Listen up, Ringo Beatles fans -- your holiday gift has just been located, and it's on aisle 17 in Bloomingdale's. The somewhat janky limited edition collector's box is a dream come true for fanatics of the Fab Four, packing 13 original Beatles' CDs, an engraved guitar pick, two masters and the "Love" CD -- none of which are available via the iTunes Music Store, mind you. Just 2,500 of the $795 sets are available, but -- humorously enough -- you'll be stuck ripping and transferring every last disc onto your individually numbered, etched-with-a-Beatles-logo 120GB iPod classic. Ah well, at least this scenario lets you choose your own bitrate, right?

Word on the street (and by street, we mean mostly British tabloids) is that Paul McCartney's deal to sell the Beatles back-catalog is done, and the Greatest Works of Musical Art Ever Recorded will be appearing on the iTunes store "within months." Of course, we've been hearing whispers about this for what seems like a million years, and since both Apple Corps and Apple are delivering "no comment" and "rumor and speculation" responses on the topic, we won't get too excited. Still, there does seem to be some serious movement on this front, with everyone and their mother saying the lot is to be sold any day now for around $400 million -- which is no small sum. We will, of course, keep you abreast of any developments which will lead to you stocking your music players with the Fab Four's work.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Well, it looks like the long saga of The Beatles slow transition to digital downloads could finally be nearing a close, at least according to one source that has a fairly big say in the matter. According to Reuters, Paul McCartney recently told Billboard that "It's all happening soon," adding that, "Most of us are all sort of ready. The whole thing is primed, ready to go -- there's just maybe one little sticking point left, and I think it's being cleared up as we speak, so it shouldn't be too long." McCartney then went on to get a bit more specific, saying that, "It's down to fine-tuning, but I'm pretty sure it'll be happening next year, 2008." Of course, there's no indication as to exactly how The Beatles' catalog will be distributed in digital form, although there's certainly be no shortage of rumors on that front.

Looks like El Jobso is coming out of his busy, busy office in Cupertino to, of all things, present "exciting new digital offering" at an EMI media event in London. Now, EMI is, as many know, where much of The Beatles catalogue resides, and none of that music has ever been made available online; we've long heard rumors of Apple getting the digital exclusive -- especially since Apple Corps and Apple, Inc. have settled their differences -- so to you, dear reader, we submit this: wouldn't any kind of real Beatles fan already have all the cuts on vinyl or CD -- or at least have downloaded or copied all they need? And hell, anyone who doesn't already have this stuff can always go pick it up relatively cheaply at any local record store and rip it -- at least then you won't have to deal with the DRM. In other words: we're still not sure why we should care about the world's most ubiquitous rock band selling music on the world's most ubiquitous digital download service in an all out DRM-love-in.

[Thanks, Josh]

There really hasn't been a whole lot of love lost between Apple Computer and Apple Corps over the years -- especially since that whole "we won't sell music" debacle -- but it seems that Stevie J and co. might finally be getting through to the guardians of all things Beatles, and could be on the verge of an exclusive iTunes launch of the elusive catalog, reports Fortune. From the sound of things, plenty of millions are set to change hands if the deal goes through, with Apple Computer potentially providing a good bit of advance cash for the marketing push and prospective sales. The Beatles haven't been incredibly receptive to the use of their music in marketing so far, though there was word recently of a downloadable offering somewhere, but it sounds like Steve is hoping they'll make an exception to be featured in one of those snazzy iPod ads -- it was good enough for Dylan and Bono afterall. Purportedly EMI Group, the band's label, is the catalyst behind these talks, and while nothing is quite legit yet -- in fact, it's all still hearsay as far as we're concerned -- hopes are high for Strawberry Fields, Revolution, LSD and all that jazz down in Cupertino any day now.

[Thanks, Mack S]