• Wall Street Journal et al., Thursday, December 10, 2009 1:31 PM

Time was when Apple's iTunes existed in its own little ecommerce bubble, letting the Web's various content providers and platforms squabble amongst themselves for market share. Bringing that harmonious relationship to an abrupt end, however, Apple is considering an overhaul of the way it sells and stores music, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, "is aimed at extending its influence to the Web."

"Apple is poised to totally change its iTunes business model with a increased focus on Internet-based content," adds the AppleInsider blog.

The news is hardly a shocker in the wake of reports that Apple has acquired music-streaming service La La Media, which -- again, according to the Journal, -- set the company back about $85 million. Lala.com's key differentiator from iTunes is that it lets users buy and listen to music through a Web browser without having to download a single bit of information.

"iTunes might be cloud-bound ... It's the future of digital music," writes Fast Company. "It makes perfect sense, especially given that the buying public's trend is towards wireless iPod Touches and iPhones now instead of hard-wired iPods."

What Web-based companies in particular does Apple have its sights on? Spotify, says , which is an online streaming service has seen roaring success in the UK, and is trying to expand its operation to the other side of the Atlantic.

In the near future, speculates Gizmodo, "You won't need software anymore to buy songs from iTunes ... iTunes will just be on the Web -- you'll be able to buy and listen directly, through search engines or other sites, much like you can with Lala now."

Still, ZDNet, full of questions, asks: "Does Apple need to rethink the iTunes model?" and, "Is Apple missing a shift to Web listening habits?" and "Can iTunes, the largest music service around, be getting tired?" to which it replies, "Yes."

"Everyone has an iPod so there aren't massive growth gains for iTunes ahead," ZDNet explains. "In addition, iTunes has become rather bloated ... And streaming services are also very handy and garnering more of my consumption time."

Yet, along with some already mentioned pros, VentureBeat lists some potential cons, including the notion that a Web-based iTunes interface might be slower and less feature-rich than the existing desktop version. What's more, "You'd need a constant Internet connection to access iTunes," and "Some people just like to own their stuff and store it on their computer."

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