Engadget

Apple granted patent behind new iTunes extras features

Ben Bowers — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:47:00 EST

Today, Apple was granted a patent covering the ability to sync movie extra features with particular times or locations in videos. This is the same technology Sony is quietly testing now in the iTunes store with The Other Guys, Salt, and Resident Evil: Afterlife in which movie buyers can enter search terms to see scenes in the movie where that term was used. Since the extra features are only available for iTunes content, like iTunes LP, Apple clearly hopes to woo bonus feature-loving consumers to purchase digital copies over Blu-rays or DVDs. Of course if this strategy is going to succeed, you'd think Cupertino would want to expand support for iTunes extras beyond the original Apple TV and the desktop to include the one million second generation Apple TVs sold and three million plus iPhone 4s out there. But hey, what do we know?

Apple granted patent behind new iTunes extras features originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes 10 now offering social playlists with Ping

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:49:00 EST

After Twitter integration and iPad migration, looks like the next stop for Ping is social playlists. That's right -- the next time you make a mix in iTunes 10, clicking on the playlist arrow will give you two options: you can either purchase the playlist as a gift to your friend or loved one, or publish the playlist to Ping itself. Once your playlist is published, you can even give your friends on the network the option to edit it, making it a community playlist of sorts. Of course, this last option only works if you really trust your friends' taste. After all, it just wouldn't do to have Philip Glass invade your "Core Workout Playlist" featuring such beloved anthems Move This by Technotronic and Whoomp! There It Is by Tag Team.

iTunes 10 now offering social playlists with Ping originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's Ping gains a million users in first two days

Nilay Patel — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:39:00 EST

We're still trying to figure out exactly what Apple's new Ping social network is good for, but apparently quite a few people are curious about it: it's already racked up a million users in its first two days. That's just a third of the people who've downloaded iTunes 10, so we're sure the numbers are will grow even faster as more people snag iTunes and the network effect starts to kick in -- and things will get really crazy if Apple and Facebook ever work out their little tiff. Just remember: it's a social network... for music.

Apple's Ping gains a million users in first two days originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ringtone creationism not for sale in iTunes 10, but DIY method still seems to work

Ross Miller — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:11:00 EST

Not that we've ever been a fan of paying an additional 99 cents to turn an already-purchased track into a seconds-long ringtone, but if you fancied the option in iTunes 9.2.1, we're sad to inform you that yesterday's update seems to have nixed said option. But hey, look at this way, now you can learn a new skill: how to make iTunes 10 ringtones free of charge with some filename finagling. The old method still seems to work just fine (instructions via More Coverage link below), so turn that .m4-frown upside down!

Ringtone creationism not for sale in iTunes 10, but DIY method still seems to work originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All Things D: Facebook blocked Apple's Ping service for unauthorized use

Nilay Patel — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:43:00 EST

We'd already heard whispers that Apple had to yank Facebook Connect integration from its new Ping music network because the connection was being denied by Facebook, and now Kara Swisher at All Things D is confirming it -- and she's saying Facebook shut down access on purpose after Apple used the find-your-friends API without permission. Juicy! Here's the deal: Facebook's friend-finding API is generally open access, but anyone that wants to hit it an extreme number of times has to sign a deal agreeing to protect Facebook user data and limit network impact. Given the sheer size of the iTunes customer base, it's no surprise that Facebook wanted such a deal, but apparently negotiations broke down -- possibly over what Steve Jobs referred to as "onerous terms" -- and Apple decided to just go ahead and use the API anyway. (Which, truth be told, is pretty in character for Apple.) Facebook then blocked access, Apple had to scramble to clean up all the Facebook references, and here we are. Only possibly not for long: Swisher also says Apple and Facebook are still negotiating, and Facebook Connect might eventually reappear in Ping. There is no word when Ping might actually be useful or interesting, however.

All Things D: Facebook blocked Apple's Ping service for unauthorized use originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping?

Nilay Patel — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:42:00 EST

Apple certainly took its sweet time releasing iTunes 10 yesterday, and we're beginning to think it's because the company was making a last-second change to its new Ping social-network-for-music: the removal of Facebook Connect for finding friends. Seriously -- although an option to find friends via Facebook was conspicuously present during Steve's keynote demos, it's not there anymore. Oddly, the option was there at the very beginning -- several Engadget staffers definitely saw a Facebook button when they signed up for Ping last night, and there's a whole thread on Apple's support site of people who also saw it and are now wondering where it's gone.

Just to make things even more confusing, Kara Swisher at All Things D got two very different statements from Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller at the event yesterday: Schiller was enthusiastic about finding friends via Facebook, while Jobs said Zuckerberg and co. were demanding "onerous terms" that Apple refused. We're assuming Jobs was talking about something deeper than just finding friends via Connect, but it's still all very strange -- and as it stands, finding friends on Ping right now requires a fair bit of guesswork and searching, so we're hoping this all gets sorted soon. Check the video of Phil Schiller talking about Facebook and Ping after the break, as well as a snap of it (sort of) working from last night.

Update: We can't confirm this, but we've just gotten a tip saying the problem is primarily on Facebook's end -- the service is currently denying requests from Ping, and the resulting errors apparently caused enough other problems for Apple to pull the plug on the connection entirely until it's fixed. That certainly would explain why Ping has seemed buggy and slow from the outset, but we're still waiting for some official explanation of what's going on.

Continue reading Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping?

Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes 10 (with Ping) mercifully becomes available for download (update: iOS 4 has Ping, too)

Joshua Topolsky — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:53:00 EST

Sure, they said it would be available immediately, but they lied. Now, the lie has become the truth, and the truth is just a fleeting dream, caught in between worlds we can't hope to understand, let alone grasp. Meaning: go download iTunes 10 with Ping.

Update: We've added direct download links below. Thanks commenters!

Update 2: A word of warning -- if you activate Ping, it will potentially make all of the nasty reviews you've written available for the world to see. So now they'll know who panned their recording debut and ruined their career.

Update 3: Got an iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4 on board? Ping may have magically appeared in your iTunes app, ready to help you wax introspective on the go. [Thanks, Kruze]

iTunes 10 (with Ping) mercifully becomes available for download (update: iOS 4 has Ping, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network

Donald Melanson — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:39:00 EST

Not a huge surprise here, but Apple's just announced iTunes 10 alongside all those new iPods, complete with a brand new logo that finally ditches the CD. What is something of a surprise, however, is the standout feature of iTunes 10: Ping. That's Apple's take on a music-centered social network (think Last.fm), which will let you follow people (including artists), establish a "circle of friends," post comments, check out custom song and album charts, and even find over 17,000 concert listings (which you can of course let folks know your attending). What's more, Ping is also making the jump to the iPhone and iPod touch, and it's available with iTunes 10 today. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Gallery: Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network

Gallery: iTunes 10

Continue reading Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network

Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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