SAN FRANCISCO, May 6 (UPI) -- Sony's online music service, Sony Connect, has made its U.S. debut where it faces a stiff challenge catching Apple Computer, the market leader.
Sony Connect offers more than 500,000 tracks that can be downloaded to Sony digital music players for 99 cents each, the same price charged by Apple's iTunes software and online store, which boasts more than 700,000 songs, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
Apple re-launched iTunes last week and added several new features, including access to music videos. It reported a record 3.3 million songs were downloaded in the first week. Apple leads the market for digital music players and online music song downloads with about 70 percent share in both markets.
Sony could seek the higher margins enjoyed by Apple's iPod, which is priced considerably higher than competing products. However, it lacks products that match iPod, either in technological features or design cachet.
