Apple’s Passbook joins the mobile payments gold rush. But Jeff Fagel, of edo Interactive, has doubts about its viability and says until we see a system that’s easier for everyone, plastic will remain king. Read more »
iTunes Ping, Apple’s music-based social network, is shutting down at the end of the month. The service was hurt by its lack of Facebook integration from the get-go and never gained much traction. Read more »
New entrants are pushing alternative business models in the music industry. Though this evolution will take time, the overall industry should return to growth within the five-year forecast horizon, as digital music spending, driven by subscriptions, will average double-digit yearly growth to total $4.1 billion in 2015. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Shazam, best known for its music tagging app, is now rolling out its first new app, called Shazam Player, a free app that replaces the iOS music player and provides a deep set of features including lyrics, social sharing, smart playlists, bios and more. Read more »
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Reports that Google will include social features in its new music service reinforce what the rise of Spotify and other services have already made obvious — namely, that Apple and iTunes are falling behind in the social-music race, which could have significant consequences for the company. Read more »
A new iPhone app released on Thursday brings a music social network to the iPhone. Not for the first time, mind you, but it does get a lot of things right that previous offerings, including Apple’s own Ping, haven’t yet been able to nail down. Read more »
Facebook has been talking to various music services with a focus on social sharing and discovery of music. In this exclusive report, we share some of Facebook’s plans and features. Expect these announcements at its annual developer conference, likely to be held in August. Read more »
As Turntable.fm has shown, a new era of social music may be upon us, one that is less about scaling wide, but more about going deep. The third era of social music is about immersion as sites add more immediacy and intimacy to the experience. Read more »
While Microsoft’s “Welcome to the Social” advertisements were often derided, it’s ironic that Microsoft, and not Apple, has a better history with social media interactions. Here are the three areas Apple tried to make a play with social media, and instead fell just “a bit outside.” Read more »
Late Dec. 10, Apple introduced new playlist features for Ping, the social music network it introduced as part of iTunes 10. Ping users can now share iTunes playlists on your profile, and let friends collaborate on those playlists by adding songs. Read more »
Apple just posted a new teaser image on its home page, promising an iTunes announcement for tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. PST, or 10:00 a.m. EST. The official tagline for the event is “Tomorrow is just another day. That you’ll never forget.” Read more »
Apple has opened up its Ping social network to Twitter’s 175 million users, allowing those users to connect their accounts to the iTunes-based network and share links and previews. The deal gives Apple more reach, and could help drive traffic to Twitter’s newly relaunched website. Read more »
Apple just introduced Twitter integration to its Ping music social network. Now, when you navigate to the Ping page in iTunes, you’ll find a dialog box at the top prompting you to connect your Twitter account. It’s as simple as signing in with your Twitter credentials. Read more »
I got an email today that made me a little bit sad. It was from Apple, and it was about how great Ping is. It left the distinct impression that many don’t agree. An email won’t convince people Ping is worthwhile. So what would? Read more »
A tipster speaking to the LA Times says Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, two of tech’s most influential figures, got together for dinner at Steve’s place two weeks ago. No word on what they ate, but fledgling music social network Ping was definitely on the menu. Read more »
Apple’s first update to version 10 of its media player software iTunes brings some great improvements for Ping. It shows that Cupertino actually cares about the success of the product, and that it’s interested in what users have to say about its services. Read more »
It’s been roughly a week since Ping’s release, and I’ve held my tongue until now. But I can hold it no longer: Ping isn’t the thing. It almost isn’t anything at all. Which brings to mind comparisons with another relatively useless web-based product: Google Wave. Read more »
As it stands now, Ping is explicitly about selling music on the iTunes store. And while the new service is making us wonder whether Apple could build a viable social network, perhaps the real question is, “Does Apple want to build a real social network?” Read more »
Om claimed that Ping is the future of social commerce, but its sole focus on purchases and its presence behind a walled garden may hinder that bright future. Here are the four main issues Apple has to work on quickly for Ping to be successful. Read more »
Whether by design or accident, Ping’s lack of integration with other social networks, or even with the web itself, is now its most compelling feature — at least from a strategic perspective. It’s essentially an e-commerce platform for music disguised as a social network. Read more »
Whether by design or accident, Ping’s lack of integration with other social networks, or even with the web itself, is now its most compelling feature — at least from a strategic perspective. It’s essentially an e-commerce platform for music disguised as a social network. Read more »
At one time, Apple and Facebook were best friends forever. It was rumored that Facebook would form the underpinning of what is now Ping. No more — apparently the two companies are not working on Ping together, and consumers are the ones who pay the price. Read more »
Apple today introduced Ping, a music social network that is part of iTunes software. It allows iTunes users to share their favorite tunes, buy music recommended by friends and follow their favorite artists. Ping hints at a new future for social commerce. Read more »
After nearly a decade, iTunes is getting a new icon with the release of version 10. Jobs also introduced Ping, a social network Apple created specifically for iTunes. Ping allows users to share activity with their friends, and follow their favorite artists to receive updates. Read more »
