expansion

Just days after releasing a new version of iTunes, Apple has announced an expansion of its iTunes Store into Russia and dozens of other countries, nearly doubling the number of countries in which it has a presence.

In addition to Russia, the popular music platform has landed in Turkey, India, South Africa, and 52 other countries, Apple announced today. The addition of the 56 countries brings the total number of countries with iTunes Store access to 119.

With the launch, Apple touted the selection of local and international music tailored to its new audiences.

"The iTunes Store features local … Read more

Apple's retail empire is still expanding.

The company today said it plans to open another 30 to 35 retail stores during its 2013 fiscal year, which wraps up next September. About three-quarters of those stores would be located outside the United States, the company said.

The mention came inside the company's annual report, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this afternoon. Apple added that it plans to spend about $850 million on the expansion, as well as investment into its current retail infrastructure.

The plans fall in line with Apple's retail store … Read more

After some push and pull with the Texas authorities, it looks like Apple might have finally sealed the deal on its plans to expand its Austin campus. According to the Austin Business Journal, county records show that three tracts of land near its existing campus were sold to Apple on June 21.

"It's unknown how much Apple paid for the land or how many acres it bought, but officials at two real estate brokerages, which did not want to be identified, confirmed that the long awaited deal had closed," the Journal reports.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced … Read more

Square, the mobile-payments startup that has made a big splash around the U.S., is looking to go overseas.

The company's chief executive, Jack Dorsey, told reporters yesterday at the Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, that Square is "going outside the U.S. soon." According to Bloomberg, which was first to report on the news, Dorsey didn't say where his company would be expanding. He also wouldn't say when it would happen.

Even without help from international efforts, Square has been growing quite rapidly and announced in March that it was … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Ray Bradbury may soon be honored online with "451" error code for Internet censorship.

- Time Warner Cable grabs patent to prevent DVRs from skipping commercials.

- Twitter to grant Web sites extra characters with "expansive tweets."

- Select audiences at Disney-Pixar's "Brave" will be treated to Dolby's new Atmos sound system.… Read more

Those of you craving more details about the upcoming Skyrim expansion -- officially titled Dawnguard -- are going to have to sit tight until the E3 gaming convention on June 5-7.

The only information available so far suggests the expansion will arrive this summer and will be first available exclusively on the Xbox 360. Other gaming consoles (PlayStation 3 and PC) will get it a month later, according to Eurogamer. Bethesda did not announce any sort of pricing scheme.

Looking at the teaser image, everything seems standard about the picture of Dragonborn except his eyes. In the original Skyrim images … Read more

Facebook is thinking ahead as it prepares to cash in with its IPO. It has plans of expanding the headquarters, hiring thousands more employees, and adding a new campus. Besides bankers, venture capitalists, early investors, and some employees getting rich, the town of Menlo Park, Calif., is also looking to share the wealth.

The expansion plans for the 57-acre, nine-building campus are the result of a negotiated deal between the social networking company and Menlo Park's government officials. And yesterday, Menlo Park's City Council unanimously approved the plans, according to the Palo Alto Daily News.

As part of … Read more

Those who adore a symphony of gunfire and explosions should pay close attention to the upcoming Battlefield 3 downloadable content pack Close Quarters.

Due this June, this four-level package seems slightly different than Battlefield expansions of old. Close Quarters (for PC, Xbox 360, and one week earlier on PS3) feels and looks like a scene you'd normally expect from a Call of Duty release.

The tight-knit, destruction-filled vertical maps in the explosive trailer below may leave you breathless at times. Players will undoubtedly find it tough to resist firing off salvos of rockets at one another in these settings. … Read more

Battlefield 3's first downloadable content, Back to Karkand, debuted exclusively yesterday for the PlayStation 3.

Soldiers using PCs and Xbox 360 devices will have to wait until December 13 to access the pack, which costs $14.99 (or 1,200 Xbox points). Many gamers who preordered Battlefield 3 Limited Edition automatically received Back to Karkand free, so this will be a nice change of scenery for those already tired of playing. … Read more