iTunes

898 'iTunes' stories September 2010 - April 2015

Latest Apple service outage affecting App Store & iTunes Store “due to scheduled maintenance” (Update: Restored)

Zac Hall Apr 1 2015 - 10:21 am PT

Update: The maintenance lasted about half an hour and is now complete with all services restored according to the system status dashboard.

Apple’s system status dashboard is reporting an ongoing service disruption for multiple store services “due to scheduled maintenance.” Apple’s message says service unavailability may affect all users. Specifically, the maintenance is impacting the App Store, Apple TV, iBooks Store, iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Store, and Mac App Store services.

Unlike recent Apple service outages, the service disruption is intentional as part of scheduled maintenance, although some users are reporting iCloud syncing issues and iCloud Mail delays not acknowledged by the system status dashboard. A widespread outage last month prompted Apple to publicly apologize to customers for the service interruption.
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Pandora CFO promises CarPlay support, talks Apple relationship in recent interview

Chance Miller Mar 31 2015 - 7:00 pm PT

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The limited selection of CarPlay apps has not grown much since its launch, with one of the most prominent hold-outs being Pandora. In a recent interview with Fox Business, however, Pandora CFO Mike Herring said that the company plans to add CarPlay support soon. “We’ll definitely be in CarPlay,” Herring said in the interview.

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Jay-Z’s new Tidal music service respects the artist, but rips off Spotify’s UI

Jordan Kahn Mar 31 2015 - 5:56 am PT

26 Comments

In case you hadn’t heard, Jay-Z is this week launching (relaunching) the Tidal music service he recently acquired along with a lot of help from industry friends. The company is hoping its model is innovative and helps artists earn more, but its UI for the web app appears to be a shameless copy of Spotify, as you can see in the comparison screenshot: Tidal above, Spotify below.
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Jimmy Iovine tried to lure key Tidal artists away to Apple, but no hard feelings, says Jay Z

Ben Lovejoy Mar 31 2015 - 4:04 am PT

14 Comments

Jay Z suggested in an interview with Billboard that Jimmy Iovine had tried to lure away top-selling artists from his newly-relaunched streaming music service, Tidal, but that he wasn’t angry about it. Iovine had reputedly offered more up-front cash to Tidal artists who agreed to do a deal with Apple.

I think that’s just his competitive nature, and I don’t know if he’s looking at the bigger picture: That it’s not about me and it’s not about him; it’s about the future of the music business.

The rap and hip-hop star said that he had initially hoped to work in cooperation with Iovine, having “talked to every single service,” but had apparently been rebuffed …
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Apple/Beats streaming music service has competition for exclusive releases as Jay Z relaunches Tidal

Ben Lovejoy Mar 30 2015 - 6:00 am PT

12 Comments

If Apple plans to offer artist exclusives as a way to encourage sign-ups to its rebranded Beats Music streaming service, it will be facing new competition. TechCrunch reports that Tidal, the high-definition music service being relaunched later today by new owner Jay Z, is set to announce some exclusive deals with big-name artists.

Tidal is […] reportedly making a move to snag new releases by some of the biggest musicians of the moment including Kanye West, Madonna and Daft Punk […]

Tidal’s plan of attack will be to ink first-window deals with the artists, where Tidal would get first releases of tracks from big-name artists ahead of any other digital streaming services.

The artists named in the report have all been using the #tidalforall hashtag in recent tweets and Instagram posts …
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iOS 8 How-To: Use Siri to search the App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store

Sarah Guarino Mar 28 2015 - 9:00 am PT

5 Comments

Sometimes searching the App Store can be an overwhelming task. You might already know what you want to download, or other times you might get distracted when you open the store and forget why you were there, and typing in what you want to download is old fashioned now. With iOS 8, you can use Siri to search the App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and more for you. It’s all a matter of asking Siri with the right commands.

Press down and hold on the home button for two seconds for Siri to appear.

For example you can say something like, “Search the App Store for sports apps,” and Siri will open up the App Store and bring you to the search results of sports.

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Apple’s App Store & iTunes Store down for many (Update: Resolved)

Zac Hall Mar 25 2015 - 8:19 am PT

6 Comments

Both the App Store and iTunes is currently experiencing a widespread performance issue resulting in missing content from the categories sections and errors when downloading new content.
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Apple acquires database software makers FoundationDB to speed up cloud services

Jordan Kahn Mar 24 2015 - 3:18 pm PT

6 Comments

Apple has reportedly acquired database company FoundationDB, according to a new report from TechCrunch. The report cites sources and notes that the company is no longer offering downloads of its main database software product after posting the following notice to its website:

Thank you for your support of FoundationDB over the last five years. We’re grateful to have shared our vision of building the best database software and we strongly value your participation in this community. We have made the decision to evolve our company mission and, as of today, we will no longer offer downloads.

