The long awaited popular legal online music download service, iTunes Music Store (ITMS) from Apple has been released today for Windows users. The iTunes 4.1 application includes the ability to share music between Mac and Windows. iTunes will also feature closer integration with audible.com and sync On-The-Go playlists. This service was originally slated to be released at some time by the end of 2003, but with recent activity from Windows competiition like MusicMatch and the soon to be released legal Napster return, they pushed the release sooner rather than later in the year.

The two-paned interface allows for searching through music by song title, artist, and gives album cover information. You can click on the song and listen to a 30 second preview and if you like the song you can buy it. Users need to have an Apple ID which is your email address and a password that you create. Credit card is required.

If you want to listen to some radio stations, click the radio button and I think they are using shoutcasters, as the quality was not all that spectacular, even with 128k streams (which were having heavy buffering on my 500K DSL connection). I have spent less than an hour with this download, so this is a really early overview.

The visualization interface is pretty cool. Turn that on and it makes a heck of a screensaver.

More blogging about iTunes for Windows:
Tim Jarett compares to the Mac version
Koldark has just downloaded and will be giving his comments soon
Binary Bonsai offers early commentary on the launch
songdog follows the rumour sites
Blue Sky On Mars compares this launch to Pressplay and Musicnet
Volker says: one less excuse to buy a Mac
Tom Bridge ponders what will happen if Apple can conquer the legal download market
<a href=http://mowabb.com/ai/archives/2003_10_16.html>ambivalent imbroglio: I saw a pig fly!</a>
ipodlounge: In AOL at MUSIC, there will be an iTunes button that launches iTunes and takes you to that song. It will bill you on your AOL bill.
AOL has 25 million subscribers and 16 million AOL Music users - AOL Music will now be a part of iTMS.
AOL Music is going to link to iTunes.
Apple announces partnership with AOL.
Apple’s goal is 100 million downloads by April.

Did this post make you go hmm?

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