Apple offered Sony iTunes deal

[Mac Reporter]

Paul Kallender, IDG News Service, Tokyo Bureau

Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Steve Jobs offered Nobuyuki Idei, chairman and group CEO of Sony Corp., the chance for Sony to come aboard Apple's iTunes Music Store service, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun newspaper reported in its Sept. 2 edition. The offer would have allowed for joint operation of the service, the newspaper said.

The offer was made when the two met at the Sony Open golf tournament held in Hawaii this January, according to the paper, which quoted unnamed Sony sources. Jobs is reported to have wanted to bring the Sony brand into the service to maintain a competitive advantage over Microsoft Corp., which launched a beta version of its MSN Music store earlier this week.


Sony declined to comment on the story.
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