iTunes U lets students (or anyone, really) listen in on lectures, classes and other programs from the world's top educational institutions. In fact, more than 800 universities participate, and this week Apple announced the delivery of 300 million iTunes U downloads.

Students can use iTunes U to find lectures and other materials related to their studies, of course, but really anyone with an interest in continued education can browse the store's contents for audio or video that meets their areas of interest. For example, here's a collection from the Stanford Historical Society, and another from Japan's Keio University. All iTunes U content is free.

Congratulations to Apple and the participating institutions.

Gallery: Reiner Knizia's Samurai

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Yesterday, Bloomberg published a story about Apple's alleged plan to rent television shows through iTunes and, we assume, the Apple TV. The cost would be US$0.99, which is half off the purchase price of $1.99.

Bloomberg also mentioned that Apple will hold a press event on September 7th. That's likely, as Apple has refreshed the iPod line every year in September since its launch. Additionally, the "Buy a Mac, get an iPod touch for free" promo that Apple is currently running for students expires on September 7th. So expect new iPods.

The real question, as Engadget points out, is what else will be announced at the event? Is the TV rental option the end of the story or part of a larger service? Also, would the new Apple TV (or "iTV") be announced on the 7th as well? We'll know soon enough. Be sure to follow our coverage on the 7th (should the rumored event actually take place) for the latest news.

[Via MacRumors]

Peavey and Agile Partners have just introduced AmpKit and AmpKit LiNK, an iPhone-based hardware/app combo that takes portable guitar and bass effects to a new level. It's loud, it's lightweight, and it's an extremely flexible (and relatively inexpensive) alternative to a floor full of pedals.

Matt Tinsley recently reviewed the iRig and AmpliTube combination that also became available recently. I pre-ordered the iRig, and I loved it from the moment I got it in the mail and plugged my guitar into it (I did unbox it first). I received a review unit of the AmpKit LiNK this month, though, and for the last couple of weeks, it's been the mainstay of my practice sessions.

I'll tell you up front that I'm not currently gigging, so I can't attest to the road durability of this hardware, or the actual feasibility of using it onstage. I don't doubt that it would perform well on both counts, but I haven't battle-tested it. That being said, click "Read More" for my thoughts on the AmpKit/LiNK setup.

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Back when I was a kid, I kept my most valuable possessions, my baseball and basketball card collection, in a shoe box. Apparently, so too did former Apple employee Paul Devine. Devine is accused of wire fraud and conspiracy on the basis that he collected more than $2.5 million in kickbacks from Apple's suppliers. And during their investigation, officials found $125,000 stored away in shoe boxes at his home, as well as more than $20,000 worth of foreign currency. Prosecutors also allege that Devine may have other sources of cash.

In Devine's position as a global supply manager at Apple, it's alleged that he was privy to information such as projected sales of Apple products, the cost to manufacture an Apple product, and the prices of bids from competing suppliers. Prosecutors allege that he leveraged this knowledge by providing it to those in the supply chain in return for kickbacks.

The allegations against Devine are noteworthy, given Apple's penchant for secrecy. For instance, according to reports, Apple employees must test unreleased products in secret rooms under covered workstations, and are not allowed to follow other employees too closely.

[via Macworld]

We've heard horror stories of piracy from iPhone developers before, but PocketGamer has news of an iPad developer also suffering from a surprising amount of customers who likely didn't actually pay for their software. Qwiboo says that its iPad app, Aqua Globs HD, is seeing about 50% of its customers on the OpenFeint leaderboards have obtained the app illegally. Vladimir Roth says that the number of users who have actually submitted an OpenFeint score is double the number of legitimately sold apps so far.

Now, you can bring up the usual arguments against worrying about a number like this -- that pirates likely wouldn't have purchased the game anyway, or that many of them would pay if given the chance -- but that's a significant number, especially for a system that's supposed to be as closed as the iPad. Roth also says that piracy has been higher for him on the iPad than on the iPhone, and that pricing plays a big part. iPad apps tend to be more expensive (he says that they often don't provide extra functionality, though that obviously differs from app to app), and customers who prefer universal versions don't like paying twice for the same app.

Still, the app in question is $1.99 -- that's hardly breaking the bank. It's disappointing to see that even with all of the authentication and verification built in to a platform like the App Store, piracy is still a significant issue.