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iTunes Store drops support for Windows Vista on May 25th
Ah, 2007: the days when Windows Vista was all the rage (or inducing rage), the Apple TV was brand new and music download stores were the hottest way to get the latest albums. Apple certainly remembers that year... and would like you to move on. The company has posted a support page warning that the iTunes Store will no longer work on Windows XP, Windows Vista and first-generation Apple TVs as of May 25th. iTunes itself will function, but new purchases and re-downloads are off limits. "Security changes" necessitate dropping these older platforms, Apple said.
'Alto's Odyssey' arrives on the App Store a day early
The buzz around Alto's Adventure sequel Alto's Odyssey has been brewing for over a year and now it's finally arrived -- a day early. Originally slated for release on February 22, keen-eyed fans have spotted it in the iTunes store today, meaning players have the opportunity to lose a whole extra day to the addictive infinite runner. As with the game's predecessor, though, Android users will have to wait before they can contend with the fresh challenges presented by Alto's desert landscape. In an email to Android Authority, Ryan Cash from Snowman, the team behind the series, said, "We aren't committing to a release date at the moment, but we're hoping to get an Android version out in the months ahead."
iTunes snafu made ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ available almost a month early
When you check out the Thor: Ragnarok page on iTunes, it says pre-orders of digital copies are expected to arrive on February 20th. But as TorrentFreak reports, some people got their hands on the Marvel film about a month early due to some sort of snafu with iTunes and Movies Anywhere.
iPhone X owners can't use Face ID to approve family purchases
Face ID on the iPhone X is helpful for authorizing a purchase for yourself, but don't expect to use it if you're approving a purchase for your kids. Numerous owners have discovered that the face authentication feature doesn't work for family purchases (that is, where a family member asks you to buy apps or music on their behalf) like Touch ID does on earlier iPhones. It's not a tremendous pain, but you probably won't relish the thought of punching in your password every time your little ones want a new game for their iPads.
There’s a fake version of ‘Cuphead’ on the App Store (updated)
Xbox's retro-inspired Cuphead is on the App Store. There's just one problem: it's a fake. While the iTunes preview page looks legit, the game isn't actually an official project from designer Studio MDHR. A quick whois search reveals that the phoney website is hosted in Hungary and that registered owner, Sheridens LTD. has done this sort of thing before with an unofficial mobile port of melee brawler Gang Beasts. In fact, the fake Studio MDHR website was set up less than two months ago.
iTunes isn't coming to the Windows Store this year after all
iTunes for Windows users are going to be disappointed. Despite the promises of both Apple and Microsoft to bring the popular music and app software to the Microsoft Store this year, it appears as if we'll all have to wait a little longer.
Disney ‘Movies Anywhere’ adds flicks from Fox, Warner, Sony and Universal
Frustrated with the current state of DVD/Blu-ray digital copies and buying movies from online stores like Vudu or iTunes? A new connection between studios and stores may be the best fix we'll get, now that Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros (but not Paramount and Lionsgate, so far) have linked their libraries to Disney's Movies Anywhere setup. Confirming rumors from earlier this week, the Keychest-powered system that Disney has used for its own movies since 2014 will now unlock movies from all of those studios, covering over 7,300 titles. If you haven't used Movies Anywhere with a Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Lucasfilm flick, it's very similar to the Ultraviolet system the other studios have focused on until now. Once you create an account you can watch movies through its app and website, or through stores that participate with it, which include iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu and Google Play. Linking the accounts is relatively painless, and for a limited time, viewers can unlock access to five free movies (Big Hero 6, Ghostbusters (2016), Ice Age Jason Bourne (2016), The Lego Movie) by doing so.
Disney, Fox, Warner and Universal may team up on downloadable movies
After nearly a decade of battling between movie lockers, Disney may finally have support from other studios. According to a report from Bloomberg, "several major Hollywood film studios" are signed up to participate in a new film service with Disney, including Fox, Warner and Universal. Since 2010, most of the industry has relied on Ultraviolet to enable cross-store digital movie ownership, with the exception of Disney, which launched its own Movies Anywhere service in 2014. Most of us got our first taste of the systems that link purchases across stores like iTunes, or Amazon via digital copy codes included with DVDs and Blu-rays. The studios hope that by finally banding together, they can convince customers to buy more movies instead of relying on subscription services or other avenues to get their flicks. There's no word about what might happen to studio support for Ultraviolet, or stores that support it like Walmart's Vudu, but Disney Movies Anywhere currently links to iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, FiOS and not Microsoft. The other major studios, Lionsgate and Paramount, are reportedly "supportive" but aren't joining yet.
A 'new' version of iTunes brings back apps and ringtones
Still need a way to manage your applications and ringtones in addition to your music, movies and other media on your iPhone? Well, there's an app for that. Following iTunes' massive overhaul (version 12.7 if you're keeping track at home), the company has since released a version of the software that will let you continue to download and install apps to your handset via a desktop computer.
