Apple introduces iTunes 10 with Ping social network

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
The next version of iTunes, available today, includes Ping, a social music discovery tool that allows users to follow friends and artists, helping customers to discover and share new music.



"It's sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said of the entirely new Ping service. He described it as a social network all about music, built in to the new iTunes, now available for download.



The product is based on discovery, allowing users to see what their friends are listening to and what concerts they're going to.



Users can choose to "follow" artists, as well as their friends, and iTunes will populate a customized top 10 list that represents what their friends are downloading. Users can also see concerts that are coming near them, and inform their friends that they will be attending.



Ping will be open to over 160 million customers, who can sign up immediately. It will also be available to iPhone and iPod touch users through the existing iTunes Store.







iTunes 10 will also ship with a new logo, which Jobs joked reflects the fact that by next Spring, Apple is expected to surpass all CD sales in the U.S. The new iTunes logo dispenses of the CD that was previously featured, and only includes a musical note.







Jobs also demonstrated a new "hybrid" view within iTunes 10, which automatically displays album art when there are five or more tracks from the same record.







"iTunes is the number one music community in the world, with over 160 million iTunes users in 23 countries, and now we?re adding social networking with Ping," Jobs said in a press release. "With Ping you can follow your favorite artists and friends and join a worldwide conversation with music?s most passionate fans."



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 105
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Ping.... Bing... Really?



    It's good to see that Apple is finally adopting a few of the ZUNE Marketplace's social networking features, though admittedly, iTunes is looking in serious need of an aesthetic makeover, especially when compared to the elegance of MS' Zune Marketplace.
  • Reply 2 of 105
    Otherwise known as last.fm.



    - Jasen.
  • Reply 3 of 105
    Available today when? Nothing so far.
  • Reply 4 of 105
    joe hsjoe hs Posts: 488member
    So that's why lady gaga was at apple hq!!
  • Reply 5 of 105
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Yea correlation to Bing was funny to hear. I think it will be mildly sucessful, though integration with Twitter would have been more sucessful.



    It is very well made, but that is not the key to sucess of a social site. If the competition is "mainstream" twitter or facebook it won;t be as sucessful. If the competition is only more fringe Last.fm or Lala I would say it will compete really well.
  • Reply 6 of 105
    desarcdesarc Posts: 642member
    don't download yet.



    the link to DL IT10 is still downloading 9.2.1
  • Reply 7 of 105
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    I look at Ping as a stealth assault on Facebook. Start with music-centric socializing then you hook game center into it then add pictures, games a litlle video and soon it's got everything Facebook offers. Without the ethically rudderless sociopath management at the helm.



    I said it before, pretty soon our whole lives will be run through iTunes. Some will say that's horrible. I'd say better iTunes than Facebook. I have far, far more faith in Steve Jobs' ethics than Mark Zuckerberg's, the mayor of Suckersburg (Where dumb f*ck suckers go to get screwed.)
  • Reply 8 of 105
    I don't see Ping being as successful as Steve thinks it'll be because it constitutes another place people have to go online. People have enough options already- twitter, facebook, etc.- and many people have kind of reached their social networking limit as it is. To ask users to break out of their now-established habits and go to another location that will also itself demand active usage is asking too much, I think. If Ping were to work in an integrated way with sites a good core of people already use (facebook), then I think its chances for success would be better. But as it is, a self-contained, totally new social network won't be as accepted as Steve is hoping.
  • Reply 9 of 105
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    A Facebook competitor eh? Might be a preemptive strike by Apple in knowing that Facebook and Google will do the same in the future.
  • Reply 10 of 105
    desarcdesarc Posts: 642member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tundraboy View Post


    I said it before, pretty soon our whole lives will be run through iTunes.



    why it's still called iTunes is beyond me. it's music, movies, podcasts, tv shows, books, apps and [shudder] ringtones.
  • Reply 11 of 105
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sheff View Post


    Yea correlation to Bing was funny to hear. I think it will be mildly sucessful, though integration with Twitter would have been more sucessful.



    It is very well made, but that is not the key to sucess of a social site. If the competition is "mainstream" twitter or facebook it won;t be as sucessful. If the competition is only more fringe Last.fm or Lala I would say it will compete really well.



    No, they want this to be something fairly normal, not ridiculously stupid (Twitter).
  • Reply 12 of 105
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTel View Post


    A Facebook competitor eh? Might be a preemptive strike by Apple in knowing that Facebook and Google will do the same in the future.



    Nope, try reading first, eh?
  • Reply 13 of 105
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IlikeAppel View Post


    I don't see Ping being as successful as Steve thinks it'll be because it constitutes another place people have to go online. People have enough options already- twitter, facebook, etc.- and many people have kind of reached their social networking limit as it is. To ask users to break out of their now-established habits and go to another location that will also itself demand active usage is asking too much, I think. ....



    With 160 million paying users, the iTunes audience is off to a very good start, even if its a fraction of the Facebook half billion. I think that this will be the basis for strong Apple based social network to which they will add services over time and that will only build more brand loyalty and stickiness down the road. Only surprised that they didn't do this at least a year ago.
  • Reply 14 of 105
    cbswecbswe Posts: 116member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    why it's still called iTunes is beyond me. it's music, movies, podcasts, tv shows, books, apps and [shudder] ringtones.



    I read that question not so long ago and saw a very good and simple answer:

    It would be madness to switch to a new name from one that's so very established as a brand and so strongly recognized as one of Apples core products.
  • Reply 15 of 105
    I was thinking the same thing - a stealth assault on FaceBook. That would be neat
  • Reply 16 of 105
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by battiato1981 View Post


    With 160 million paying users, the iTunes audience is off to a very good start, even if its a fraction of the Facebook half billion. I think that this will be the basis for strong Apple based social network to which they will add services over time and that will only build more brand loyalty and stickiness down the road. Only surprised that they didn't do this at least a year ago.



    But my point was how many of those 160 million users with accounts on other social networks (myself included) will want yet another place to go online in their precious spare time? Of course there will be millions of Ping users, but I don't think it'll be as many millions as Apple is hoping unless they open it up and integrate it with other services that people use and are accustomed to.
  • Reply 17 of 105
    gordygordy Posts: 1,004member
    Not sure of how much I'll use Ping. It seems to only pimp stuff you bought via iTunes. Not a fan--but then, my Facebook account is pretty locked down too so I may not be in the target audience here.
  • Reply 18 of 105
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    will Ping be fully available on iTunes for the iPhone/touch/iPad too? that is the key. as was obvious today, the iPod touch is taking over the PMP/PGP market and Ping would drive the nails into the competition's coffins.
  • Reply 19 of 105
    ...is iTunes 10 on OS X 10.6 64 bit yet?
  • Reply 20 of 105
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by battiato1981 View Post


    With 160 million paying users, the iTunes audience is off to a very good start, even if its a fraction of the Facebook half billion. I think that this will be the basis for strong Apple based social network to which they will add services over time and that will only build more brand loyalty and stickiness down the road. Only surprised that they didn't do this at least a year ago.



    What about families that share iTunes accounts? They'll have to create another user? I don't know any of the details, but it seems a little messy. I'd say tons of people have shared iTunes accounts.



    The move away from music DRM helps a little, but if your Ping identity is tied to your iTunes account it could be something of a hassle.
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