In our hands-on with iTunes 10, we wondered if there was a reason for Facebook’s quick inclusion and exclusion from Ping since the social network launched yesterday.В Per AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher, it turns out that it’s definitely the case: Apple pulled the plug on Facebook connectivity after the social networking site blocked Ping from accessing its API.
Typically, Facebook allows developers to freely access its API, but requires larger groups to enter an agreement on usage. Facebook and Apple had started negotiations, but hadn’t yet reached a final agreement.
Facebook still played a large role in the run-up to Ping–it was featured prominently in the screenshots during Apple’s press conference yesterday and immediately after iTunes 10 was made public, Ping still touted its ability to invite friends from Facebook.
Despite not having an agreement in place, Apple went ahead with plans to access Facebook’s API but the site blocked their requests. In response, Apple removed Facebook from Ping.В Both companies are still in talks, but we can only assume that the negotiation process must be pretty awkward right now.
Realizing that sites such as Facebook aren’t going away, Apple is now beefing up music discovery capabilities in iTunes via its new social networking engine, called Ping.
Like Facebook, Ping will let iTunes users follow friends and artists’ news feeds and listening habits, and see when and where their favorite musicians are playing, among other things.
Now that Ping has been released, we went hands-on to see what it’s all about. Is Apple’s new music-centric social network going to be an instant classic, or a one-hit wonder?
iTunes 10 is easy enough to set up–you can download the program on Apple’s website and installation is the same as always. Everything is mostly unchanged–in particular, the album art browser integration that Jobs showed off cleans up the interface considerably.
Ping, which is nestled right next to the Store icon, is tied into your iTunes account, and when you open up the service for the first time, it’ll ask you to log in. After this, you’ll be walked through several steps to create your Ping profile, which includes choosing songs for the “Music I Like” sidebar: This displays up to 10 songs and works similarly to MySpace’s “Top Friends” feature.
Compared to Facebook’s Byzantine settings, Ping’s privacy controls are very basic and straightforward–you can choose to let others follow you (provided you approve them), or disallow any followers.
Like Facebook, the news feed is the centerpiece of Ping’s user experience. Here, you’ll see status updates from the people and artists that you follow. Items range from songs that users liked and videos to concert plans and recent purchases, all of which you can “like” and comment on.
Artist pages function similar to band pages on Myspace. On cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s page-he’s one of a handful of artists who had pages ready for Ping’s launch–you can see information such as photos and videos posted by him. Ma’s page, like other artist pages, shows information like status updates while he’s on tour, photos that he posted and concert listings. If you say that you plan on going, that information also shows up in your activity feed.
Right now, though, the biggest problems with Ping come down to numbers. There aren’t many artists or people who’ve jumped onto the Ping bandwagon and for a social network that’s built on connecting those two groups, that’s a major problem.
When we searched Ping, we couldn’t find pages for a number of major bands, such as Arcade Fire, Ke$ha, and LCD Soundsystem. Likewise, it’s a massive burden to simply try and find people to follow–the only way to add contacts is by manually inserting email addresses. No options exist for combing address books or other social networks to find contacts who also use Ping.
Despite being prominently featured in many of the promotional photos from yesterday’s conference, Facebook Connect also isn’t included in Ping, as of today. However, Cult of Mac did spot Facebook Connect in Ping, suggesting that Apple pulled Facebook out of Ping late in the game–Jobs told AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher that they couldn’t agree to Facebook’s “onerous terms.”
Ultimately, Ping’s limited usefulness undercuts much of the network’s potential. Given iTunes’ ubiquity and the fact that Ping is thoroughly integrated into the program, the service already has a massive user base. There’s a lot of interesting functionality within Ping, but without a way to easily add friends and build the social aspect of the network, it can’t help but feel like a bit of a letdown for now.
