During an on-stage interview at the Midem Music Industry Festival in Cannes today, Sony Music CEO Doug Morris confirmed Apple will indeed be introducing its "Apple Music" streaming service at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote tomorrow, according to VentureBeat. While numerous sources have indicated the service will be unveiled at WWDC, Morris' confirmation is notable as coming from a close friend of Apple's Jimmy Iovine and one of the parties involved in the negotiations for launching the service.
Sony Music CEO Doug Morris (right) on stage at Midem (Chris O'Brien/VentureBeat)
“It’s happening tomorrow,” Morris said during an interview at Midem in Cannes that primarily focused on his storied career in the music industry.
A highlight of that career was a 37-year partnership with iconic producer Jimmy Iovine, who now is running Apple’s music services after the company paid $3 billion to acquire Beats. Underscoring Iovine’s role in the music industry, Morris said he still talks to him twice every day by phone. Morris said the move by Apple to bring in Iovine was a brilliant one.
Morris didn't reveal any other details about Apple Music, which is expected to be priced at $10 per month with a generous three-month free trial period and be accompanied by a revamped iTunes Radio service, but he expressed his view that Apple's entry into the paid subscription streaming market will be a "tipping point" for moving the industry from downloads to streaming.
Update Apple's Chief of French content for Apple TV has shared a photo on Instagram apparently showing he has added Apple Music to his responsibilities.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Am I the only one here who isn't looking forward to 20 minutes of Apple Watch & Apple Stores statistics and then another 30+ minutes dedicated to this music service?
I'm looking forward to stellar new OS X & iOS releases! And hopefully some other unknown surprises!
2015 Keynote:
- 30 minutes of "Look at our sales, WOW! Everyone give each other a hug, did we mention we love our customers?" - iOS 9: Stability improvements! - OS X: Stability improvements! - Apple Music: "OMG look it's U-2!!!" - Fade to black...
There. I just saved you two hours of time and months of Mandarin or sign language classes. You can thank me later.
Am I the only one here who isn't looking forward to 20 minutes of Apple Watch & Apple Stores statistics and then another 30+ minutes dedicated to this music service?
I'm looking forward to stellar new OS X & iOS releases! And hopefully some other unknown surprises!
Under Steve Jobs, a reveal in advance of the keynote would have meant a broken partnership with Sony. The employee who revealed on Instagram would have been fired instantly as well.
