It doesn't make sense for Apple to buy Lala just to offer their own streaming service via iTunes. Apple could have done that in house. I think they wanted the s

It doesn't make sense for Apple to buy Lala just to offer their own streaming service via iTunes. Apple could have done that in house. I think they wanted the social networking pieces. Not only for discovery of new music but as a legitimate social networking site for like minded individuals. A Twitter for music sharing, discussion, official band pages, tour information, merchandise advertising, etc. The difference is Apple has a business model. Free streaming via the web, paid subscription service to sync the music offline to your iPod/iPhone, and classic iTunes purchasing for music & video. Might as well expand it to the iTunes App Store too. Peer recommendation of apps, more options for promoting your apps via social networking, maybe one-click purchases/installs via the web. Multi-player iPhone gaming with your iTunes Friend List (ala Xbox Live) Tons of possibilities for Apple. All this fits nicely into iTunes LP, Genius, maybe even MobileMe.