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Atari is celebrating its 40th anniversary by giving away 100 of its most popular retro games for free on iTunes. Each iOS version pays homage to the original and is designed to mimic the gameplay that Atari fans remember. The games are in an app called Atari’s Greatest Hits, which normally costs $9.99.

The 100 games are based on the classic versions made for the Atari 2600. They are arranged in alphabetical order and by category along with their original cabinet and box art. Each game is downloaded separately from within the app and is unlocked across all your iOS devices. Popular titles include Asteroids, Centipede, and Pong.

Some of the games, such as Warlords and Tempest, feature Bluetooth multiplayer capability, while others can be played using the Atari’s Arcade Duo Powered joystick, sold separately. However, the games only remain free if you do not uninstall the app. Once you do so and have to reinstall, you will have to pay for the app.

Atari offers 100 iOS games free for 40th anniversary is written by Rue Liu & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple showed off a whole host of new features at WWDC 2012, but things have been quiet on the iTunes front. Bloomberg reports that Apple is busy preparing a major update to iTunes that will have deeper integration with iCloud and place an emphasis on sharing. Sources speaking to Bloomberg say that Apple recognizes that organizing the various content available from its services has become difficult, with iCloud integration hoping to fix that.

The biggest takeaway from the article is that Apple is planning to add a new sharing feature. Sources talking to Bloomberg indicate that Apple is negotiating with the record labels to allow users to send songs to each other and listen for free. The company has also been requesting additional photos and pictures of bands to expand on multimedia features in iTunes.

Interestingly, the record labels have been asking Apple to provide an unlimited music streaming subscription service similar to what Spotify offers, but one source believes Cupertino “isn’t likely to announce that type of service.” Bloomberg notes that Apple’s recent move to separate Podcasts from the main iTunes app on iDevices is part of the company’s shift to more organized content. Any changes that are made to iTunes will reportedly come towards the end of the year.

Apple tipped to overhaul iTunes, improve sharing is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly planning to overhaul iTunes, citing an overhauling that would mark as one of the biggest ever to the store since it’s debut in 2003. Sources with direct knowledge of Apple’s plans allegedly told the publication that the changes will be announced before this year ends. Sources added that Apple will integrate its iCloud service with iTunes so that users can seamlessly access and manage their music, videos, and apps across different iOS devices.

Apple could also launch new features on iTunes for music sharing. Apple’s iTune Store has over 28 million songs and approximately 45,000 movies. Moreover, the App Store, which is also available via iTunes, now offers  more than 650,000 applications. Bloomberg notes that iTunes is critical to Apple’s success, generating nearly $1.9 billion last quarter.

“Any changes will have implications for the media industry, because the store is the gateway for millions of iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac users to buy music, movies and television shows,” the publication wrote. While this is interesting, today’s rumor is still bleak. One source reportedly said that the planned further integration with iCloud is geared to improve how people will manage their files. Apple declined to comment about the report.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple hit with patent infringement lawsuit over iTunes, iCloud and App Store, Man sues Apple for $5 million for allegedly double-billing him in iTunes,

Apple data centers are popping up like spring flowers: following its North Carolina, Oregon and California plans, it’s now pitching a fourth data center in Sparks, Nevada, just outside of Reno. The enigmatically named Project Jonathan hub is expected to light up before the end of the year if it’s given the green light. Not surprisingly, Apple is promising jobs for the area, although the company is choosing the location for a reason: it’s hoping for tax breaks on top of the advantages that previously led it to funnel some of its money through Nevada. We’ll have a better idea as to the fate of the data center when Apple argues for the project on June 27th, but it’s reasonable to think Apple is eager to make the Sparks location a reality. The more capacity and reliability it can build into iCloud and iTunes, the better.

[Image credit: Amy Meredith, Flickr]

Apple pitches data center near Reno, gambles iCloud will pay off among other puns originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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