iTunes track previews increase to 90 seconds
by Steven Mostyn - Dec 9 2010, 11:23
90 seconds can be waaaay too long for some artists. Image: Apple.
Honouring a pledge it made last month, gadget giant Apple Inc. has this week extended select iTunes Store track previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.
Apple’s decision to increase preview length comes after a 2009 study by Robert Morris University that found consumers are more likely to splash the cash when try-before-you-buy samples are 60 seconds or longer.
According to Apple, all individual iTunes Store tracks with a length of over 150 seconds will now include 90-second previews, while those tracks beneath 150 seconds will retain their original 30-second samples.
Tech website CNET reports that Apple had initially planned to unveil the new preview length during a press event on September 1. However, Jobs and Co. were forced to delay the big reveal due to drawn-out licensing negotiations with the National Music Publishers Association.
Unfortunately, the new 90-second previews are presently only available to iTunes users in the United States. Apple has not said whether it plans to introduce 90-second previews in other regions.
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