The Beatles Fans are the Fans of Apple Too!

As long as the Beatles and Apple have co-existed, fans of both have wondered: when are these crazy kids finally going to get together?

Oddly enough, Apple and The Beatles are forever linked, with a relationship that dates back to the computer maker’s fledgling days. Apple Computer Inc. was first sued in 1981 for infringing on The Beatles’ Apple Corps trademark (and that of its record label, Apple Records), then again in 1989, and lastly in 2003. In February 2007, the two companies settled the dispute once and for all. 

Steve Jobs has made no secret of his love for The Beatles’ music and his displeasure at the band’s unwillingness to allow digital downloads; He has referenced them on more than one occasion at Keynotes and also was interviewed on a showing of a Paul McCartney concert. So we all know it was a merely matter of time before the two Apples inked an exclusive contract and started selling the extensive Beatles’ catalogue track by track.

When asked about his business model, Steve replied: 

“My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person; they are done by a team of people.”

And finally, seventeen albums were made available for legal downloading, a move saluted by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Apple's Steve Jobs!!!! The big announcement came at 7:00 a.m., November 16, 2010 on the iTunes front page that the legendary Beatles songs from 13 albums can be purchased individually for $1.29 or the entire box set for $149, which includes a never-previously-released documentary of the band's first American concert at the Washington Coliseum in 1964. This is the band's first ever American concert. 

This was a major victory for Jobs, who had been trying for years to get the Beatles on iTunes. However, the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, and Jobs' company have been engaged in a series of legal battles over the use of similar logos and the Apple name. Those turbulent years appear to be over, and November 16th announcement ushered in a new era of mutual benefit!