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Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

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Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#11
post #5

Can I please have an application that just does the one simple thing it's supposed to? I feel like soon both iTunes and GMail are going to try to order my groceries for me.

You can always use QuickTime Player (or an antique version of WinAmp) if that's all you want.

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#13
post #9

I really enjoyed that "open standards" event, which was broadcast via HTML5 that only worked in Safari and on Mac.

Didn't they submit this format for standardization a year or so ago? If so, you can't blame Apple that others have not implemented it.

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#15

I'm skeptical about Apple doing a social media platform, yet iTunes is a perfect trojan horse. It might not even have to be good to succeed.

It's pretty amazing the number of things that have been smuggled into the old SoundJam: Quicktime, Webkit (occasionally Safari), the music store (expanded to video and games and apps too), Genius recommendations, and now a social network.

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#16
post #9

I really enjoyed that "open standards" event, which was broadcast via HTML5 that only worked in Safari and on Mac.

It's called "embrace and extend". The phrase was coined by some other company than Apple, though -- I forget, but they were big in the '90s...

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#17
post #7

One of these days I hope they'll add the ability for me to sync my iPhone to iTunes at home and listen to it on another PC (most specifically the office) from my iPhone via iTunes without some horrible hack and manually managing my music collection.

I was under the impression that this already worked.

You can't copy the files off (without some 3rd party software) but I thought you could browse and play via iTunes. I remember it being clunky enough that you might not want to do it regularly but I thought it worked for playing a couple of tunes.

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#18
post #4

This is the most highly monetized social network possible. Direct advertising to your friends, with a Buy button right there in your status.

Apple really is amazing. We keep thinking they are going to go after the usual suspects like Google, Microsoft, and RIM. Now they are aiming their guns at Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg must not be happy.

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#19

It's interesting that this is only for music. You can see this being just as applicable for movies and tv shows - and of course apps. Presumably this is a toe in the water and they'll extend it if it works. But this certainly has lots of potential for extension.

Absolutely. The choice of "Ping" for its name, rather than a more music-centric name might indicate they're keeping the door open to extend it to the whole store. (I'll add books to your list)

edit: one good reason I see to start off with music (besides the fact that it makes sense for iTunes) is that it's more common in the music industry to "follow" an artist, than it is for TV or movies. So, right from the start anybody will have people to follow while they're building their friends network.

Re: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping Social Network

#20
post #18
post #4

This is the most highly monetized social network possible. Direct advertising to your friends, with a Buy button right there in your status.

Apple really is amazing. We keep thinking they are going to go after the usual suspects like Google, Microsoft, and RIM. Now they are aiming their guns at Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg must not be happy.

I would say Last.fm is closer to the centre of Apple's crosshairs
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