REPORT: iTunes 9 to Support Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm
Rumors are flying around this weekend about three potential features of iTunes 9, the next major iteration of Apple’s popular music software. While iTunes 8 introduced features such as the Genius sidebar, the buzz is that iTunes 9 will introduce the ability to organize your iPhone apps (right now, it’s a mess) and support for Blu-ray discs. Oh, and here’s the kicker: there will supposedly be some form of social media integration, specifically with Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm.
All of this is according to a “reliable source” over at Boy Genius Report. And while these new features are just unconfirmed rumors, they would be major additions to the popular music player.
Here’s the basic lowdown on each of these rumored features:
Blu-ray: Yes, the Sony-backed disc format may finally see support from iTunes. There’s speculation that this makes sense because of reports that the next generation of iMacs will support Blu-Ray. Again, this is unconfirmed.
iPhone App Organization: When you get well north of 100 iPhone apps, you really do need a way to organize them. Right now, it’s alphabetical and mostly useless. Categorization not only makes perfect sense, but is almost essential to make iTunes app management feasible for the common consumer.
Twitter/Last.fm/Facebook Integration: We’re hoping this one is true, but the Boy Genius Report is completely unclear as to what this integration could be. Tweeting out what songs you play? The ability to automatically scrobble and favorite songs in Last.fm? Links to iTune store downloads via Facebook? Any integration could shake-up the entire social music industry and mean significant income for Apple.
This is all rumor, but we should get confirmation or denial on these rumors next month, when Apple traditionally launches its new line of iPods and other devices. What do you think? Would you use these features? We welcome you to speculate in the comments.
Reviews: Blu, Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter
Tags: apple, blu-ray, iphone, itunes, iTunes 9
Rumor Has It: Apple Set to Go Toe-to-Toe With PayPal
Most recent Apple rumors are focused on upcoming new hardware, including new iPod touch and nano models with a built-in camera, and the mysterious tablet device, which has often been rumored, but seems to be gaining lots of steam this time around. Yesterday, another interesting rumor surfaced, but this latest speculation has nothing to do with hardware.
According to sources on Wall Street, as reported by Silicon Alley Insider, Apple is thinking about moving in on PayPal’s territory. According to the rumors, Apple is thinking about opening up iTunes Store accounts, allowing them to be used to make purchases on licensed third-party sites. If it does end up doing this, it really has to consider that iTunes name change, since it would then only cover an even smaller part of the service’s functionality.
It’s territory that Facebook is also looking to move into, with a planned “pay with Facebook initiative” that will allow third-party vendors to let visitors pay via Facebook Connect. If Apple follows suit and enters the fray, it could get very crowded for PayPal very quickly. As long as both Facebook and Apple can make its systems financially appealing to online retailers, it will bring with it a built-in legion of users, many of which could come from segments of the population who’ve traditionally been wary of PayPal.
The problem with this scenario is of course that it doesn’t funnel consumers towards an Apple hardware purchase, which is traditionally the purpose of its service and software offerings (MobileMe, or the App Store, for example). One possible scenario involves Apple leveraging the e-commerce potential of the iPhone by allowing users to pay for real-world items in-store using their mobile devices in combination with their iTunes account. If an iPhone could replace cards, wallet and cash, that would definitely become a selling point for many.
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