Lest you think iPods were the only product to get attention at today’s Apple press conference, Apple announced and demonstrated iTunes 10. Apple CEO Steve Jobs first showed off the new iTunes logo, which switches out the CD for a dark blue circle. After previewing the updated functionality in the List view–album art can now be displayed in the far left side of the window–Jobs debuted Ping, an iTunes-based social network that revolves around music discovery.
Users can follow friends and artists in a news feed with functionality similar to Facebook’s. In Jobs’ demo, Ping’s newsfeed showed the capability for users to comment on, and “like”, news items. The news feed includes such features as recently played songs–similar to Last.Fm–purchases, nearby concerts, and album reviews. But Jobs said that said users will be able to control the level of content that they want to make public. Users can also follow artists to find out news and view content from the group.
Ping functionality will also be available on the iPhone and iPod touch. iTunes 10 is available today for download. Watch the video below to see how Ping works.
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Now that the iPod touch has a Retina display, HD video recording, and a front-facing camera for FaceTime calls, you might be wondering, why would I need the iPhone 4? Since I’ve been in San Francisco, I’ve dropped a few calls on AT&T’s network, and I’ve started using the Evo 4G instead. Maybe it’s because there’s a big tech conference going on in the city, but data performance has also been poor. So the question for people who love Apple’s apps and iTunes–and not AT&T–is whether you should get the new iPod touch (starting at $229 for 8GB) and use a different phone altogether.
Based on my hands-on time with the new iPod touch, I could see a lot of people toting this device and a separate handset. The design is thinner (.28 inches vs. 037 inches) and lighter (3.56 ounces vs. 4.8) than the iPhone 4, and you get the same gorgeous 960 x 640-pixel display. It also has the same zippy A4 processor under the hood, and will hook into Apple’s new Game Center for multiplayer action. Granted, the design of theВ iPhone 4 is more elegant, with its squared off edges and all black back, but the iPod touch is pretty sweet.
So how does FaceTime work on this PMP on steroids?
In a quick call over Wi-Fi, the video quality was pretty clear, and we noticed only a bit of stuttering in the stream. Plus, you can call iPhone 4 owners easily. You’ll also be able to record HD video on the spot, though you won’t be able to share footage via MMS anywhere as you can (or should be able to) with the iPhone 4. Too bad the still photos are limited to just 960 x 720 resolution. That’s a huge drawback, considering the iPhone 4 shoots 5-MP images.
Check out the gallery below and let us know what you think about the latest iPod touch. The price isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s reasonable for the capacity, and you don’t have to pay a monthly fee for data and voice that works only some of the time.
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Apple introduced a slew of new products at today’s music event, and it was about a lot more than just music. As expected, the company debuted a new Apple TV for 99 bucks and a new iPod touch with FaceTime. But there were also a couple surprises, including a multitouch-enabled iPod nano and a social networking feature built into iTunes 10 called Ping.
Dig into all the hands-on impressions and news from the event below.
So just to recap, Apple took the buttons away from the new iPod nano but brought them back for the new shuffle. And it’s cheap. At $49, this 2GB player is $30 less than last year’s model when it launched. There’s really not much else to say about the shuffle, except that the colors are really nifty. This aluminum accessory is available in silver, blue, green, orange, or pink. We’re actually partial to the orange.
Based on our hands-on time, the Clickpad works fairly well despite its small size. Like the last shuffle, the VoiceOver feature lets you do more without using your hands, whether you’re walking, running, or cycling. Just press a button to hear the title of a song and artist. You can also have the shuffle bark the names of playlists so you can switch between them.
We know it’s a little early to be talking holiday presents, but the new shuffle could be one hot stocking stuffer this year. Check out the gallery below and let us know if you’d rather have this player or the new multitouch nano.
Among the first to the iPod touch 4 accessories table, Hard Candy Cases is at the ready with new cases set to ship prior to even Apple’s expected launch date in September. According to the protective gear maker, “Our sources learned the specs for the newest iPod touch 4 about 30 days ago, and we’re happy to announce that over the weekend, we finished the tooling process – which will allow us to be first to market with products that fit the new device and look great at the same time,” said Tim Hickman, founder of Hard Candy Cases.
