Cloud-Based iTunes After Apple’s Acquisition Of Lala?

Back in November , Apple introduced iTunes preview which gives customers the option to view content without launching the iTunes application. In December, Apple purchased music streaming service Lala , and this week a they introduced a new feature that allows you to stream samples of songs found in the iTunes store.

The new ability is limited however. To purchase a track, users still need to select “View in iTunes.” The playback uses Quicktime and is encoded as 44.1 AAC 300+ kbits/second streams.

With its newly-acquired Lala, Apple could expand iTunes, allowing users to stream their music collection from any computer connected to the Internet. Currently, the company links iTunes management to individual computers.

Unlike Apple, Google’s partnership with Lala permits users to search for songs and stream the full track, rather than just 30-second samples.

[thx Josh, via appleinsider]