You can download whole albums from iTunes almost instantly at the click of a mouse. So British music-lovers have a right to wonder why it will take Steve Jobs' Apple up to six months to bring the price of tracks on iTunes' UK site down into line with other European countries.

The promise resolves a European Commission antitrust probe. But for a brand that projects a modern, borderless, digital image, Apple's explanation for the long lead time sounds disappointingly analogue and old-economy. The company says it pays more to some music companies to distribute their products in the UK than in other European countries. In short, they, not Apple, are the ones that really need to fall in line before July. If they don't, Mr Jobs is threatening to cut them out of his list of suppliers.