Beatles teased at Apple presentation

Apple Computer made a big splash on January 9th with the introduction of its iPhone at the MacWorld event in San Francisco -- but there was also a subtle hint about Apple possibly becoming involved with the Beatles. There have been rumors about the Beatles getting closer to licensing their music for online sale via Apple's iTunes, and Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs played the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band song "Lovely Rita" from the new device.

There was another possible hint, in that the covers for the Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums were displayed onstage during the presentation, according to published reports.

There's been no official confirmation from either Apple -- the Beatles company, or the computer maker -- about the status of negotiations between the parties.