Apple, Inc. has done it again!
PING – Allows iTunes users to follow each other, keep tabs on music buying and concert-going habits, and follow their favorite artists via social networking as they post photos and video from the road. The home screen looks a lot like the news feed from Facebook, showing recent activity by friends, including music purchases, reviews and concerts.
iTUNES 10 – Now with a new icon, iTunes 10 allows users to create a profile that shows what you listen to most as well as allows your friends who follow you know what artists you like. You can add status updates, similar to Twitter and Facebook, and your friends will be able to comment on them. You can also choose to follow music artists and see what sort of other artists they are listening to and what they think about them.
iOS – Next week, Apple will release iOS 4.1, which will finally bring the new operating system and multitasking to the iPad. It will also address several major bug fixes including proximity sensor issues with the iPhone 4, Bluetooth connectivity and audio quality. The iOS 4.1 update will also improve sluggish performance on older iPhone 3G models. Other new features include high dynamic range (HDR) photos, Game Center, and uploading full HD videos over Wi-Fi.
Apple also gave a preview of its upcoming iOS 4.2, which will present such new goodies as wireless printing from the iPhone, iPad, or any iOS device, and AirPlay, which is an updated version of Apple’s current AirTunes feature. iOS devices will now be able to stream audio, video and photos from iTunes.
The all-new APPLE TV – Is a smaller set-top box that will allow users to rent instead of buy high-definition TV episodes and first-run movies for 48 hours commercial free. Television episodes will rent for 99 cents, movie rentals will cost $4.99, and the cost of the new Apple TV is $99. Currently, ABC and Fox are the only participating networks, but Steve Jobs promises more to come later. Apple TV users will also be able to stream content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and other computers on their WiFi network. And Apple TV will now work seamlessly with the new iTunes 10, allowing users to stream rented or purchased movies and TV shows.
iPODS – Video calling over WiFi was added to the iPod Touch, which now comes with a front facing camera and Apple’s new “FaceTime” video chat feature. A multi-touch interface was also added to the iPod Nano. And the new iPod Shuffle now comes in five colors (silver, green, pink, orange, and blue), with a capacity of 2GB, all the features of last year’s VoiceOver model, and at a price of $49.