As noted in the report, Apple is likely looking to improve its cloud services with the acquisition:
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Get ‘Becoming Steve Jobs’ audiobook for free from Audible

9to5 Staff Mar 23 2015 - 4:45 pm PT

2 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

Becoming Steve Jobs is already an Amazon and iBooks best seller on the day of its release but if you were on the fence or want the book read to you while you drive or work, Audible makes a pretty good offer. For new email address users, Audible offers a Free Audiobook Download with a 30 Day Trial. You can also get the free Audible trial via Amazon here if you haven’t already signed up through your Amazon account. Audible’s offer is a great way to get introduced to audiobooks if you haven’t already and what better way to spend your free book than on than the critically and Apple Brass-acclaimed Steve Jobs bio narrated by George Newbern.

Audible members, new and old, can get ‘Becoming Steve Jobs’ here.
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Opinion: My cable subscription woes and the appeal of an ‘Apple Cable’ service

Zac Hall Mar 17 2015 - 12:51 pm PT

38 Comments

My cable provider is pretty terrible. I don’t need to name any names because this likely applies to your cable provider as well. They are all horrible. I often experience drops on popular channels, get bonus filler channels that no one wants, and see indiscriminate additional subscription fees and charges without any real reason. This Onion article, though it is satire, doesn’t stray too far from the truth.

For a very casual TV watcher, it’s not a great experience – to put it mildly.

So the prospect of an Apple web TV service with a price tag of around $40, as the WSJ and others reported last night, is highly appealing to me if it means I can catch the few shows I watch now without the hassle of my cable subscription. I’ll still be tied to the monopolies for Internet service which isn’t terrific, but the theoretical ‘Apple Cable’ service has the potential to fix a number of problems for me.

Apple started off its March event with the announcement that HBO Now, the premium network’s new $15/month web service, will be available with 3-month exclusivity on the App Store and Apple TV at launch next month. While we’ve heard for quite some time that Apple is developing a web TV service, and the upcoming HBO Now channel seems to be the best taste of what that could offer. I’m hopeful that the potential ‘Apple Cable’ can solve my cable subscription woes. Here’s how:

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Apple login services down, iOS and Mac App Stores suffering outages [Update: Apple apologizes]

Ben Lovejoy Mar 11 2015 - 3:46 am PT

183 Comments

Apple looks to be having a ~~few~~ lot of problems with its servers this morning. At the time of writing, iTunes Connect is refusing logins, the iBooks store is not responding and there are intermittent outages when viewing some individual items in both iOS and Mac App Stores …
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Apple unlikely to hit $7.99/month for streaming music service as labels stand firm on pricing

Ben Lovejoy Mar 10 2015 - 4:11 am PT

7 Comments

Apple appears set to abandon its plans to offer the rebranded Beats streaming music service for less than the $9.99/month charged by Spotify, Rdio and Google Play Music. Billboard reports that Apple’s attempts to use its clout to negotiate better deals with record labels have been unsuccessful.

Negotiations for Apple’s upcoming subscription service are evidence labels are standing firm on pricing. Industry sources say Apple has backed down from its effort to lower monthly pricing for its subscription service to $7.99 from $9.99.

The report says that the deals offered by the labels would have left Apple losing money if it had gone ahead with its plan to offer the service for the rumored $7.99/month …
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Game developers seek Apple Watch event spotlight as major companies ready apps

Mark Gurman Mar 6 2015 - 4:30 pm PT

13 Comments

Hundreds of iOS developers have been working with Apple in secret Cupertino-based sessions on apps for the Apple Watch, and now we’ve learned that this list includes game developers. According to two sources, multiple “mass market, casual” game developers have been in the running to show off light games on stage during Monday’s “Spring Forward” event in San Francisco. While Apple could end up not showcasing games next week, we’re still told that they are championing the idea of light weight gaming on the Apple Watch. As one source said, “the iOS gaming ecosystem will be well represented on the Apple Watch despite [the simplicity] of the Software Development Kit (SDK)…

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Jennifer Lawrence’s film ‘Serena’ hits iTunes 3 weeks before US theatrical release

Chance Miller Mar 6 2015 - 9:00 am PT

5 Comments

Apple today has listed Jennifer Lawrence’s upcoming film ‘Serena’ on the iTunes Store. The film is not slated to hit theaters in the United States until March 27th, but eager Lawrence fans can rent it on iTunes now for $9.99 in HD. The film also went up on Google Play this morning.

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CNN app gets a Notification Center widget, sports section on iOS

Mark Gurman Mar 5 2015 - 3:29 pm PT

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CNN today pushed out an update to its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with a pair of features that some users will find significant: a Today widget for iOS 8’s Notification Center and a sports section. The widget is populated with the latest top stories from CNN, while the sports section sources its content from Bleacher Report, which has a dedicated App Store app (iPhone, iPad). CNN also says this version includes various bug fixes, like every app update that has come before it.

