SAN FRANCISCO - Every song in Apple's iTunes library will be available without anti-piracy software by April.

The announcement came at a Macworld Expo keynote presentation at which Apple marketing vice president Phil Schiller unveiled a new top-end MacBook Pro laptop computer model and snazzy upgrades to Macintosh computer software.

"We worked with all major music companies and, starting today, iTunes will offer eight million songs DRM free and by the end of this quarter all 10 million will be DRM free," Schiller said.

"All songs will be DRM free in iTunes at iTunes Plus."

Recording studios have long insisted on digital rights management (DRM) software that prevents music from being copied.

In what may have been a concession that led to the studios backing off DRM demands, iTunes in April will break from its six-year tradition of selling songs at 99 cents each.

Instead, songs will sell for 69 cents, 99 cents or 1.29 dollars with studios deciding pricing, according to Schiller.

The price will be the same for iTunes customers who can also choose to download their favorite songs directly onto their iPhone over their 3G network just as they do with Wi-Fi.

Music studios have long lobbied Apple to charge more for songs at iTunes and the carrot will be an offering of more songs at Apple's iTunes store.

Schiller took to the keynote stage in place of Apple's iconic chief executive Steve Jobs, who revealed on Monday that he is suffering from a hormone imbalance that has caused him to lose a disturbing amount of weight.

The keynote was used to spotlight an elite MacBook Pro laptop with a 17-inch screen and a starting price of 2,799 dollars.

Schiller boasted that the new MacBook is slightly less than an inch thick and weighs 6.6 pounds (three kilos) making it the lightest, thinnest laptop.

"It's simply stunning," Schiller said of the MacBooks which can be jazzed up with more powerful processors and hard drives for various prices.

The laptops also feature built-in batteries that promise as much as eight hours running time and 1,000 recharges, meaning typical use could result in a battery lasting five years before needing replacement.

The new offering comes in the wake of Apple reporting that it sold 9.7 million Macintosh computers in 2008, setting a new record for the company.

Schiller also unveiled enhanced versions of iLife, Garage Band, and iWork software tailored for Macintosh computers.

Upgrades to iLife include being able to organize digital photos by faces, places, or events and a modification to link pictures to social networking website Facebook and photo-sharing website Flickr.

"As much as some people up north might think they have something pretty good, there is nothing like iLife," Schiller said, drawing chuckles from the audience for the barb aimed at rival Microsoft in Washington state.

The new featurs in iMovie lets users do professional-level video editing with simple drag, drop, and click techniques, while innovations added to Garage Band software include a "learn to play" feature that offers music lessons from an on-screen instructor as well as musicians such as Sting, John Fogarty, and Norah Jones.

In an effort to win more business users, upgrades to iWork software included improvements to chart, accounting, and presentation programs.

Schiller invited companies to join in a "beta" test of an iwork.com website being created to let people collaborate on documents online.

"In the end it will be a fee-based service, but for now it is a free beta," Schiller said.

Unlike at Jobs' keynotes past, there were empty seats in the Macworld audience and the reception area lacked the crowds typically found when Apple's consummate pitchman was the star attraction.

Schiller appeared nervous at times and dressed in a blue button-down shirt as compared to the black mock turtleneck that is a Jobs trademark.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you for showing up," Schiller told the audience. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much."

In what may have been a private message from music-loving Jobs to the Macintosh devotees at Macworld, the keynote ended with crooner Tony Bennett singing his famous song "I left my heart in San Francisco."

AFP/sf