Apple countdown

COUNTDOWN TO iRADIO (OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED): From Silicon Valley to New York, from London to China to South Africa, news outlets large and small have been breathlessly anticipating the arrival of Apple's streaming service, which should make its debut in mere hours at the company's Worldwide Developers' Conference. In several respects, the situation finds Apple seeming to respond to external events rather than control the agenda: strategically entering the crowded streaming field to retain users (who might leave not only Apple services but their iPhones behind if seduced by Android-friendly options) and bleed support from competitors (see the infographic at right), and also obligated by expectations to roll out the service now. Will its spin on the ad-supported streaming-radio concept pioneered by Pandora win by virtue of brand loyalty? iTunes' dominance of the download market would seem to guarantee it access to a giant user base, and Cupertino's typically peerless design and user experience could ensure they stick around. As we told you last week, Apple got all the major-label groups and several key publishers on board, either officially or in principle. Now it just has to get fickle Internet users, who want a seamless, comprehensive, engaging service for FREE, to sign on as well. But hey, no pressure! (6/10a)