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WSJ: Apple bringing Beatles to iTunes after a seven year wait
It's not like The Beatles are lacking in legacy and cultural saturation, but we have to lament the generation of kids that have yet to hear the Fab Four in album form -- at least, in legally-obtained album form -- thanks to the group's conspicuous absence from the largest music retailer in the US . Now, a mere seven and a half years after Apple launched the iTunes store, with countless hopeful rumors in-between, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that The Beatles catalog is a lock for tomorrow's iTunes announcement. This is according to WSJ's "people familiar with the matter," and matches with what Billboard calls "the best bet" from what it's managed to scrounge up. Even with such an imminent announcement, WSJ's sources warn that plans could change at the last minute, and that the talks between Apple, Beatles reps, and EMI were taking place as recently as last week. Still, we just have to believe this is going to happen, cross our fingers, and wear our lucky socks tomorrow -- because really, who wants to wait another seven years?
Ping now available on iPad
iPad users may have to wait a little longer than they'd like for features like multitasking and folder support, but at least one new feature is available right now: the iPad now supports Ping, Apple's stab at a social media component to the iTunes Store. Via an update to the iTunes Store's servers, Ping functionality is now available in the iTunes app on the iPad. You'll find all the usual Ping features in a tab on the iPad's iTunes app: who you're following, who follows you, and so forth. Just like when Ping came to the iPhone in early September, there's nothing you need to do or download in order to get Ping working on the iPad other than open the iTunes app. For some of us, Ping is a somewhat more enjoyable experience on the iPhone than on the Mac, and the same may be true of the iPad. Let us know in the comments how it works for you, and if this makes you more likely to actually use Ping.
Apple TV ready to launch in Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Belgium
9to5 Mac speculates that the second generation Apple TV is set to launch in Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Belgium tomorrow morning. Last night, the night before the second gen Apple TV went on sale in Italy and Switzerland today, anyone who clicked on the original Apple TV link on the country's Apple Online Store were taken to an error message. Today, that error message is being replicated in the Apple Online Stores of Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Belgium when shoppers click on the same Apple TV link. While this does seem to signify that the new Apple TV is set for imminent release in seven new countries, it's unknown if HD movie and TV rentals will appear in those countries' Apple TV iTunes store. We'll keep an eye out for official news that Apple TV is ready to launch elsewhere, and let you know when we hear more.
Twitter adds Ping functionality to user pages
Earlier today, Twitter announced that it has integrated Apple's Ping into users' home pages. Now, Twitter users can view each others' Ping activity, listen to song previews and link to/purchase music from iTunes directly from tweets posted to Twitter.com. Here's how it works: First, log into your Ping account and click the new "Connect to Twitter" button. A window pops up requesting your Twitter credentials. You'll receive a confirmation and a list of Twitter contacts who have also enabled Ping sharing. Then you're done! The new Ping information will show up at Twitter.com for you. Apple introduced PIng a few months ago, and has struggled a bit during its initial growth period. Steve Jobs recently met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss Apple's fledgling social network. That meeting was well-publicized, but we didn't know this Twitter collaboration was coming. Good luck to both companies on this joint venture. Now you can tweet your ping. Or is it ping your tweet? We're so confused.
Apple features "Hall of Fame" apps
In its continuing effort to present customers with the best of the App Store, Apple has published an "App Store Essentials Hall of Fame" page. It features many titles you've undoubtedly heard of, including Angry Birds, Evernote, Facebook and Epicurious. Fifty apps are featured in total. Apple calls this crop "the best of the best." Certainly some TUAW favorites are included. At the same time, some goodies that we depend on are excluded. Is your favorite on the list?
Apple informs labels that iTunes song previews will be 90 seconds long, hopes they don't mind?
It's all up there in black and white, but we'll be happy to spell it out again here -- it seems that Apple has decided to extend the length of iTunes song previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds. Sounds just fine to us, but not to the recipients of this letter, who are told the change is happening whether they like it or not and it's for their own good. "We believe that giving potential customers more time to listen to your music will lead to more purchases," the document reads, but without giving the music labels any way to say no. We don't actually know the origin of this particular document, so we're not saying this is a done deal by any means, but if the letter's legit you're looking at the world's largest online music store telling the labels to put up and shut up -- or else peddle their tunes somewhere else. Update: It's worth noting that CNET reported that iTunes song previews might double in length about two months ago.
