Rumor: Apple to Take on Social Networking App, iTunes Integration
9:59 am, August 11th, 2009, Lonnie Lazar
Image credit: Boy Genius Report
UPDATE: Check out purported screenshots of iTunes 9 showing social networking integration from German blogger Tobias Bischoff after the jump.
The coming version of iTunes 9 will feature social networking on steroids, and Apple may be developing a standalone social networking application as well, if an account Tuesday from Boy Genius Report proves accurate.
Citing a “a pretty reliable source” named Lindsey, the site reported over the weekend that iTunes 9 would feature “some kind of Twitter/Facebook/Last.fm integration” along with Blu-Ray and functionality to visually organize and arrange iPhone and iPod Touch applications.
The source appears to have described Apple’s plans further, saying the company is working on a separate “Social” application it plans to release at some uncertain future date. The app would integrate with iTunes to let users broadcast what music they are currently listening to, permit sharing of music with people on their network (but um, iTunes lets you do that now), connect with friend’s friends, and update all of their online statuses at the same time.
It’s not hard to imagine Apple would be working on social networking, since it’s pretty much the biggest trend on the Internet today. It will be interesting to see what the company’s take on social communications looks like, especially in the light of the fact that social networking capabilities are among the more compelling aspects of LaLa — a competing music distribution outlet CoM reported on previously.
It will also be interesting to see just how much “broadcasting” and “sharing” music labels and artists rights organizations such as ASCAP and BMI are going to stand for in the brave new social world that appears to be just over the horizon.
Posted by Lonnie Lazar in Apple, Music, Rumors, iPhone, iTunes | Comment on this article
Apple generally sucks at this sort of thing though so it could be an awful move if true. For instance they still don’t even “get” the idea of aliases in email; their implementation of this at MobileMe is stuck in the 90’s. I like the idea of being social, but the way Apple currently sets up it’s accounts, I would have to use my real name, identity, address, etc. in any of their social offerings and that is just not on at all. I like the idea of being in public and having my music tastes or even my location broadcast in a social way, but I don’t like the way that they don’t allow any kind of barriers between that digital profile and my real self. Why would I want everyone on the street or in my social area to know everything about me?
Gazoobee, on August 11th, 2009 at 10:26 am
The “Social” feature in these photos is just a playlist named Social.
Darcy Fitzpatrick, on August 11th, 2009 at 10:58 am
and the last.fm icon is shoddy at best. look at the edges… i’d have to believe this is crap
tim, on August 11th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Yeah, Apple dipped a toe into Social networking back with their .Mac Groups, but just didn’t follow through with it to make it successful. Hopefully any future attempt wont be so half-hearted.
As to the screenshots – I’m not sold on them. The only thing they show for sure is that J Lo is absolutely yummy…
…or maybe that’s Photoshop too…
YodaMac, on August 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
photoshop! the “9″ in itunes 9 does not match. edges of last.fm, facebook, and twitter logos are crappy. Facebook and twitter logos are slightly tilted, making them not match the rest of the window. .. yeah
It would be cool tho. Id also imagine there would be a navigation bar in Last.fm, like the itunes store, but who knows.
tom, on August 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I don’t really see how iTunes would go together with Facebook, but I sort of believe it. In a way, iPhoto is integrated with Facebook now.
Nathan, on August 11th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Wow, that’s incredibly fake. Like Tim said, the last.fm logo doesn’t even have rounded corners. Plus, the font is incorrect; it’s bold even when deselected.
And I’m not a certified Apple designer or anything, but I’ve paid enough attention to their UI design conventions to know that they would never place the Facebook and Twitter icons so meaninglessly and haphazardly.
Egregious errors. Shenanigans!
Marshall Bock, on August 11th, 2009 at 11:51 pm