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 MoreResearch
Apple officially killing Ping social network on Sept. 30
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 MoreToday in Social
AllThingsD hears that Apple will discontinue its Ping social network with a coming release of iTunes. When Apple introduced Ping, Om said…
Read MoreShazam launches new app to replace iOS music player
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 MoreHas Apple missed the social-music train?
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 MoreHey look, Exfm is like Ping, but useful!
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 MoreRevealed: Facebook’s music plans tap Spotify, others
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 MoreTurntable.fm and SoundCloud ushering in new era of social music
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 MoreDefining the next era of social music
From the early days of file sharing to the success of Myspace and, more recently, to the explosion of music playlist and…
Read MoreAnalyzing Apple’s Social (Media) Anxiety Disorder
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 MoreApple Shows Continued Commitment to Ping With Playlists
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 MoreApple Posts iTunes Announcement Teaser [Updated]
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 MorePing Opens Up to Twitter to Make Music Buying Social
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 MoreTwitter and Ping Get Together. Take That Facebook!
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 MoreHow Apple Can Fix Ping
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 MoreWhat Wine Goes Best With the Future of Ping?
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 MorePing Gets Better, But is it Enough?
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 MoreIs Ping Apple’s Google Wave?
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 MoreDoes Apple Even Want to Build a Social Network?
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 MoreCan Apple Build a Real Social Network?
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 MorePing Is Neither Social, Nor Is It a Network. Discuss.
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 MorePing: A Social Network Inside a Walled Garden
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 MoreWith Ping, Apple Builds a Social Network Inside a Walled Garden
What Ping aims to create is not a seamless fabric of interconnected networks, but an archipelago of discreet networks joined only by the shared e-commerce functionality of iTunes. It is social networking without the World Wide Web, which, coming from anyone but Apple, would sound nonsensical.…
Read MorePing, Facebook Break Up: It Happened Last Night
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