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Apple Demos iTunes Radio Service
As expected, Apple today unveiled a new music service, dubbed iTunes Radio.
The Internet radio feature, debuting this fall, will be available on iOS 7 devices via the music app and on the Mac and PC via iTunes, as well as Apple TV. Ad-supported listening is free, while those who pay for iTunes Match can listen without interruption.
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, provided a demo of iTunes Radio at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) today. It functions much like Pandora, with users able to tap into more than 200 stations. Cue didn't specify which labels signed deals with Apple for iTunes Radio, but he played a song from Maroon 5 during his demo, which is Sony, as well as Bruno Mars from Warner Bros. and The Rolling Stones from Universal Music, which are the big three labels.
Like Pandora, meanwhile, iTunes Radio will serve up music based on your listening habits. "The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalized your experience becomes," Apple said.
Apple will suggest genre-specific stations, but users can create their own stations as well. Tell iTunes Radio if you like or dislike a song, or if you hear one you want to add to your wish list.
Report: iRadio Closer to Reality With Apple, Sony Deal
Apple and Sony Music have reportedly inked a deal, moving Cupertino's anticipated iRadio service another step forward.
According to All Things Digital — which cited a person familiar with the companies' negotiations — this means Apple now has the support of all three major music labels, including Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group.
Don't expect to start tuning into iRadio just yet, though. Cupertino still needs to snag the support of Sony/ATV, Sony's music publishing department, ATD said.
Neither Apple nor Sony Music Entertainment immediately responded to PCMag's request for comment.
Excited iFanatics may want to keep an eye on next week's Apple Worldwide Developer Conference, where details about the aptly named iRadio service could surface. ATD described the service as "an enhanced version of Pandora" with more control over songs, but not as full-featured as something like Spotify.
iTunes Update Brings Revamped Mini Player, Songs View
Heads up iTunes users. It's time for an update.
Apple on Thursday released a new version of its media playing software, iTunes 11.0.3, bringing a revamped Mini Player and songs view, among other enhancements.
The MiniPlayer (left), which lets you play music without taking up too much screen space, now features a "beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork," according to Apple's release notes. It also now has a built-in progress bar, letting you see how much time is left of the song you're playing.
The latest version of iTunes also now lets you view album artwork while in Songs view. In addition, albums with multiple discs will now appear as a single album.
The update also includes performance improvements when searching and sorting large libraries, which should be good news for those who have spent a lot of money on iTunes.
iTunes 11.0.3 is available for download now through Software Update.Â
A Decade Later, iTunes Still Dominates Music Downloads
Nearly 10 years after it first launched, Apple's iTunes Store continues to dominate the market for digital music downloads, according to a new report from the NPD Group.
In the fourth quarter of 2012, iTunes grabbed 63 percent share of the paid music download market, followed by Amazon MP3 with 22 percent. Moreover, eight out of 10 digital music buyers downloaded their tracks and albums from iTunes during that period.
Overall, some 44 million Americans bought at least one track or album download last year. That figure has remained "relatively stable" over the past three years, even with the rise of music streaming options like Pandora and Spotify.
"Since the launch of Apple's iTunes store, digital music downloads have become the dominant revenue source for the recorded music industry and iTunes continues to be the dominant retailer," Russ Crupnick, senior vice president of industry analysis at NPD, said in a statement. "There's a belief that consumers don't need to buy music because of streaming options, when in fact streamers are much more likely than the average consumer to buy music downloads."
The firm estimated that spending on music downloads increased 6 percent year over year, largely due to an increase in purchasing by teens. Data in the report comes from two separate surveys of 5,400 and 7,600 consumers.
Apple Offers Refunds, iTunes Credit to Settle In-App Payment Suit
Apple has reached a deal with customers who sued Cupertino in 2011 for the "unlawful exploitation" of children (and their parents' wallets) via in-app purchases.
As part of the arrangement, Apple will refund customers whose children inadvertantly ran up bills via in-app purchases, and offer a $5 iTunes credit for their troubles.
A California judge will consider the deal at a March 1 hearing.
The case started in April 2011 when Pennsylvania resident Garen Meguerian sued Apple after his 9-year-old daughter racked up about $200 in in-app purchases while playing games like Zombie Café, Treasure Story, and City Story. Meguerian said he was "completely unaware" that these games included in-game currency and was shocked to find the charges on his account.
The purchases were made in Feb. 2011, before Apple started requiring a password for in-app purchases via the iOS 4.3 ugrade in March.
