Apple Reports 275,000 Songs Sold Through iTunes in First 18 Hours
The new iTunes digital music service from Cupertino-based Apple Computer has proven popular so far, selling access to 275,000 tracks at $0.99 each during its first 18 hours of operation, major label sources told Billboard.com. The sources told Billboard that Apple plans to make iTunes compatible with the PC by the end of the year, having already secured licensing deals with two major labels for the PC version. Apple currently holds about a 3% share of the total computer market. iTunes, which launched on Monday, allows users to download music on a per-song basis and gives them the unprecedented right to burn the songs onto an unlimited number of CDs for personal use. The service features over 200,000 songs from music companies including BMG, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and Warner.

Apple Sells 1 Million Songs in First Week of iTunes Service
Cupertino-based Apple Computer said that it sold over 1 million digital songs through its iTunes music service during its first week of operation. The service offers Mac users the ability to purchase and download 200,000 songs for $0.99 each. "In less than one week we've broken every record and become the largest online music company in the world," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Apple said it would add another 3,200 songs to its online catalog on Tuesday. Apple also reported taking orders for over 110,000 of its new third-generation iPod portable music players since its launch a week ago, as well 20,000 in-store sales of the devices over the weekend.

UPS to Add New Shipping Services on eBay

San Jose, Calif. -- UPS said on Monday that it has extended its multi-year
relationship with San Jose-based eBay and that it will provide new
services on the online auction site that will calculate costs for various
UPS and postal services, track UPS shipments, review transit times and
print shipping labels. The two companies first created a shipping
information center on the eBay web site in 2000. "Together we are taking
an important step forward in reducing the friction between buyers and
sellers," said Meg Whitman, the CEO of eBay.

Amazon, Intuit Team on Small Biz Apps Storefront
Amazon.com (Quote, Company Info) and Intuit Inc. (Quote, Company Info) are rolling out a new online boutique for QuickBooks-related apps.
The two companies said they are looking to spur small businesses to consider QuickBooks Software Add-ons and to get involved with the Intuit Developer Network.

New sites let folks barter online
You don't have to hang out a shingle to reap the benefits of barter.The Web is opening up opportunities for individuals who wish to barter, and a Seminole company is helping to lead the way. AAA Barter, which oversees trade for business cliets, recently launched two new barter Web sites that allow anyone to get in on the action.

New Amazon unit will focus on assisting retailers in selling goods online
Seattle-based Amazon.com yesterday said it formed a subsidiary to focus solely on helping other retailers sell their goods online. The new unit, Amazon Services, represents a broad push by the online retailer to sell its e-commerce technology and customer service to other retailers. Amazon already powers the sites of several large retailers, including Target.com, toysrus.com and Borders.com.

New ITAA Study Shows Tech Job Outlook to Remain Soft in 2003
Demand for Workers at Historic Lows, More Positions to be Outsourced Overseas
In what could be bad news for thousands of Bay Area IT workers who have been laid off in recent months, new research by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) concludes that any recovery in the tech sector this year most likely will not include the addition of many new jobs. A telephone survey of 400 hiring managers
found that predicted demand for hiring IT workers has reached a historic low of only 493,000 positions over the next 12 months -- down from 1.6 million at the start of 2000 and less than half of the predicted 1.1 million positions needed at the start of 2002. Sixty-seven percent of those interviewed said they thought hiring demand would stay the same or decline over the next year. "If the demand for IT workers is an indicator of business growth, our survey results are not encouraging," said Harris Miller, the president of the ITAA. "The fact that firms have dramatically scaled back force reductions may indicate that they are properly staffed to handle existing and new business."

Spam will cost business $20.5bn this year
And cost of dealing with junk mail will rise tenfold by 2007, predicts research. Dealing with spam emails will cost companies $20.5bn (£12.4bn) this year, a figure set to rocket to $198bn by 2007, according to researchers.

BPO Market to Reach $122B in 2003
In 2003, the worldwide business process outsourcing (BPO) market is expected to grow 10.5 percent — to $122 billion — up from $110 billion in 2002, according to Gartner Inc., and the Aberdeen Group predicts 13 percent annual growth until 2005 when the market will reach $248 billion. BPO allows organizations to form strategic partnerships that focus on core competencies, thereby reducing corporate costs and increasing productivity. The centralized buying power of these BPO service providers, coupled with the fact that they represent a major new low-cost channel of distribution, can create a unified block of purchasing strength.

Survey: Silicon Valley Business Optimism Grows to Highest Level in a Year
Silicon Valley executives and managers are more optimistic about their business prospects than at any time in the previous 12 months, according to the latest Santa Clara University Business Index, released on Tuesday. The results from the monthly survey showed that managers in Silicon Valley believe their businesses "are doing better today, and think they will be doing even better in six months," said Kris Mitchener, a Santa Clara University economist. "It's a significant, positive trend, and it indicates that some of the uncertainties about the national economy are easing." Respondents last week said that current business conditions for companies and their customers, as well as current job prospects in their companies, have improved to the levels of a year ago. Likewise, the respondents' expectations of improvements in the next six months rose to their highest levels in a year.

Slowly Weaving Web Services Together
Instead of exploding, the movement to help disparate computer systems easily communicate is gaining in fits and starts. Still, it'll likely have a powerful impact.

AMR Research on Sarbanes-Oxley
AMR says there are five things IT must know about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. SOA governs publicly traded firms. Audit of internal controls and processes is mandated. It will reach beyond financial processes. Get ready for real-time disclosure. SOA is a process, not an event.