Report: Apple may buy Universal Music | CNET News.com
Well, this one’s spread like wildfire. Personally, I don’t hold much stock in any Apple-related speculations reported in mainstream media; I lived through way too many “Apple is dying” articles in the early 90s.
Not to say that it’s not true, but I’m not believing anything until I hear it from Apple’s mouth.
Update: Alright, this sounds much more reasonable – there’s a posting on Macminute.com summarizing a New York Times article, which I will now also summarize 
Basically, Vivendi (Univeral’s parent company) is looking at cutting some debt by selling off Universal Music. Apple expressed some interest in relation to their soon-to-open online music service. There were discussions between Apple and Vivendi about possibly working out a mutually beneficial arrangement, be that an Apple investment in Universal Music, or Apple purchasing a part of Universal Music (presumably a part relating to online distrubution of music), or maybe even Apple purchasing the whole thing.
But it all sounds like brainstorming to me – personally, I don’t see Apple getting involved in the traditional music business. I think they’re looking at setting up some kind of partnership with one or more of the major companies, so they’ll have access to that company’s collection. They’re not going to close the door on any type of partnership because access to that music is vital to the success of their service. Which, in this case, the rumor mill blew way out of proportion.
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