At its last Macworld Expo, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) made several announcements regarding DRM-free songs, updates to the iLife suite and a new battery for the MacBook Pro. Marketing VP Phil Schiller, taking Steve Jobs’ traditional keynote spot, also said Apple is extending the ability to buy iTunes songs wirelessly via iPhone from merely WiFi to 3G mobile networks. Also from today, tracks will be priced the same and have the same bitrate as desktop iTunes downloads. No details yet on how an expected rev share split from track sales might work or if every already-sanctioned iPhone 3G carrier will do it but, if carriers take a share, it could mean a lucrative new income stream.

As for going DRM-free, Apple is dropping the copy protection across 10 million iTunes Store songs from all majors, as per CNET’s earlier report. The move will apply to eight million tracks as of today and will extend to a further two million by the end of the quarter. Bringing to a close what have sometimes been fractious label negotiations, Apple is also introducing three new pricing tiers for iTunes tracks—$0.69 for older tracks, $0.99 for recent tracks and $1.29 for new hits. Full coverage on paidContent.org...

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