Apple Bares New iTunes Pricing, Macbook At Final Macworld Event

January 6, 2009 7:25 p.m. EST

San Francisco, CA (AHN) - Apple Inc. made several announcements Tuesday at its final Macworld appearance, ranging from iTunes price changes to the launch of a bigger Macbook Pro.

With the absence of CEO Steve Jobs, Apple's chief marketing executive Phillip Schiller announced that the company will implement a three-tier pricing structure for iTunes song downloads. Songs will be now offered at 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 depending on which record label they are with.

Apple offered the pricing flexibility to record labels in order to get them to sell songs without digital rights management (DRM), which prevents songs from being copied to multiple computers.

Schiller also introduced a new Macbook Pro laptop that features a 17-inch screen and the shiny aluminum casing that was most recently used on the Macbook Air.

The new Macbook also features a battery that can last up to eight hours on a single charge, according to Apple. The laptop will retail for $2,800 and begin shipping in late January.

The above items were the headliner announcements, leaving consumers somewhat wanting as past Macworld events were used to unveil new iPods, iPhones and the like. The absence of Jobs also led to the event lacking its normal luster.

Schiller also let iPhone 3G users know that they will be able to buy songs from the iTunes store using the cellar data network.

A new version of Apple's iLife Software suite was introduced as well. Included is an update to the iPhoto program that uses face and place recognition software to make organizing photos easier. The updated suite will cost $79 for single-users and $99 for a family pack, and will come free with all new Mac purchases.

Shares of Apple lagged the broader market, falling 1.7 percent to $93 on Tuesday