Ratings missing from the App Store?
A few readers have notified us that app ratings have disappeared entirely from the App Store in iTunes. The ratings still appear on the iOS App Stores and in browser previews of apps, but for the desktop iTunes view of the App Store, they are nowhere to be found. iTunes Connect was apparently down for a little while last night, but it's been down before and ratings have never vanished from the iTunes App Store. More likely than not, the ratings and reviews will reappear in the iTunes App Store soon; it's just odd that Apple hasn't sent a note out to developers about this.
NBC says no to iTunes rentals at 99 cents
With reports of credit cards being charged for Apple TV pre-orders, it's only a short time before Apple's hobby takes a rather serious step forward. But with only ABC and Fox having signed up to Apple's new $0.99 price point to rent television shows, it seems there's a lot hanging in the balance. Most notably, for Apple - and for those that purchase the Apple TV - whether other large television studios will follow suit and get on board with Apple's new strategy. Recently, we reported that Warner Bros. was not best pleased with Apple's new TV episode price point. And now NBC has chimed in, too. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Investor conference, Chief Executive of NBC Universal Jeff Zucker said, "We do not think 99 cents is the right price point for our content," and continued by saying, "We thought it would devalue our content." As reported by AppleInsider. But Apple's been at loggerheads with NBC before. Back in 2007, NBC decided not to renew its contract with Apple, resulting in NBC content being removed from the iTunes store, rather abruptly. NBC wanted the price point to be raised to $4.99 per TV episode, and that was three years ago. Eventually NBC came good with Apple, with NBC content being restored to the iTunes Store. Could history be repeating itself again? We're inclined to think so. Though Apple's new TV platform doesn't have everything going for it, it's certainly got a lot in its favor. And, as always, time will tell if Apple's going in the right direction, again. Be sure to let us know when your new Apple TV arrives at your door.
Sports Illustrated: Cost-cutting has hindered iPad app
If you're a regular reader of the Sports Illustrated (SI) publication for the iPad, you may have noticed something unusual / different in the latest issue. The SI iPad edition is now only viewable in landscape mode, no longer supporting portrait mode as it did in previous issues. If you hold your iPad in landscape mode and then turn it to portrait mode the message, "This page is intended to be viewed in landscape mode. (There's nothing wrong with your iPad -- just turn it horizontally.)" appears. Guest editor of the SI iPad edition, Josh Quittner (Time Magazine), comments on this change in his personal blog. Quittner says that he believes the optimal viewing experience for photo-driven magazines, like SI, is in landscape mode. He also adds that by not editing in two formats (landscape and portrait) some innovative new features have been introduced, like "Super Loooooong View" - bringing a "reveal" effect to photos "akin to centerfold, or poster view." Quittner points out that another advantage of a single format issue is its reduced size. Coming in about 30% smaller than previous issues, SI can be downloaded in under a minute. But Quittner points out that download time isn't the only consideration, here. With other magazine publications reaching and even exceeding 500 megabytes, Quittner asks, "Who wants to store media that big on a 16 gigabyte device?" Finally, Quittner does admit that economy comes into play, too. He says that by implementing the landscape-only format their work load is reduced by at least a third. "Why not add more designers?" Quittner responds, "Well, if we were able to build a real business, with subscriptions that offered our iPad versions to readers at a reasonable price, that would be a no brainer. But we can't yet, so the best approach for us is to experiment with the format, marshal our (human) resources and start building products on other platforms that will allow us to scale up as our business grows." You may remember this video from way back in December of 2009 demonstrating Time Inc.'s vision for a tablet-based version of SI - prior to the announcement of the iPad. Back then, Time Inc. would have users download the SI app from the iTunes Store, but pay Time Inc. directly for further issues. Naturally, Apple didn't like this. Currently, Apple doesn't allow publishers to offer subscription based content on the iTunes store. But if rumors of the iNewsstand are to be believed, it's going to be pretty interesting to see how all this pans out. [Hat tip to AppleInsider]
iTunes 101: Share your Ping profile
Here's a tip about something that had me confused for a while, I hate to admit. After setting up Ping in iTunes 10 and getting my profile just so, I naturally wanted to tell the eager masses where to find me. After all, many of the folks I follow on Twitter were sharing URLs to their accounts. But where did it come from? The answer is quite simple. Log into your account, and right-click (or control-click) on the "My Profile" link. Then select "Copy link" from the contextual menu and you're all set! Paste that address in Twitter, email or where ever you want to broadcast your shiny new account. Another, more roundabout way of accomplishing the same task is to search for yourself on Ping, and when your name shows up under "People," right-click your avatar icon and choose "Copy link." We'll have more iTunes 10 tips and tricks coming right up.
