Apple Music

How to convert music tracks to Audiobook in iTunes

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 23, 2018

Venturing into the depths of iTunes is no longer an activity for the faint-hearted, as Apple’s gold mine is famously becoming more convoluted with every update. It is by no means impossible to keep up with the changes, but staying on top of every small cosmetic shift does pose a decent challenge today.

As somebody very fond of the spoken word on iTunes, I can attest that this general rule holds true for audiobooks as well. So as I was fiddling around with some old school CDs the other day and trying to move audio files within my iTunes library to the Audiobooks tab, I noticed my old methods were already outdated again. If you’re not up to speed on iTunes, here’s a refresher on how to get your talking book to properly identify as Audiobooks inside the application, followed by an encore for CD enthusiasts with regard to joining tracks during import.

Apple Music’s upcoming Carpool Karaoke show will feature a different host every episode

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 9, 2017

Apple's upcoming show, Carpool Karaoke, will consist of sixteen half-hour episodes that will air on Apple Music and feature a different host every episode, Variety reported Monday.

Based on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke viral segment during CBS's Late Late Show, Apple's version will use a format that is more of an interview series with outside-the-box pairings like Billy Eichner in the passenger seat, surrounded by the band Metallica, or former NFL star and talk show host Michael Strahan and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.

Testing the operating range of AirPods and Beats Solo3 vs non-W1 Beats headphones

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

Much has been said about the virtues of the W1 chip Apple started baking into their latest wireless Beats line-up and of course the AirPods. By now we know for sure that W1 facilitates a much faster pairing process, as do we know that the chip significantly amplifies both battery life and conservation techniques. What’s less prominently talked about - at least from official sides - is the operating range of these wireless headphones and the presumed effect the W1 chip addition has had on that benchmark.

For I felt information on the internet was just a bit too murky to count on, I decided to take it upon myself and conduct a little experiment: I packed my rucksack with four headphones (two of which boast the new W1 chip) and headed to a nearby park in order to pit them against each other. Pairing them one after another and then slowly making a bee-line for the opposite direction, one thing quickly became clear: the results for the maximum distance obtainable aren’t surprising in terms of order, but they definitely are in their clarity.

CasualAlarm uses random songs from your music library for alarm sounds

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 12, 2022

Tons of people use their iPhone as a means of waking up every morning thanks to the built-in alarm feature, and while there are a number of alarm tones to pick from and despite being able to choose any local song on your device as an alarm sound, there is very little diversity whenever you choose either of these methods.

A new free jailbreak tweak called CasualAlarm aims to spice things up by randomizing whatever your alarm might be when it’s time to wake up in the morning, and it does this by shuffling through your very own music library. With it, you will have something different to listen to each morning when it’s time to wake up.

djay Pro for iPhone is out: 4-deck mixing, waveform haptics, 3D Touch cue points & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

German developer Algoriddim today completed its lineup of apps for DJs by releasing djay Pro for iPhone following the launch of djay Pro for iPad a year ago and djay Pro for Mac two years ago.

The app puts the complete djay experience in the palm of your hand and provides some iPhone 7-specific features, like unique haptic feedback that lets you literally feel the beats while scratching and scrubbing the music, support for 3D Touch so you can quickly set a cue point by pressing and more.

djay Pro for iPhone is available on the App Store at the introductory sale price of $4.99.

Documentary about Roland’s legendary drum machine now available on Apple Music

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 28, 2017

Are you an Apple Music subscriber? If not, you're missing out on some cool documentaries about music produced exclusively for Apple Music fans. As promised, Apple Music subscribers can now watch DJ Zane Lowe-narrated “808: The Movie”, marking the Cupertino company's first original documentary.

Created by You Know Films in association with Atlantic Films, “808: The Movie” is all about the legendary programmable drum machine from Roland that's largely responsible for the recognizable rhythms and sounds of the 1980s and 1990s.

Dejavu prevents you from adding duplicate songs to Apple Music playlists

Anthony Bouchard ∙ December 8, 2016

A great feature of the Music app is the ability to create song playlists so you can listen to specific jams depending on how you’re feeling and what you’re doing at a particular point in time.

On the other hand, sometimes you might inadvertently add the same song to a playlist more than once, which means you'll have duplicate songs in the same playlist. As annoying as this can be when you’re in the middle of listening to it and hear the same song more than once, a new jailbreak tweak dubbed Dejavu aims to fix the problem.

Pandora’s subscription service in testing, “redefines what premium could and should be”

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 7, 2016

After recently refreshing its brand identity, the popular Internet radio service Pandora today officially announced its upcoming on-demand music service, simply called Premium, which the company says is going to redefine what “premium” could and should be.

Pandora Premium, “an effortless and flexible experience for all subscribers,” includes features that tune into each listener’s individuality while leveraging its deep knowledge of musical data.

Apple Music now has more than 20 million subscribers

Cody Lee ∙ December 6, 2016

Apple Music has surpassed 20 million paid subscribers, the company's SVP of Internet software and services tells Billboard. That marks a 15% jump in the last 3 months, when Apple announced it had passed 17 million users during its iPhone event in September.

That's impressive considering the streaming music service is less than two years old and up against veterans like Spotify with much larger user bases. Cue attributes some of Apple Music's growth to its string of exclusive deals with artists like Drake and Travis Scott.

Spotify could finally turn a profit in 2017, expand to China, Russia & South Korea

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 8, 2016

Apple Music rival Spotify could finally turn a profit in 2107, one of its board members told the media Thursday. Asked if the Swedish music service could become profitable soon, Par-Jorgen Parson, one of Spotify's first investors, told Reuters that it was “absolutely” the case.

Spotify currently operates in 60 markets and has more than 40 million paid subscribers. Apple Music is available in 115 markets and has 17 million paying customers and over 30 million songs in its catalog.

Apple Music to run acclaimed documentary about TR808 drum machine that changed music

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 30, 2016

You may be unfamiliar with it (that is, unless you were born in the 20th century), but the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer (AKA the “808”) was one of the first programmable drum machines. Unveiled in the early 1980s at $1,995, the 808 undercut significantly more expensive digital sampling machines of the time, such as the $5,000 Linn LM-1.

Apple Music student pricing now available in over 30 countries

Cody Lee ∙ November 29, 2016

Apple on Tuesday began offering student pricing for its streaming music service in 25 new countries, reports MacRumors. This brings the total number of regions where students can get a significant discount on Apple Music to 32.

The new countries include major markets like China and India, as well as Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.