The Street Skin (pictured here) for the iPod touch 4 will cost $29.95. It feature a ruggedized, rubber (TPU) body. The company’s Bubble Slider line will also be available for the iPod touch 4.В No doubt that other cases and companies will follow suit very soon. Sign up for pre-order starts now at www.hardcandycases.com.
No, it’s not iTV, it’s the new Apple TV, and it’s really, really small. This set-top box is just a quarter the size of the original, and you can hold it in the palm of your hand. You get an HDMI port, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, and it’s all about simplicity. Apple has gone to the rental model, so you don’t purchase anything. You can also stream photos and videos from your PC, no syncing required. Apple claims the box runs much cooler than the first-gen model (and that thing was toasty)
As for content, you can rent first-run movies for $4.99 in HD, day and date of DVD release.В Shows will rent for 99 cent. Apple is starting for ABC and Fox, and Apple hopes the other broadcasters will jump on board. Content also includes Netflix and YouTube. Flickr and MobileMe brings in photos and videos.
One of the coolest features is that if you have a movie on your iPad or iPhone, and you can stream it directly to your Apple TV. That way your content isn’t locked to your mobile device. Steve Jobs demonstrated this AirPlay streaming, and it worked very well (though we’re assuming you’re limited to SD video in this mode).
The new Apple TV will sell for $99 and will be available in 4 weeks.
In addition to releasing iOS 4.1 today, Steve Jobs gave anxious iPad users a sneak peak at iOS 4.2 during the Apple Event today. He proclaimed that this update is “all about iPad.” It’ll include wireless printing, folders, and AirPlay, which replaces AirTunes.
AirTunes originally streamed music wirelessly using iTunes, Airport Express, and your stereo. It was awesome. The new AirPlay takes it to the next level with photo and video streaming over Wi-Fi in addition to music. With 4.2, AirPlay will integrate with iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and the new Apple TV.
But the biggest thing about iOS 4.2 for iPad users? It’ll bring the same multitasking iPhone 4 users have come to know and love. Now you can listen to Pandora while composing e-mail. Since the iPad arrived, it’s been criticized for it’s lack of multitasking, especially when the iPhone 4 was graced with the capability a month later.
Plus, you’ll now be able to create folders on your iPad with iOS 4.2, just like you could on the iPhone starting with iOS 4.0.
Today was just a brief sneak peak at the upcoming iOS 4.2 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, which is slated for release in November. So is the promise of an update enough to satiate iPad users out there? You tell us.
Lest you think iPods were the only product to get attention at today’s Apple press conference, Apple announced and demonstrated iTunes 10. Apple CEO Steve Jobs opened the keynote address by debuting the new iTunes logo, which switches out the CD for a dark blue circle. After previewing the updated functionality in the List view–album art can now be displayed in the far left side of the window–Jobs debuted Ping, an iTunes-based social network that revolves around music discovery.
Users can follow friends and artists in a news feed with functionality similar to Facebook’s. In Jobs’ demo, Ping’s newsfeed showed the capability for users to comment on, and “like”, news items. The news feed includes such features as recently played songs–similar to Last.Fm–purchases, nearby concerts, and album reviews. But Jobs said that said users will be able to control the level of content that they want to make public. Users can also follow artists to find out news and view content from the group.
Ping functionality will also be on the iPhone and iPod touch. iTunes 10 is available today.
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Realizing that sites such as Facebook aren’t going away, Apple is now beefing up music discovery capabilities in iTunes via its new social networking engine, called Ping.
When we searched Ping, we couldn’t find pages for a number of major bands, such as Arcade Fire, Ke$ha, and LCD Soundsystem. Likewise, it’s a massive burden to simply try and find people to follow–the only way to add contacts is by manually inserting email addresses. No options exist for combing address books or other social networks to find contacts who also use Ping.
