September was a big month for Apple and its iTunes team. In addition to running its iTunes Festival—a 30-day long concert with some 60 performances, the company also launched a new streaming music service called iTunes Radio.
And yesterday, the folks over at Entertainment Weekly had the chance to sit down and talk with the man behind it all: Apple's SVP of software and services Eddy Cue. We've posted a few choice excerpts from the interview after the fold...
Although Apple has updated its Apple TV box a few times this year, making it much more useful by enabling a bunch of additional channels, most of the premium content sources are limited to users in the United States due to licensing restrictions. A good example is Netflix, which just rolled out crisp Super HD video streaming that's unfortunately of little use to the folks living outside the 41 Netflix-supported markets around the globe.
It's not just paid streaming services: some of the most popular free channels come region-restricted as well. Take Vevo, for example, which got added to the $99 streamer late-August but did not work in all regions. In a sign that Eddy Cue and his team have been able to negotiate a better deal, Apple TV users in Germany are now reporting sightings of both Vevo and NHL channels on their device...
As of recently, Rdio has been making a number of moves in a bid to fight off the Apple iTunes Radio threat. Just a few days ahead of Apple's September 10 iTunes Radio launch, Rdio unveiled a new ad-supported music service in partnership with radio operator Cumulus.
And back in August, the popular service gained such abilities as station tuning, improved search, Pandora-style personalized Stations and more.
Rdio's latest effort to re-introduce some of the original magic involves bringing back Recommendations, a feature popularized by the inaugural 1.0 version of Rdio...
Following today's launch of the new iPhone 5s/5c and Wednesday's public release of iOS 7, Apple on Friday issued a major new software update to its "hobby project," the $99 Apple TV streaming set-top box. The company's been testing a companion Apple TV update since announcing iOS 7 at June's WWDC.
We previously caught glimpses of some of the new features such as AirPlay enhancements, automatic device configuration over Bluetooth, custom subtitles and Conference Room Mode for presenters. All of these goodies - and then some - are now readily available to Apple TV owners.
Go past the fold for the full details on iCloud Photos and Videos, iTunes Music Store purchases, Podcasts, AirPlay from iCloud and other Apple TV enhancements...
In the current age of technology, a person doesn’t have to be a musician to play music. From fake guitars that play chords when you tap the screen to deeply technological wave table synthesizers, the iPhone has made it possible for anyone to write, record, and perform songs like a pro.
Gestrument LE is a music app that lets you create interesting and beautiful songs just by dragging your finger across the screen of your iPhone. We go hands on as we review the app...
Alongside iOS 7, Apple will also be launching its new streaming music service iTunes Radio this week. The move will signal the company's most significant in the digital music space since it first introduced the iTunes Store back in 2003.
Record labels, advertisers, and many others in the industry are betting big on Apple's radio service, which promises to help users discover and purchase new music. And today, CNET shares new details regarding Apple's efforts on that front...
The popular streaming-music startup Rdio, is about to launch a a free, ad-supported music service just as Apple is prepping to flip the switch on iTunes Radio alongside iOS 7 release this Wednesday. According to a report Monday by The New York Times, the Pandora rival has also secured a new, $100 million partnership with radio operator Cumulus, which will also sell advertising for a free version of the service in the United States...
I am a huge music fan. If it is possible to have such a thing as eating, sleeping, and breathing music, I do it. I am also fairly picky about what my music sounds like. Unless I’ve got my iPhone connected to an external speaker, I tend to avoid using it to listen to music.
CanOpener is a processor app that allows you to tweak, adjust, and fine-tune your iPhone to offer the best possible quality of audio output through just about any type of headphone on the market…
Just two days ahead of general availability of Apple's iOS 7 mobile operating system that includes the company's free, ad-supported iTunes Radio service, it would appear Apple has worked out all the kinks with Apple Corps and has finally managed to bring The Beatles music to iTunes Radio. Remember, Apple struck a landmark agreement with Apple Corps to bring The Beatles music downloads to the iTunes Store back in 2010, following a period of legal wrangling between the two companies over licensing and trademark disputes...
Music fans can now add another streaming music service to their list of options on iOS. Microsoft quietly released an official app for its Xbox Music platform this weekend, which allows users to stream music to their iPhone or iPod.
The app features ad-free streaming from Microsoft’s stout catalog of over 10 million songs, with the ability to create custom stations and playlists. And of course, you can then sync those playlists with other Xbox Music-capable devices...
After updating its official iOS client with the somewhat controversial conversation redesign (hint: blue lines), the micro-blogging service Twitter now turns its attention to its music discovery app, Twitter #music. In a new update issued Friday, Twitter #music now shows tweets along with each track right in your #NowPlaying feed.
"We've put the Twitter into Twitter #music," the company boasted. That's not all, as these tweets are fully actionable, which makes me wonder whether the company will eventually fold the #music app into the Twitter mobile client down the road...
Continuing its recent trend of offering media at a discount, Apple has launched a new iTunes promotion today that knocks a number of hit songs, of various genres, down to $0.69. That's nearly 50% off their normal prices.
The promo is simply titled 'Great 69¢ Songs,' and the carefully curated list of marked-down music is divided up into 10 categories including No. 1 Songs, Pop Hits, and '90s Hits. Each category contains between 30-40 songs...