Tech giant Apple is set to shut down the LaLa online music service this month, with analysts suggesting the company’s services could be integrated into the iTunes music platform.
LaLa, purchased by Apple last December, allows users to buy “streams” of songs they can listen to at any time, without actually downloading a digital file.
The service also enabled users to upload their music libraries onto the site, and then access those files from any web-enabled browser. The company will now shut down on May 31, and has promised to refund users for any streams purchased.
Speculation has been rife for some time that Apple could introduce a type of system within iTunes that would see users upload their libraries to the internet, and then access them at any web browser on any computer.
The Wall Street Journal has reported the new service, called iTunes.com, could be launched in June. This would place it alongside new announcements for an updated iPhone model, and the release of the OS 4.0 software.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
