Apple and Apple Hold Hands, Let It Be
How many times have you gone into an Apple Store to pick up some Beatles albums, only to discover that they have nothing but computers and MP3 players? And how often have you bought a Beatles record, hoping it would include software to include your iPod, only to learn that the record predates that technology by 40 years? Well, that disappointment will only get more acute now that Apple Inc. (computers) and Apple Corps (Beatles) have settled the 25 year legal dispute over their mutual fruit name.
You may recall that at the MacWorld convention earlier this year, Steve Jobs packed his keynote address with a suspicious amount of Beatles titles. The Beatles were all over the iPhone. He didn’t say anything about it at the time (crafty Steve!) but perhaps he was looking forward to saying this:
“It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future.”
Further disagreements is thought by many (nearly everybody) (everybody) to include offering Beatles tunes at the iTunes music store. That announcement has not been made so far today. So far.
By the way, the BBC source I am using helpfully notes that the dispute over the name started in 1980 when the late George Harrison saw it an a computer ad. It’s been a fun legal roller coaster ever since.