In Brief: September 1 Apple event
As preparations begin in San Francisco (check out the Yerba Buena Center's new look) for the September 1 press event, here's a brief review of what's likely and unlikely to go down. iPods are a given, and likely to be the thrust of the event. Apple has refreshed the line every year in September since the iPod's introduction. We're guessing a more iPhone 4-like touch with a camera and possibly a retina display, perhaps on a higher-end model. Also expected is a new iTunes rental option for TV episodes. As of this writing, TV shows are available for purchase at US$1.99 each. Bloomberg has suggested that Apple will add a rental option for $0.99 a pop, with new episodes becoming available just 24 hours after their original air time. The wildcard is a new Apple TV (or iTV) running specialized apps on the iOS. It certainly doesn't fit the music theme implied by the invite, but who knows. Perhaps Steve has one more thing up his black sleeve. In any case, visit TUAW on the 1st for our complete coverage.
iTunes U breaks 300 million downloads
iTunes U lets students (or anyone, really) listen in on lectures, classes and other programs from the world's top educational institutions. In fact, more than 800 universities participate, and this week Apple announced the delivery of 300 million iTunes U downloads. Students can use iTunes U to find lectures and other materials related to their studies, of course, but really anyone with an interest in continued education can browse the store's contents for audio or video that meets their areas of interest. For example, here's a collection from the Stanford Historical Society, and another from Japan's Keio University. All iTunes U content is free. Congratulations to Apple and the participating institutions.
iPad gets Xvid AVI video playback with CineXPlayer app on iTunes, hell freezes over
Now here's a surprise. Apple isn't exactly known to be super friendly when it comes to video compatibility, and we can sympathize to an extent. However, for some inexplicable reason, Steve's brethren decided to give this CineXPlayer app the green light for general consumption, thus finally allowing iPad users to load up their stash of Xvid AVI files -- sans conversion -- via iTunes. While this is worth a quick celebration, it's still rather absurd having to resort to underhanded apps for such basic functionality -- something that we've been able to do natively on many other tablets and PMPs for years. Let's not also assume that this free app is staying for good, so grab it while it's hot. Video instructions after the break.
Yoko Ono regarding Beatles on iTunes: 'Don't hold your breath'
There are two great mysteries of the digital age: how did a Welshman become the most powerful man in Japan and when will the Beatles be available for download on iTunes? While the former will forever remain a mystery, speculation picked up on the latter in 2006 after Apple and Apple Corps -- the record label owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison -- settled a long running dispute. In September of last year, Yoko Ono apparently went so far as to whisper its imminent arrival only to be rebuffed by EMI which licenses the Beatles' recordings. Unfortunately, things don't look any closer to being settled today. Reuters is reporting an impasse, quoting Ono as saying, "Steve Jobs has his own idea and he's a brilliant guy. There's just an element that we're not very happy about, as people. We are holding out." She then added, "Don't hold your breath ... for anything," presumably while cracking a whip and laughing maniacally. Fitting don't you think, as legend has it that Lennon's first encounter with Ono involved her passing him a card that read "Breathe."
