14 DAY TRIAL // With the iTunes 10 release yesterday, Apple introduced its fans to a “social network for music” called Ping, one of several new additions to the latest version of iTunes.
“Discover new music by going social with Ping,” Apple proudly states on its web site.
“Learn even more about your favorite artists and friends starting with their bios. See what they’ve been up to — even listen to 30-second previews of music they like.”
“Find out when and where artists and bands are on tour, and check out photos and videos they’ve posted,” goes a rough overview of the service.
“With Ping, a community of the world’s most passionate music fans is just a click away,” Apple is proud to say.
The company’s chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, touted the feature as a combination of Facebook and Twitter during a media event hosted at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, in San Francisco.
Jobs explained that users can employ Ping to follow their favorite artists and become part of their inner circle, or find out what music an artist likes and pick up some recommendations.
Users can see who their friends are following and who’s following them.
“See what your friends are listening to, who they’re talking about, and what your favorite artists are up to — all on one page,” Apple details.
Ping users can share artist photos and status updates, and even add comments to join a conversation.
They can have circles of friends, if they don’t want to be bothered by anyone who might not have the same taste in music.
Additionally, Ping is built into the iTunes app on iPhone and iPod touch, although the feature will not be available until iOS 4.1 gets released on September 8.
“So you don't need to be at your computer to follow your friends,” Apple explains.
There are profile pages included with Ping, gives users insight into their friends’ musical tastes.
They can see what kind of music their friends and friends-to-be are into, and decide whether or not to follow them, just like with Twitter.
Also borrowing functionality from the timely-message-service, Ping allows users to find out what music other fans are listening to lately. One click commands are available to preview songs or view an entire album by that group.
Other new features in iTunes 10 include TV Show Rentals, AirPlay, support for the new Apple TV, and improved syncing.
Notably, AirPlay enables wirelessly playback of music throughout the entire house with AirPlay-enabled speakers and accessories.