Reuters reports that Apple’s iTunes Music Store is still on track for a 2004 launch, according to Apple Vice President Pascal Cagni. Cagni, in charge of Apple’s European operations, told the reporter iTunes Music Store’s Europe rollout was important enough “that a few months’ delay is not essential.”
Cagni said that Apple plans no compromise on the forthcoming European iTunes Music Store’s ease of use, depth of catalog or site responsiveness compared to its American counterpart. Complicating the issue are differences in price and taxes within each country, as well as differences in how rights have been negotiated with artists, producers and albums.
Cagni expects that Apple will see “big growth opportunities” in Europe when the iPod mini is finally launched this summer. Apple pushed back the iPod mini’s launch from April to July, citing stronger than anticipated demand and a constrained supply of 4GB internal hard disk drives.