Hasta La Gadget!

Another Apple event has come and gone, and–at least as far as the odds makers are concern–the rumor mill did pretty well this time out. We saw a new, FaceTime-enabled iPod touch, a shuffle-sized touch screen nano, and a full-on refresh of the company’s oft-maligned Apple TV. As expected, iTunes got an upgrade as well, with the debut of iTunes 10.

There were some surprises, as well, including the debut of Ping–the iTunes-based social network and the announcement of Game Center, a forthcoming gaming service that some pundits are touting at Apple’s answer to Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network.

As always, there were also a number of rumors that never came to fruition, ranging from the probable to the highly unlikely–what, after all, would an Apple announcement be without a few crazy wildcards?

After the jump, check out the biggest rumors that never materialized.

Apple’s music event was so full of shiny gadgets and awesome news that your head might still be spinning. In case you struggled to keep up with everything or want a review, here are all the highlights: More »

Not a huge surprise here, but Apple’s just announced iTunes 10 alongside all those new iPods, complete with a brand new logo that finally ditches the CD. What is something of a surprise, however, is the standout feature of iTunes 10: Ping. That’s Apple’s take on a music-centered social network (think Last.fm), which will let you follow people (including artists), establish a “circle of friends,” post comments, check out custom song and album charts, and even find over 17,000 concert listings (which you can of course let folks know your attending). What’s more, Ping is also making the jump to the iPhone and iPod touch, and it’s available with iTunes 10 today. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network

Apple announces iTunes 10 with Ping social network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple late this afternoon announced plans to live stream its Wednesday music event, where many expect the company to introduce upgrades for the iPod and Apple TV. The stream will only be viewable to Apple customers.

In a press bulletin, Apple said it would be streaming its event using “Apple’s industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming, which is based on open standards,” even though the viewing requires a Mac running Snow Leopard, or an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running iOS 3.0 or higher.

Some technology observers speculate the live stream will accompany Apple’s release of a new version of iTunes capable of streaming live video and TV rentals.

Wired.com’s Gadget Lab will be live blogging the event, which commences 10 a.m. PT. Stay tuned for our coverage. Meanwhile, read our predictions of what to expect at the event.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

At this point we’re fairly certain we’ll see updated iPods at Apple’s event on Wednesday, but we’re still in the dark when it comes to that updated iOS-based Apple TV — we know it’s in the works, but we don’t know if it’s coming this week. But if you’re feeling optimistic, a new Apple iTunes customer survey seems to offer a tiny little hint — it lists “Titles are available to watch instantly” as a reason you might totally love watching video on the iPad. Of course, you can’t watch iTunes videos “instantly” right now — the iPad requires the entire video file to download before playback begins, and the current Apple TV requires a fair bit of buffering — so this could be a big hint that instant streaming is coming quite soon. On the flipside, this could just be a mistake or oversight and actually mean nothing at all, but honestly, where’s the fun in that?

[Thanks, PeteO]

Apple survey hints at iTunes streaming video service coming soon? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments