Edible Apple

One of the inherent advantages the iPhone has over the abundance of Android handsets is its seamless integration with iTunes which provides users with a simple way to sample, purchase, and ultimately transfer songs to their device.

While Android users can of course download songs from Amazon, Apple’s use of iTunes as a connection hub makes transferring music an afterthought. There’s no dragging, copying etc., just simply hook up an iOS device to an iTunes enabled computer and you’re good to go.

Realizing this, rumors of Google launching an iTunes competitor have been popping up here and there over the past few months. Back in September, it was reported that Google was in serious talks with record labels to acquire licensing rights for a planned music “download store.” A rumored November launch never transpired and there hasn’t been much news on that front until earlier this week when Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha might have tipped Google’s hand.

During a talk at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday, Jha was busy talking about the upcoming and overpriced Motorola Xoom tablet when he let this little burb fly:  “If you look at Google Mobile services [via Android] today, there’s a video service, there’s a music service – that is, there will be a music service.” Fleshing it out, Jha added that the utility of upgrading to Android’s forthcoming Honeycomb OS will be the addition of video and music services.

via Guardian