Handy Light for iPhone's dirty little secret: tethering (update)
You may ask yourself, why on earth would anyone pay 99 cents for an iPhone app whose sole purpose is to flash bright, solid colors? We certainly wouldn't recommend it, but Handy Light has a great little Easter egg that undoubtedly doesn't jive with the folks at Cupertino HQ. Like Nullriver's Netshare app before it, this little piece of software allows for SOCKS proxy tethering, without having to sign up for AT&T's tethering plan. Instructions available via the video below, and if you're looking to pick up the app yourself, better hurry -- we can't imagine Apple will let this one stay in the store for very much longer. Update: Looks like the app's been pulled. Ye who snoozes, ergo must lose. If you did manage to nab and the video below isn't working (we see it just fine), check out App Shopper for more detailed, text-based instructions.
iTunes Store now shows Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer reviews for movies
Apple has quietly added Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer ratings and reviews for movies in the iTunes Store. Rotten Tomatoes is one of the most popular movie review sites on the web. It uses reviews from top critics and film societies to produce Tomatometer ratings -- a percentage-based rating of a movie derived from the averages of all the reviews of the film. iTunes' integrated Rotten Tomatoes ratings presents the movie's prospective buyers and renters with the Tomatometer chart featuring the total count of reviews along with a fresh/rotten breakdown and the average rating. Viewers are also shown four review snippets from Top Critic reviewers, followed by a link to the movies page on RottenTomatoes.com. Thanks to reader Eric Zigler who sent this in.
Rumor: iTunes online music streaming to debut at WWDC
Since Apple acquired Lala back in December, we've wondered what its developers would do with their new purchase. Rumors suggest we'll find out in a few weeks at WWDC. Macsimum news is reporting that a live streaming version of iTunes will debut at the conference. Some have speculated that iTunes will move to a subscription model, but others don't see it that way. Michael Robertson, former CEO of mp3.com, believes that Apple will create an "online locker" of your iTunes purchases. Once you buy a song or show or movie, it's added to your online library for you to stream at will. That would be a great solution for users who currently have several space-hogging videos in their purchase history. Perhaps that's what the North Carolina facility is for. Personally, I'd welcome such a service with open arms. Even now, I play "video shuffle" with my iDevices, moving TV shows and movies back and forth as room and my interests change. How nice would it be to pull up any episode of BSG on any approved device without having to make room for it first? Very nice indeed.
iPad 3G denies ABC player, downsamples iTunes store video previews over AT&T
Well ain't that a kick in the pants. Reports are coming in from newly-minted iPad 3G videophiles that iTunes store previews and Netflix streams are getting downsampled over AT&T's network. The folks at iLounge have been tinkering enough to confirm the iTunes issue (we're still waiting for FedEx to drop off our 3G tablets so we can corroborate ourselves) and, lo and behold, ABC player flat out refuses to work over AT&T's 3G network, instead displaying an oddly familiar message: "Please connect to a Wi-Fi network to use this application. Cellular networks are not supported at this time." Perhaps an update will ensue to fix such limits, but in the meantime, we're sure at least someone at Sling HQ is having an awkward chuckle.
iPad apps: video for the well-rounded couch potato
We totally would have had this roundup done earlier, but we were just way too busy watching TV on our iPads. Let's face it, as fun as those social networking and gaming applications are (sorry, utility apps -- no fun for you!) sometimes you just want to sit back, rest those fingers and soak in some drama. The iPad's 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768-resolution screen certainly looks nice when reading books and browsing the web, but you haven't seen anything until you get some HD content playing. Though we may never get over the fact that we can't watch Flash video in the browser, the following apps are just what the doctor ordered to ease the pain and turn Apple's tablet into a portable media viewing machine. What are you waiting for? Hop on past the break already, and then kindly let us know if you've come up with a good way to prop up the iPad so you can watch all that video goodness while laying down.
App Store altered to ease app browsing
Apple has quietly modified the App Store to ease browsing for iPad and iPhone apps. Now when you enter the App Store, you'll see a split pill button at the top of the page. Clicking on the iPhone or iPad side will take you to the appropriate App Store for the device you selected. Previously, the iPhone and iPad apps were combined on one page with each of the Top Charts on the right-hand side of the store featured the split-pill iPhone-iPad button. When you search for a non-universal app in the iTunes Store search field, the application will still only be listed under the "iPhone Apps" search results, even though it runs on both the iPhone and the iPad.
