iTunes

Action-comedy film The Interview is now available on iTunes for rental or purchase. The title, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, made headlines this year for ruffling the feathers of the North Korean leadership. The movie, which depicts a farcical assassination plot against Kim Jong-un prompted an attack on Sony Pictures' computer systems.

The data breach leaked unreleased films, internal memos and company email to the world. Threats against movie theaters curtailed the box office release of The Interview, however both official digital releases and bootlegs are now widely available. When it comes to the movie itself, iTunes users have rated the film with 4 out of 5 stars. The Interview can be rented or purchased on iTunes for $5.99 or $14.99 respectively.

In a rare publicity stunt Apple automatically uploaded U2's album Songs of Innocence to iOS users' iTunes accounts. A lot of people were not happy that Apple forced the album onto their devices and voiced their displeasure on social media. Apple has heard the complaints and on Monday released a free web tool for users to remove the album from their iTunes music library.

The tool is simple to use:

1. Click this link
2. Click the "Remove Album" button
3. Enter your Apple ID and password

The album will be automatically removed from your iTunes music library after you enter your Apple ID.

Several sources, including the Finacial Times and Bloomberg, have reported that Apple Inc. (AAPL) is in talks to purchase Beats Electronics LLC for $3.2 billion. If true, this would be the most money Apple has ever paid to acquire another company. But why is Apple considering paying so much for Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s music accessory company? While Apple hasn't officially announced its decision to buy Beats Electronics there are a few theories floating around as to why the iPhone-maker is making such a big move.

iTunes

Apple changed the music industry with the release of the iPod and iTunes, but services like Pandora and Spotify are causing an industry-wide drop in music downloads. According to various sources, Apple is reportedly looking to bolster its music-offerings by incorporating Shazam's song ID feature in iOS 8. The company's iTunes Radio has also also gotten off to a slow start, but adding Beats Music could help change all that.

Apple helped put digital music on the map with the iPod in 2001, but according to Nielsen SoundScan, iTunes music downloads have fallen for the first time since the device's release. This is most likely due to the rise in popularity of free music streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify. Apple released its own streaming service in 2013 to compete with its competitors, but iTunes Radio hasn't seem to put a dent in the now crowded music streaming market.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is now working with Shazam Entertainment Ltd. to create a "song-discovery feature" which will allow iOS users to identify a song and its artist while using their iPhone or iPad. Shazam is known for its popular free music recognition iOS app that also identifies music and TV.