Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:59:03 PDT
Last week, e27 reported that Apple had invited Asian music label
representatives to a "launch event" scheduled for tomorrow in Hong Kong,
with speculation centering around a launch for iTunes Store music offerings
in a number of countries in the region. Rumors have also indicated Jason
Mraz will be performing at the launch event as part of the celebration.
We received a tip off from a trusted source in the industry that Apple is
planning a secret launch event on 27th June in Hong Kong. The location has
not been confirmed, but rumors suggested that the location of the event is
close to the airport.
Based on our observations, we noticed a strong showing of Apple executives
at the recent Music Matters event in Singapore. Our source has also
mentioned that a good number of Asian music labels are already in talks with
Apple. If that is not enough of an indication that something big is coming
to Asia, the tip also indicates that representatives of these labels will be
flying over to Hong Kong next week for the supposed Apple launch event.
e27 now follows up with a specific claim that the launch will include not
only music but also movies and TV shows and will be going live in seven
countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan
and Hong Kong.
A review of the localized iTunes Stores for the various countries reveals
that movie listings have already gone live, and the navigation bars also
contain listings for music, although they are not yet functional. TV shows
are not listed as an option in the navigation bar, so it appears that they
may not be included in the launch.
Music and movies have been available in roughly 50 countries around the
world prior to today's launch, with the most recent expansion coming last
December with the addition of 16 Latin American countries.
The App Store has the broadest distribution among Apple's iTunes Store
content types, with 155 countries offering apps after last week's expansion.
All seven of the Asian markets receiving music and movie access today
previously offered apps, podcasts, iTunes U, and free books, but the new
content marks substantial additions for customers in those countries.
Update: Apple has issued a press release confirming the launch. The company
is launching the iTunes Store in 12 new countries, not 7: Hong Kong,
Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines,
Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.