In a development which many believe is a signal of Apple's expansion of its already massive music strategy, the company has acquired the online music platform Lala Media Inc. Financial details and other terms of the deal have not been disclosed yet.

While Lala's spokesman, John Kuch, or co-founder, Bill Nguyen, did not share anything on the matter, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not comment on our purpose or plan".

Lala Media, based in Palo Alto, California, is one of the most renowned online music firms and lets users gain permanent access to "web songs" for a mere 10 cents. These songs can then be streamed through a web browser whenever the users want, but cannot be downloaded on a PC, hard drive or music players.

The company is currently in the process of developing an iPhone application that would expand the service's reach manifolds, by making all Lala songs available "on-the-go" through the phone's wireless net connection.

Although it is still not clear how the small, 3 year old, music company would fit into Apple's giant profile, which has till now focused mainly on selling single song downloads for $1 and complete albums for $10, the companies seem to be excited about the development.