Apple Introduces 'My iTunes' Web Widgets

Apple has been expanding into new directions over the past few years the iPhone being the latest example of the company breaking new ground. However, not all new ventures need to be as big as the iPhone and Apple has often started small only to work their way up. 'My iTunes' seems to be a good example of Apple heading into new directions and starting small.

The 'My Tunes' web widgets that Apple has just launched give users a simple way to keep friends and family updated on their music, TV shows and movie habits. These web widgets are simple, self-updating add-ons for any web page, social-networking profile, or blog.
With them, users can share their reviews, favorite artists as well as newly discovered music with anyone that visits their site.

While the three web widgets might not seem like much, they are a first step in expanding the iTunes experience to include social networking based on media content. While the current offerings are very tied to the iTunes Store and purchases made there, there is nothing preventing Apple from offering new ones in the future, which will only interact with your personal library and not require an iTunes Store account.

Apple's "My Tunes" Widgets:
￭ My iTunes Purchases: The most recent music, music videos, TV shows and movies you've purchased from the iTunes Store.
￭ My iTunes Reviews: Music, music videos, TV shows, and movies you've given a 4- or 5-star rating on the iTunes Store.
￭ My iTunes Favorites: The artists whose music you've purchased the most from the iTunes Store.

All of these widgets have multiple 'skins' and sizes so that the user can choose the perfect match for them. They can be embedded into any Flash-enabled website, including most blogs and social-networking profiles. Users can also use the My iTunes feed with any standard RSS or ATOM feed reader. Most feed readers require that users simply paste the feed URL in a special section to view their updated activity.