Apple Launching Beats-Powered Music Streaming Service in June

When Apple bought Beats last year, the world’s number one company whacked two birds with one stone. First is Beats’ popular headphones, which are now endorsed by celebrities and athletes. Then, there’s Beats’ music streaming service, which, admittedly, needs more work and global reach.

Then came the speculations about what Apple is planning to do with the two products. One of the most interesting theories is that Apple is planning to rehash the iTunes music store by launching an on-demand streaming service powered by Beats. It might be an accurate guess, after all.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple will launch a new music streaming service based on Beats’ technology at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. The new streaming service will be in beta form and will include curated playlists, cloud-based albums, and customized music arranged according to a user’s taste. The service is reportedly priced at $7.99 per month—much cheaper than Spotify and Rdio.

9to5Mac adds that Apple wanted to launch the service earlier, but the sudden departures of some employees like Bobby Gaza, who was a Senior Vice President at Beats, delayed the launch. It didn’t help when Apple faced difficulties in integrating Beats’ technology into Apple’s system.

Furthermore, Apple is also said to be launching the service on Android, corroborating an earlier report that an iTunes music store is coming to Google’s mobile operating system. The service is expected to be incorporated into Apple’s Music application on iOS, working similarly to Beats’ application for the iPhone. Sources said that the service will retain Apple’s design aesthetic.