Apple Computer is making catcalls over Microsoft’s musical talents. The creator of the trendsetting iPod music player and iTunes music service on Thursday took its on-again-off-again rival to task for the new MSN Music download service, saying it has fewer features and fewer songs than the market-leading iTunes. “Its biggest problem may be that its …

An independent software developer has created a program called MyTunes that lets users of Apple Computer’s iTunes for Windows grab song files from other people on a computer network. While iTunes’ main purpose is to let people buy music online and play songs stored on their PC, the software also includes a feature that allows customers to listen to songs …

Federal and state regulators have voiced concern that a feature in Windows XP that involves online music purchasing may violate terms of Microsoft’s antitrust settlement. The issue surfaced in a court-mandated briefing filed jointly by Microsoft and federal and state regulators. The compliance update says there are ongoing discussions over the “Shop for Music Online” feature in the operating system. …

Apple Computer is expected next week to expand its online music service to Windows-based computers. The Mac maker has scheduled an event for next Thursday at San Francisco’s Moscone West convention hall. “The year’s biggest music story is about to get even bigger,” Apple said in an invitation to journalists. The company is expected to launch the long-awaited Windows version …

An Apple Computer executive on Monday downplayed recent questions over the download resale policy of the company’s iTunes Music Store, saying technical if not legal barriers would largely prevent such transfers from taking place. “Apple’s position is that it is impractical, though perhaps within someone’s rights, to sell music purchased online,” Peter Lowe, Apple’s director of marketing for applications and …