Apple Music Service Announcement Play-by-Play

Webcast live here. Play-by-play from MacMinute here:

Welcome to MacMinute’s live coverage of Apple’s press event!
1:00 Online Apple Store down
1:05 Event has begun
Steve Jobs is going over recent annoucments — 12″ PowerBook, 17″ PowerBook, Safari, Keynote, iLife Final Cut Pro 4.
“Today we are going to innovate more?’
Running the old Rip. Mix. Burn.” ad
Talking about iTunes, iPod
Talking what Rip. Mix. Burn. “really means” — “Acquire. Manage. Listen.”
700,000 iPods sold — number 1 in the world
new iPods 3rd generation – 10GB 15GB 30GB
Lighter than the weight of 2 cds in their cases and thinner higher contrast screen, FireWire connector on the bottom, new dock, back-lit buttons, buttons above scroll wheel, line-out on the dock, USB 2.0 (firmware in June) adapter cable $19, Mac and Windows in one box.
iPods add AAC support. On-the-go playlist directly on the iPod. Customizable main menu. Alarm and 2 more games — solitare and parachute.
Jobs giving demo of the “On-the-Go” playlist and main menu customization.
10GB – $299, 15GB – $399, 30GB – $499 — available Friday
(Dock, case, remote only wiht 15 and 30.)
iTunes 4 announced:
Adding AAC
Adding Rendevous support
Let you access songs from other macs
can now backup music to DVDR
(demoing Rendezvous)
(It doesn’t copy the music…so it’s not illegal)
Talking about Napster
Jobs: “Internet was built for music deliver.”
Jobs is talking about the upside and downside of file sharing services;
Jobs says 200,000 tracks are available from Apple’s service with unlimited CD burning.
The service works with all iPod models and on up to three Macs.
All songs are encoded in 128bit AAC, many of which sound better than a CD.
There are free 30 second previews and CD cover artwork says Jobs, “AND its not stealing — its good karma.”
The iTunes Music Store, as Apple has called it, offers 1-click downloads (similar to Amazon.com) whehter it is a song or complete album.
Apple says it is literally one-button to buy a song within iTunes.
Jobs says it is easy to find music, as it is organized nicely. It is even easy to find music you have never heard of….