Apple planning iTunes Live using Lala tech?

A newly filed trademark application by Apple for "iTunes Live" has been spotted, though the actual functionality it will brand is so far unclear.  While TechCrunch seem convinced iTunes Live is a push to sell more concert recordings by Apple, there's also speculation that it could be a "live connected" aka cloud jukebox style system.  SlashGear columnist Michael Gartenberg predicted just as much late last year, in the aftermath of the Apple Lala acquisition.

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"Apple pioneered the model of the $0.99 song purchase tied to a computer and transferred over a cable to a portable device. When most users collections had well less than a 1,000 songs, the model makes perfect sense. But what about when a users collection far exceeds the reasonable capacity to put in a device? Or when the device the consumer uses has a ubiquitous, "always on" connection? It's these types of fundamental shifts that went into the thinking of a Lala purchase." Michael Gartenberg

A mobile service that could in-effect funnel a huge database of media from a central repository to any of Apple's wireless-connected devices would certainly be a compelling option for those with more songs than space on their iPad or iPhone, and Apple seldom leave a successful niche satisfied solely by third-party app vendors.  Integration with Apple's own servers, meanwhile, would present a way for them to further monetize Genius predictions.

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