iTunes to tackle Europe

Despite being late to the game, Apple is planning to muscle in on the European music download market, perhaps as early as the 15th June. Apple blames the late arrival on red tape generated by the music labels in Europe.

Confirmation of the launch is due at a news conference in London on the 15th June. Apple rarely leaves a delay after making an announcement to the media.

Upon arriving in Europe, iTunes will have some tough competition to play against. OD2 is a well established player in the market, with backing from over 30 partners, including Microsoft and Coca-Cola. iTunes will also have to fight their archenemy, Napster 2.0. Now offering 700,000 tracks, Napster 2.0 is already offering the largest collection of music in Europe.