WebProNews

Though Steve Jobs reportedly wasn't hugely enthusiastic in announcing this, it may herald a future where iTunes sells certain commercially made podcasts.

The CEO of Apple and Pixar dubs it "Wayne's World for radio," but did demonstrate enthusiasm for the podcasting phenomenon, according to several sources.

The announcement came at D3: All Things Digital Conference. The D-Con has a bunch of A-list attendees besides Mr. Jobs: Bill Gates, Mel Karmazin, and Paul Otellini among others.

Current plans call for podcasts to be free downloads; creators will have to submit their podcasts to Apple, where content will be reviewed and selected for placement on iTunes.

For the uninitiated, podcasting allows a user to record some audio content, and post it online for others to download and hear. The pod' reference is to Apple's iconic digital music player, the iPod.

By providing the podcast in mp3 format, most computers and digital music players can playback the recording. Anyone who has created a web page for others to view will recognize the similarity.

A computer needs software to record the audio from a computer's microphone, and convert it into a usable stream. As most computers come equipped with a microphone, and free software can be found for this purpose, thousands of podcasts have been created to date.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.