Apple Shuts Down Online-Music Service Lala

When visitors and members attempted to access Lala on Tuesday, they found a placeholder page, saying, “The Lala service has been discontinued as of May 31st, 2010." It didn't provide any other information on the page.

Speculation abounds over what Apple has planned for Lala. Since the site streamed tracks through the user's browser, some are wondering if it will become the foundation for an online iTunes. Other rumors say that Apple could be planning to simply run an online music-streaming service outside of iTunes.

For its part, Apple hasn't commented on its plans for Lala. The company did not immediately respond to request for comment on Lala's closure or its plans.

Apple's decision to shutter Lala affects more than just its users. Prior to the acquisition, Google inked a deal with the music service that allowed Lala's streams into Google Search. So if searchers were looking for a specific song, they could click a “play" button from Lala and stream the track without leaving the results page. Those streaming options were removed from Google Search.