Profits Today And More Tomorrow?


Today Apple announced a $44 million profit for the last quarter of 2003. At 12-cents per diluted share that's about double what the analysts had predicted for the company. Of course that's really good news for all Apple aficionados, but the event for which the majority of the computing world has been waiting is probably going to take place at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning at Moscone Center in San Francisco.

By now you've probably read the daily reports of how Apple sent out press invitations for tomorrow morning, when they will announce the "next big music event." Of course everyone, including me, expects Jobs and company to announce iTunes (and the Music Store) for Windows. That will be great news for the Wintel crowd, who will finally get to experience the best way to buy online music. But I suspect that Jobs has another big surprise in store for everyone at the same time.

While Apple's software engineers have been busily crafting a Windows version of iTunes, Jobs and the other executives have been busily negotiating some new blood for the iTunes Music Store. I haven't been privy to any of these negotiations, so I can't definitely confirm that this will happen tomorrow, but I know that a few months ago Apple hosted a large gathering at the corporate headquarters in Cupertino for the independent record labels. It's therefore my hope and belief that tomorrow, Mr. Jobs is going to announce that beginning tomorrow, the iTunes Music Store will carry the music catalog of many, if not all of the independent labels.

Such an announcement would be a huge win for Apple. Maybe even bigger than a Windows version of iTunes, because it would once again give Apple an edge that the other online music services don't have. And speaking of Apple and music, if you enjoy the music used in the new iPod commercials, the song is called "Hey Mama" from Black Eyed Peas.

Posted: Wed - October 15, 2003 at 08:18 PM          

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