We've previously reported that Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself said that a subscription-based model for Apple's iTunes store isn't coming any time soon, but during our routine visits to the Intertubes we came across something that suggests otherwise.

In Seeking Alpha, Eric Savitz writes that Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves believes that Apple "has built and is capable of launching a subscription music service." Hargreaves points towards increasing competition from cellular carriers and attractive economics for a subscription service as reasons to believe that "will drive Apple to launch its subscription service within the next 18 months."

According to Savitz, Hargreaves predicts that a billion music-enabled phones will be sold next year and that carriers' music offerings will become "extremely viable competitors with iTunes." Hargreaves also predicts not only a subscription services but also more personalization options, tiered pricing and "more social aspects."

Steve Jobs, Apple's Chief Executive and all-around company big man, says that despite calls from the music industry, a subscription-based model for Apple's iTunes service won't be coming any time soon. For now, the company will be sticking to their tried and tested iTunes business model.

"Never say never, but customers don't seem to be interested in it," Jobs told Reuters in an interview. "The subscription model has failed so far." Jobs also added that "people want to own their music." A lot of folks in the music industry are pushing for the subscription service so record companies can make more money from recurring income.

Jobs' comments come at a time when Apple is getting ready to renegotiate contract renewals with major record labels next month. Aside from the subscription service, one of the topics that will be sure to come up is the DRM issue. "There are a lot of people in the other music companies who are very intrigued by it," said Jobs, referring to Apple's call for selling songs without DRM. "They're thinking very hard about it right now."

More studios have lined up behind Disney, Lionsgate, and Paramount Pictures to support the continuously growing library of downloadable content on the iTunes Store. If you go online now and check what's new, you'll find a list of movies from both MGM Studios and United Artists.

It turns out that both studios have now also signed a deal with Apple, and while United Artist only has one movie available for now ("Ronin"), MGM has quite a bulky selection:

• Mad Max
• Rocky
• Dances with Wolves
• Robocop
• The Thomas Crown Affair
• Bulletproof Monk
• Pieces of April

Isn't it strange that these movies seem to be remnants of an era long gone some 20 years now? Well, maybe this is the trend that some movie studios would take, especially since establishments like Wal-mart seem to feel threatened by the downloadable movie market. So, instead of releasing new movies that retailers sell regularly, MGM's got their list of movies that don't quite sell as hot anymore but are still deemed as classics.

High-definition podcasts from Washingtonpost.com are now available on iTunes. These 720p HD podcasts featuring Washingtonpost.com documentaries are designed for viewing on HDTVs and, of course, the Apple TV.

According to tech blog Electronista, Washingtonpost.com is the first news organization to offer HD video content for the Apple TV.

"The washingtonpost.com's multimedia team has worked hard to hone not only their technical skills, but also their storytelling skills," said Tom Kennedy, managing editor of multimedia at Washingtonpost.com. "This team has invested in providing outstanding content and quality journalism, and in turn we've invested in the technology they need to keep growing without limitations."

The documentaries available for download include the "Being a black man" series by videojournalist Ben De La Cruz, a series on Darfur refugees in Chad by videojournalist Travis Fox, and "Justin's Got Game" by Pierre Kattar. For the more politically-minded, ongoing coverage of the presidential campaign trail by John Poole is also available.

Gizmodo writer Eric Lam gave a reaction and correction post to CNET's Erica Ogg for her article discussing how iTunes may be streamed to a mobile phone in the future. The CNET write-up got a lot of fans excited until Lam burst the bubble.

Lam explained that the article does hold some water in terms of feasibility, but there's a lot more to it than just having your phone synced with a computer or iPod.

"What they're talking about is using the excellent, yet non-specific ability of a Slingbox to stream iTunes to an Apple TV," says Lam, "using a HD equipped Slingbox Pro to stream Apple TV to your Sling Client-equipped Palm, or Windows Mobile phone."

Lam also said that there's a fat chance that iPhone wouldn't support Sling videos. Audio should be a non-issue, but unless there's a drastic change in the last stages of the iPhone, that would be a smart prediction.

"The article speaks of future support, but isn't this possible with the mere addition of a few IR codes?" asks the Gizmodo scribe.

A bizarre thing happens to European patrons of iTunes online music stores. When a European consumer buys music from the iTunes Belgian store, for example, they may only use a credit card issued by the bank with an address in Belgium. Because of this territorial restrictions, consumers are then limited in their freedom to purchase the songs they want, and where they want it bought. As such, the European commission has opened an antitrust probe into Apple's iTunes and the way it sells music online in coordination with major music companies.

The EU Commission does this probe amidst complaints from consumer groups coming from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Nordic countries. Such groups have demanded Apple to change the rules it imposes on its online music stores.

