Apple

TECH TALK, UPDATE: So Apple rolled out its pretty new phones today (one version of which is mega-cheap—see our story here), and delved a bit into the launch of iTunes Radio. They also did demo music play in the updated iOS7, using The Civil Wars, as the pic at the left shows. When it debuts on 9/18, Cupertino's streamery will face some interesting competition in this sphere, from existing players with big user bases like Pandora and a handful of new entrants, some highly anticipated (particularly Beats Music, aka Project Daisy) and some less so (Microsoft's newly streamlined Xbox Music, now offering free streaming on the Web). We'll keep you updated as the release approaches. Remember, Apple is a hardware company, however when its streaming feature is rolled out, the bottom line will be about what keeps them on top in an increasingly saturated handset market. They're hoping for more advertising generated revenue, but customers do have the option to stream ad-free with the purchase of iTunes Match for $24.99 a year. (9/10a)