Four other people filed similar lawsuits around the same time; those suits were consolidated into one case in June 2011. Early on, Apple tried unsucessfully to have the case tossed and to prevent the release of evidence. Ultimately, the two sides were ordered into mediation; they met on Oct. 23, 2012 and Jan. 17, 2013 and eventually reached a deal.
iTunes 11.0.2 Update Improves Syncing, Adds Composers View
The latest iTunes update is available from Apple less than three months after it launched its revamped music service.
Fans likely won't notice much of a change, as Cupertino's update mainly offers simple bug fixes and performance enhancements. But there is one new feature the company is spotlighting: a Composers view.
Once the update is complete, open the iTunes Preferences window and click the checkbox next to Show Composers under the Views section. The new option allows users to select the names of different composers to see just their songs.
Though the update may sound to most like a miniscule, if not unimportant, improvement, it ultimately serves as a new way to categorize music.
Additionally, the new version improves responsiveness when syncing playlists with a large number of songs, and fixes an issue where purchases may not show up in the iTunes library. Apple also promised other stability and performance improvements.
Apple’s iTunes Reaches 25 Billion Songs Sold
Apple on Wednesday announced that music lovers have purchased more than 25 billion songs from the iTunes store.
The 25 billionth song purchased was "Monkey Drums" (Goksel Vancin Remix) by Chase Buch. It was purchased by a very lucky user named Phillip Lüpke from Germany, who will receive an iTunes gift card from Apple valued at about $13,500.
"We are grateful to our users whose passion for music over the past 10 years has made iTunes the number one music retailer in the world," Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said in a statement. "Averaging over 15,000 songs downloaded per minute, the iTunes Store connects music fans with their favorite artists, including global sensations like Adele and Coldplay and new artists like The Lumineers, on a scale we never imagined possible."
In a statement, Wesley Schultz, guitarist and lead vocalist of The Lumineers, said that iTunes has, in many ways, "leveled the playing field for musicians," because it's where most people go to buy digital music.
Huge Christmas for iTunes, App Store
It was a very appy Christmas for Apple, which saw an 87 percent rise in Christmas Day app downloads.
The season's giving spirit meant loads of new iOS devices, which obviously needed to be stocked with applications and games.
New owners didn't wait long before heading to Apple's App Store on Dec. 25, boosting the daily download figures by 87 percent compared to the daily average for December, according to app analytics tracker Distimo. Based on data collected from more than 40 countries, Cupertino also saw a 70 percent revenue jump on Christmas.
All download volumes measured by Distimo counted both free and paid apps, while revenue was calculated from one-off and in-app purchases.
"Given that the iPad downloads and revenues rose by 140 percent and 83 percent respectively, the iPad seems to have been a very popular gift," Distimo's Gert Jan Spriensma wrote in a blog entry.
Only two of the top 10 most successful iOS applications downloaded on Christmas Day were even holiday-related, according to the site's figures. YouTube took the No. 1 spot, followed by iOS newcomer Google Maps.
Apple Launches iTunes in 56 More Countries
Apple on Tuesday announced a major expansion of its iTunes Store, almost doubling the number of countries where the popular music platform is available.
The expansion covers 56 countries, including Russia, India, South Africa, and Turkey. The iTunes Store is now accessible in 119 countries.
Apple said the iTunes Store will feature local artists including Elka in Russia, Sezen Aksu in Turkey, AR Rahman in India, and Zahara in South Africa, in addition to international artists like The Beatles and Coldplay and classical musicians such as Lang Lang and Yo Yo Ma. The iTunes Store is home to more than 20 million songs, as well as a large selection of films available for rent or purchase.
Users in these countries will also have access to the company's App Store, which is home to more than 70,000 apps. The App Store is now available in 155 countries.
The expansion comes just days after Apple released the latest version of its music software, iTunes 11 following a brief delay. The new version gets rid of the old left-hand bar; playlists and radio now appear in that top menu. Other options, including movies, TV shows, podcasts, and access to devices and shared libraries, are accessible via a drop-down menu underneath the "Music" icon.
After Delay, Apple Releases iTunes 11
After a brief delay, Apple today released the latest version of its music software, iTunes 11.
The revamped iTunes is available via the download link on Apple's iTunes website, or via the "check for updates" option on the desktop version of the software.
When you first sign in, Apple will ask you for permission to "share details about your library with Apple to see artist images, album covers, and other related information in your library."
To access music, you can click the "Music" icon on the top left and sort by songs, albums, artists, genres, or videos using the menu that sits along the top of iTunes 11.
The new version gets rid of the old left-hand bar; playlists and radio now appear in that top menu, while other options - movies, TV shows, podcasts, and access to devices and shared libraries - are accessible via a drop-down menu underneath the "Music" icon.
To buy new music, click the "iTunes Store" link on the top right.