Apple, meanwhile, responds that the company actually wants to operate a single store for all of Europe. But publishers and music labels alike won't have any of this, as they believe Apple's rights are not all-encompassing. Spokesman Steve Dowling says Apple does not believe it did anything to violate the EU law.

Apple has been given a "statement of objections" by the EU Commission. The electronics giant has two months to answer the questions issued in the letter. If found guilty, Apple may be forced to part with as much as 10 percent of its total world income to pay for the EU fines.

Newsflash: you might want to upgrade your digital audio player to support the AAC format. After all, this is the format to be used by Apple in selling their non-DRM music from EMI from now on, with lots of major music labels expected to follow suit on the months to come.

AAC is known to be the better digital audio format in terms of sound quality compared to the more popular MP3. Yesterday, Apple and EMI announced that they will be selling non-DRM tracks for US$ 1.29 per song. Such songs will be available in the AAC format.

Will your digital audio player support AAC? As of now, Microsoft, Nokia, Sandisk (e200 line), and Sony already include AAC playback on their devices. Those that don't have AAC format support are players from Creative, Toshiba, Cowon, Philips, etc.

Thankfully, upgrading your digital music player to support AAC can be done via firmware update. Just check your manufacturer's support if you want an upgrade.

We can drop the question mark now. EMI releases word via its press office that it IS dropping digital rights management (DRM) protocols on "premium downloads" of its music tracks. No DRM = full interoperability across all music platforms, so as long as it can play the file format.

Here's the kicker: making the joint announcement with EMI, Apple says that iTunes will be the first to retail EMI's premium downloads. They also announce that these premium AAC-format tracks at twice the quality of existing downloads, and with the DRM removed, at only US$ 1.29/� 1.29/£ 0.99 on iTunes. Their regular-quality counterparts, still with DRM, will retail for the standard US$ 0.99/� 0.99/£ 0.79. Customers who already have the standard-quality tracks can upgrade to the double-quality DRM-free version for US$ 0.30/� 0.30/£ 0.30. EMI music videos will also be DRM free - no change in price!

There's the shock, ain't it? Pay a higher price for the DRM-free? Of course, at twice the quality of the regular download, it's both a larger file and certainly a premium, which would justify the higher price; we can't exactly envision the higher price as a "disincentive" to DRM-free files with that kind of setup. Or perhaps it's a cautious step by EMI - seeing how the market reacts to this.

Still, EMI expects that customers will flock to the new premium downloads - both for the higher quality and the full interoperability of the files. They've been tinkering with DRM-free tracks since the end of last year, the PR notes. On the other hand, EMI will continue to use DRM in other models of digital distribution, such as subscription-based models, super-distribution (file-sharing with friends - think Zune), and time-limited downloads (such as those subsidized by ads).

Quite a few people have had problems with buying songs online through iTunes. and this comes from the fact that customers will often buy just a few singles from their favorite artists. However, should they decide that the album is worth buying, they have to pay full price for the album, regardless of whether they bought some of the songs already. This has led to quite a few choice words from certain audiophiles who feel they have been cheated.

Now, with the newly-launched Complete My Album feature, that is no longer the case. According to Eddie Cue, AppleÂ?s vice president of iTunes, "Music fans can now round out their music collections by upgrading their singles into complete albums with just one click, and get full credit for those songs they have previously purchased from iTunes".

So how does it work? After purchasing a single from an album, the customer is given 180 days to buy the album minus the cost of the singles. Customers who decide to buy any song on iTunes, will have the album of that song added to their Complete My Album page along with the price they have to pay if they wish to take advantage of the feature. Meanwhile, the president of Global Digital Business and US Sales of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Thomas Hesse, has taken note of iTunes and their constant improvements saying that iTunes "continues to revolutionize the digital music industry by offering music fans innovative ways to explore and enjoy new music."

All told, it's impressive on paper, but will it make money for the company?

Sony may be the next big challenger to iTunes in the UK, but that didn't stop the two giants from striking a deal that will allow past and current Sony TV material to be made available through the mighty online media vendor.

You may never have thought you'd see the day when the old Spider-Man series with cheesy special effects plays on your iPod video. Now, he'll be swinging in with some of Sony's most popular franchises to add a dash of nostalgia to your viewing diet.

  

Immortals such as "Charlie's Angels," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "News Radio" can once again be enjoyed, for a price of course, by downloading them from iTunes. Also, current hits "Til Death" and "Rules of Engagement" will be included in the mix.

Never mind their upcoming London skirmish. In this team-up, the fans are the real winners. It's pleasant to see mature business relationships even among rival outfits. We'll stay tuned.