Apple shuts down Lala

LALA TO BE SILENCED: Apple will close down the recently acquired Lala.com on May 31, the company revealed in a message posted on the streaming service’s site. Existing users will be able to log in until the end of next month, and any existing credit in the form of Lala web song purchases or wallet balances (in Lala parlance) will apply to purchases at the iTunes Store. Apple has announced no plans to offer a similar music-streaming service of its own—Apple never announces anything in advance—but this move will be interpreted as the next stage in the creation of a rumored iTunes.com, as it would presumably be called. (4/30a)