Google involved in a legal battle? Never!

Apple has decided to shut down its music-streaming program Lala, making an announcement yesterday on the homepage that the service would end May 31. Lala has been a factor in the ongoing battle between Apple and Google (yes, Google is involved in another battle), since Lala was a partner with Google Music.

Therefore, shutting down Lala can affect more than just the users, who will be credited the amount they spent on Lala through iTunes. Lala is only one piece of the puzzle, though. Apple and Google have been competing in the new technology market for years. In the field of smartphones, Apple's iPhone hold a lead over Google-based Android, but the HTC brand has been gaining. Similarly, Apple released the iPad as the originator of tablet PCs, but rumor has it that Google will be releasing a model by the end of 2010.

With Apple shutting down Lala, the question that remains is whether Google will replace Lala as a partner or if Apple has reached another agreement with Google to keep providing music for searches through another outlet, such as iTunes. With Google as a player in this case, we may never know. They certainly keep us on our toes.