14 DAY TRIAL // What’s having new iPods without a brand new version of iTunes to go with them?, Apple concluded after introducing three new iPods at its media event hosted in San Francisco, California, on September 1.
Most notably iTunes 10 introduces Ping, a new music-oriented social network which allows users to follow their favorite artists and friends, and “discover what music they’re talking about, listening to and downloading,” according to the company’s Septmeber 1 announcement.
Basically, Ping is a combination of FaceBook and Twitter, Apple’s chief executive officer suggested to the attending crowd at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
“iTunes Ping lets you post your thoughts and opinions, your favorite albums and songs, the music you’ve downloaded from iTunes, plus view concert listings and tell your friends which concerts you plan to attend,” the company explains in a report issued yesterday through its PR section.
“iTunes is the number one music community in the world, with over 160 million iTunes users in 23 countries, and now we’re adding social networking with Ping,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
“With Ping you can follow your favorite artists and friends and join a worldwide conversation with music’s most passionate fans,” Jobs noted.
With a redesigned application icon (pictured above), iTunes 10 also features HD TV show rentals for just 99 cents per episode, Apple announced.
The new software also introduces AirPlay wireless music playback, which allows users to play music wirelessly with supported speakers, home theater receivers, and iPod accessories.
Apple said Ping was also available on the customer’s iOS device, so long as they are running iOS 4.1.
According to a note posted on the Support area of Apple’s web site, the updated iTunes also packs a number of “look-and-feel improvements”, performance improvements which make the software faster and more responsive, as well as additional voice support with VoiceOver Kit for iPod.
There is also a security side to the new iTunes 10, which Apple details in a separate note. Softpedia will be covering the security content of iTunes 10 later on today.
Update: Softpedia will no longer post a report looking at the security content of iTunes 10. Instead, readers can learn all about the security side of iTunes 10 here.