At MacWorld Apple announced a new pricing model for iTunes:
- The iTunes store is moving unilaterally to "iTunes Plus." That means higher-quality 256 Kbps DRM-free AAC files.
- All four major labels have already agreed to the change, and independents are signing on. Apple says 8 million tracks are ready now, and the remaining 2 million or so will all be converted by the end of the first quarter of 2008.
- You can upgrade previously purchased tunes for 30 cents each, 60 cents for videos, and albums can be upgraded for 30% of the purchase price. The catch: Right now it's an all-or-nothing upgrade; you either upgrade all your tunes to Plus, or you buy new versions. Smart buyers are waiting, until all their purchases are available, or in hopes of a better future upgrade option.
The DRM-free means you can burn the files, and play them on a lot more devices, including iTunes for Windows, many non-iPod players, as well as on Macs, Apple TV, iPods, and iPhones, Sony's newer Walkman players, Microsoft's Zune and the next version of Windows Media Player.
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