software-oriented experience. The latest change, which blog The
Distorted Loop noticed early Thursday, shows that Apple now lets users
listen to 30-second preview clips from its recently-introduced Web
preview pages. Here, users who may not have iTunes installed can
listen to the first 30 seconds of a song, just as if they were using
the media software. Though, in typical Apple fashion, streaming clips
requires users to have its QuickTime browser plug-in installed.
It may be a relatively small addition, but it's likely a sign of
larger things to come since Apple acquired online music-streaming
service Lala back in December. Short of letting users buy the track
directly from the Web, this allows users see extended information
about the track, including what it sounds like--all without software.
Apple's iTunes Web preview pages continue to be music-only, as there
are no preview pages for video content, applications, or podcasts.