Post Malone sets Apple Music streaming record with song ‘Rockstar’
Post Malone's song "Rockstar" has just surpassed DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" as the record with the most Apple Music streams in one week. The Verge reports that the song snagged 25 million streams in a single week on the music service, which accounted for 56 percent of all first week streams of the song in the US. That's pretty impressive for a service that hosts around a sixth of the users that Spotify does.
Apple extends iTunes movie rentals to 48 hours
It used to be that when you rented a movie from Apple's iTunes service, you'd have 24 hours to finish watching it. You could start streaming the rental within 30 days of purchase, of course. Just a couple of weeks after Apple made 4K an affordable option, the company has doubled the rental time to 48 hours. This is perfect for those of us with young kids who want to watch a movie over (and over and over) or busy schedules that don't let us get to our movies right away. The timer starts even if you're watching the film offline, too.
Apple only allows streaming, not downloading, of upgraded 4K movies
One of the most pleasant surprises out of last week's Apple event was the announcement that purchased iTunes movies would be automatically upgraded to 4K for free. Well, it turns out it's not actually that simple. A support document from Apple tells us that users will not be able to download 4K versions of their upgraded movies from iTunes; Ultra HD is limited to streaming only.
Apple's iTunes update removes the desktop iOS app store
While Apple expanded its iPhone lineup today, a software update delivered for iTunes on Windows and Mac PCs is slimming things down a bit. Once users install version 12.7 they will no longer have access to the App Store from the desktop. As described on Apple's support page, a focus toward "music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks" means that you'll usually need to use your iOS devices to manage the apps installed on them. What it adds in this update is the ability to sync with devices running iOS 11 and social music sharing for Apple Music subscribers.
Apple won't charge extra for 4K movies, upgrades 1080p flicks for free
Now that there's a 4K, HDR-ready Apple TV, the company is pushing content that takes advantage of those capabilities (remember the updates to 720p or 1080p?). Eddy Cue just announced on stage that not only will 4K movies cost the same amount as 1080p flicks on iTunes, the company is also upgrading existing HD purchases to 4K for free (Update: Unless they're from Disney, as it's the only major studio the company doesn't have a deal with yet). So far, buying 4K movies on disc or digital service like Vudu has included a price premium of $10 or more but it appears Apple won that battle, and anyone tapped out after buying a new TV and $179 box will appreciate it.
Apple ends its annual music festival after 10 years
Apple's London music festival (first the iTunes Festival, later the Apple Music Festival) has practically become a fixture of the entertainment scene since it got started in 2007. Like it or loathe it, though, you're going to have to say goodbye. The company informs Music Business Worldwide that it's no longer offering the annual London concert series. We've asked it to elaborate on the decision, but it appear to be a reflection of Apple's shifting priorities in the streaming music era.
Spotify removes ‘hate bands’ from its streaming library
You can add Spotify to the growing list of companies taking a stand against hateful, racist content. In the last few days we've seen Google and GoDaddy cancel a white supremacist website domain, Facebook and Reddit ban hate groups, Discord shut down racist accounts and GoFundMe remove a campaign in support of the man accused of driving a car into protesters this weekend in Charlottesville. Now Billboard reports that Spotify is removing "hate bands" from its streaming service.
Apple sets $1 billion budget for original TV shows
Apple is finally putting its money where its mouth is, setting aside $1 billion to pursue the original programming agenda it's been making so much noise about it recent times. In June, the company poached Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg -- the TV execs behind Breaking Bad and The Crown -- from Sony, noting at the time that it "had exciting plans in store for customers". Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has opened its war chest to make those plans a reality.
A silent, 10-minute song is climbing the iTunes charts
If you've ever plugged your phone into your car stereo, only to have the same song start playing every single time, I have some good news for you. Yesterday, a true internet hero named Samir Mezrahi released a song on iTunes that's just 10 minutes of silence -- and he named it "A a a a a Very Good Song." Since the iPhone starts playing music alphabetically when you plug it in to many car stereos, that usually means there's one song that you hear whether you want to or not. Many songs starting with the letter A have probably been ruined thanks to this quirk -- but if you download Mezrahi's creation, you'll instead have plenty of time to queue up the songs you want to hear.
iTunes hides clues that Apple is preparing to go 4K
It's inevitable for a massive digital store like iTunes to start selling 4K movies and videos, and that time might come sooner than you think. MacRumors forum member Tomas Jackson from the UK reported noticing something unusual in a receipt of his movie purchases. It described his copy of Passengers, the JLaw-Chris Pratt space romance, as "4K HDR." Meanwhile, an American forum member who purchased the same movie noted that his copy only said "HD."
Apple adds PayPal as payment option for iTunes
You probably already have a credit card associated with your Apple ID to pay for any app, music, movie or book. But if you want to use your PayPal balance or just prefer paying for everything via PayPal, you can now do just that. Starting today, you can use PayPal for any iTunes, App Store or Apple Music transaction made through an iPhone, an iPad or an iPod using your PayPal account. PayPal promises to make the feature available in other locations, including the US "soon after," though it didn't give a timeframe for the rollout. The feature is now available for iOS users in the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
