Apple CEO Steve Jobs got some flak for his call for DRM-free music a while back, with some people saying that it's for publicity and the like, but it looks like Apple is really gung-ho about going the DRM-free route.

According to MacRumors.com, the Cupertino-based company sent short notices to their iTunes partners yesterday to let them know that they would soon be able to offer DRM-free music music videos to customers through the iTunes service. Apple is currently gearing up for contract renegotiations with Here's a quote of what the notice reportedly says:

Many of you have reached out to iTunes to find out how you can make your songs available higher quality and DRM-free. Starting next month, iTunes will begin offering higher-quality, DRM-free music and DRM-free music videos to all customers.

Apple and EMI have already announced earlier this month that they would be distributing DRM-free EMI songs over iTunes. In one of our previous posts here on the QJ Apple blog, we also quoted Steve Jobs as saying that "a lot of people in the other music companies" are "very intrigued" with the idea, so we're guessing that it's only a matter of time until it becomes a widespread reality.

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."

Former Apple chief financial officer Fred Anderson has settled a complaint raised against him by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding some dubious corporate activities during his eight-year stint at Apple Computers.

Through a press release issued by his attorney, Anderson clarified that there was no fraud involved in the complaint and he is allowed by the SEC to continue his activities in business under the settlement terms. The statement pointed at Anderson's good reputation but made no admission or denial regarding the issue.

The statement also explained that such problems would not have surfaced if not for the influence that Apple founder Steve Jobs exerted over the former CFO. Anderson claims that Jobs assured him that all would be fine despite warnings that certain policies may be outside the bounds of legality.

The amount involved in the settlement remains undisclosed. Anderson has resigned from his duties at the computer company and is now serving other corporate interests.

The New York Times reports that Federal securities regulators won't be bringing civil charges against Apple over the whole stock options debacle that has hounded the company for nearly a year. The Cupertino-based company can now breathe a sigh of relief, but not everybody's in the clear just yet.

According to the Times, lawyers for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against two former Apple execs in connection to the options issue. Of the two defendants, former Apple general counsel Nancy R. Heinen will be contesting the accusations.

The other, Fred D. Anderson, chief financial officer from 1996 to 2004, apparently reached a settlement "without admitting or denying wrongdoing."

"Steve Jobs dodged a bullet," said Mark C. Zauderer, a New York trial lawyer who specializes in white-collar cases. "This is another circumstance where the government is going after an easier target. It will generally shy away from situations where the evidence is ambiguous or subject to different interpretations."

Mat Lu of The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a very useful, and easy to use guide up on how to get the most out of having both an Apple Mac and a Microsoft Xbox 360. Yes, a Bill Gates console and a Steve Jobs computer can get a long with each other quite nicely.

Included in the guide are instructions on how to get the said console and the Mac to talk to each other on a network, tidbits on getting to use Xbox USB Accessories with your Mac, streaming media on your Xbox 360 to your Mac, and how to keep track of your Xbox Live Friends using your Mac.

Now, now, the 1337, er, leet, er elite (there you go), among you are probably going, "But we know how to do this already." Well, think of this as a beginner's guide. Hey, everyone's got to start somewhere right?

What's weird about this is that years ago people thought that this all this interoperability will be a bad thing.

For the complete guide, feel free to head to the article via our "read" link below.

This April 9, Apple gave word that the 100 millionth iPod has been purchased. This makes the iPod the "fastest selling music player in history" according to Apple. Since the iPod's first sale five and a half years ago, Apple has already introduced more than 10 iPods. With iTunes in tow, the product has really stormed the market and was happily adopted by audiophiles internationally.

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, thanked those who supported the product. "At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success." He also stated that the "iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and weÂ?re thrilled to be a part of that."

The iPod has really become popular with the masses and even with the celebrities. Famous celebrities have spoken favorably about the iPod including Mary J. Blige, John Mayer, and even famous cyclist Lance Armstrong.

As of this article's writing, over 4,000 accessories have been made specifically for the iPod and more than 70% of US Automobiles produced in 2007 allow iPod connectivity. The amount of support the product has been getting is further proof of the iPod's market dominance.

Analyst John Dvorak recently expressed his huge skepticism regarding Apple's upcoming iPhone mobile handset, saying Apple cannot hope to compete in a crowded marketplace like the cell phone industry.

In his column on the site Market Watch, he said that the hype on the iPhone is essentially unfounded due to the fact that nobody outside the development team really knows how the machine works and what features it has.

He cited that there's really nothing new with the strategy employed by Apple in this scenario, pointing to heavy advertising and customer loyalty as the tools in use. He said that Apple did just that with the iPod and it enjoyed tremendous success. However, the playing field is very different with the iPhone as power players tread the industry. The mp3 player was little more than a vacuum when the iPod was launched.

He cited Apple's PC sector as the more logical point of comparison than that of the iPod's case. The PC industry where Apple pioneered with the Macintosh, Microsoft has dominated the Cupertino-based company leaving only five percent of the market to Steve Jobs and his boys. Dvorak said the same thing may happen in the mobile phone venture.

Dvorak also suggested that if Apple wants to stay in the game longer, they should come up with a dozen or so variants of the iPhone because after three months, the analyst says, interest will be on the downward spiral.

To read the full commentary issued by Dvorak, follow the Read link.

Steve Jobs' revolutionary little MP3 player not only can play and store digital music, it can even help diagnose heart problems and in the process, save lives.

In a study made by Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital, doctors were asked to practice listening to heartbeats in order to be able to diagnose heart ailments more accurately. 149 general internists were also made to listen 400 times to five common heart murmurs during a 90-minute session with iPods.

After the session, the average score improved to 80 percent (previously, the average rate of correct heart sound identification made by the physicians is 40 percent). The results were presented by lead researcher Dr. Michael Barrett at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting.

It's very important for doctors to be proficient with the stethoscope - the sound of our heartbeats do say a lot about ourselves. A doctor who is able to recognize ailments accurately just by listening to our heartbeat is considered better than his peers who couldn't, but being able to diagnose correctly through the stethoscope takes a lot of practice. Here's where the Apple iPods come in.

Doctors are now encouraged to practice by listening to heartbeats via their iPods during their spare time. Don't laugh - the idea might sound a bit silly now but their skill might actually save your life some day.

Barron's Online has released their third list for "The World's Best CEOs", and look who made his debut in the list for 2007. It's none other than Nintendo's Satoru Iwata.

Iwata got in the exclusive top 30 list, thanks to the innovative Wii. He is but one of the ten overseas CEOs in the list, sharing the spotlight with three new other foreign newbies. It is actually not surprising to find Iwata recognized for his stint as Nintendo's CEO. The company did see, after all, a vast increase in its stocks, and the success of its next-gen console undoubtedly contributed a lot to that spike in revenues.

Steven Jobs also is in the list, apparently as a "Returnee". Barron's describes Jobs as "the ultimate CEO who matters", and deemed that his company, Apple, runs ahead Microsoft by miles in terms of innovations.