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EU court says ebooks aren’t books, must be subject to higher tax rates

Ben Lovejoy Mar 5 2015 - 6:28 am PT

15 Comments

Europe’s top court has declared that ebooks are ‘services’ rather than books, and that European countries are not allowed to give them the same favorable tax treatment as paper books. The reasoning, such as it is, is that ebooks cannot be used without a physical device, and ebooks are a service provided to those devices.

Both France and Luxembourg have applied to ebooks the same reduced rate of VAT (sales tax) enjoyed by books made from crushed trees. The WSJ reports that the EU has ruled that this is illegal.

Since 2012, France has applied a 5.5% VAT rate and Luxembourg a 3% VAT rate on e-books, the same rate as for paper books. The European Court of Justice said both countries must apply their normal VAT rate, which for France is 20% and for Luxembourg is 17%.

Europe already closed one ebook-related tax loophole: Amazon used to use its Luxembourg base as a reason to charge just 3% on ebook sales throughout Europe, but a change in the law forced it to apply the VAT rate applicable to the customer’s own country.

There is some small hope that sanity may prevail in future. The European Commission has said that there may be legal mechanisms through which countries can in future define their own policies, with an “extensive overhaul” of VAT rules to be completed next year. However, don’t be surprised if ‘harmonization’ of tax rates for paper and digital books results in higher taxes on the former to pay for lower taxes on the latter …

Apple of course had its own legal troubles around ebooks, with its pricing model found to amount to anti-competitive practices.

Via Engadget

Not content with $500M verdict, patent troll Smartflash comes after Apple again

Ben Lovejoy Feb 27 2015 - 5:43 am PT

7 Comments

After Smartflash successfully convinced a court that Apple devices infringed three of its patents relating to downloading and storing content, winning a $532.9M award for its trouble, the company is coming back for more–despite the fact that Apple is appealing the original award.

Smartflash filed its original case before the iPhone 6/Plus and iPad Air 2 were launched, so the company now wants extra cash for these, reports Reuters.

“Smartflash filed the complaint to address products that came out too far into the last proceedings to have been included,” Smartflash’s attorney, Brad Caldwell, told Reuters on Thursday.

The company reached settlements with a number of game developers, and has also filed lawsuits against Samsung, Google and Amazon.

Smartflash is the very definition of a patent troll, settlements and awards from its seven patents providing its only form of income. The company makes no products and provides no services.

Apple has previously spoken out against patent trolls, revealing that it has been the subject of more lawsuits than any other company, though also cautioned against legislating too broadly to fight them.

It was today revealed that Ericsson has asked the ITC to block the import and sale of iPhones in the U.S. as part of an unrelated patent dispute.

Siri learns Russian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Thai and Turkish for iOS 8.3 beta 2

Mark Gurman Feb 23 2015 - 11:26 am PT

39 Comments

In addition to Wireless CarPlay, more diverse Emojis, and improved logging in for Google services, iOS 8.3 adds a major new feature: several new languages for Siri. Over three years following the initial Siri beta in 2011, iOS 8.3 adds support for the following languages in Siri: Russian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and English for India…

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Apple to begin offering web-based chat support for Beats hardware (update: live)

Mark Gurman Feb 20 2015 - 7:22 pm PT

0 Comments

Apple will expand its support capabilities for Beats by Dre hardware products, like headphones and speakers, next week by launching web-based chat support, according to sources. Customers in need of support for their Beats devices will be able to instant message with a support representative via Apple’s support website beginning on Monday, February 23rd. In January, Apple began moving Beats phone-based support wholly in-house after still using the headphone maker’s outsourced support for most of last year. Apple began servicing Beats products in its retail stores late last year.

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Apple releases iTunes 12.1.1 update for Windows w/ playback improvements, Outlook syncing fixes, more

Zac Hall Feb 18 2015 - 1:43 pm PT

6 Comments

After releasing iTunes 12.1 in January adding a Notification Center widget for OS X Yosemite users on the Mac, Apple has released a minor update to iTunes 12.1 specifically for Windows users.

According to the release notes, iTunes 12.1.1 addresses an issue that caused audio playback to glitch while also improving syncing between Outlook and iPhones and iPads. Apple also says the update “improves compatibility with screen readers.”

The latest version is rolling out now so iTunes users on Windows should be able to update soon.

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ bonus tracks coming to iTunes

Chance Miller Feb 17 2015 - 7:19 am PT

4 Comments

Taylor Swift announced last night that she is making the bonus tracks from her insanely popular newest album ‘1989’ available on iTunes. This morning, Swift released the first bonus track, “Wonderland” on iTunes, with two more still to come. “You Are In Love” is the next bonus track on the album and was produced by Jack Antonoff of Bleachers and ‘fun.’ fame. The third bonus single still to come is entitled “New Romantics.”

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Canadian rapper Drake releases surprise mixtape album on iTunes

Ben Lovejoy Feb 13 2015 - 5:44 am PT

9 Comments

[tweet https://twitter.com/Drake/status/566085353400852480/]

Canadian rapper Drake has released an unexpected new mixtape album on iTunes, announcing it on Twitter as it went live. The album, entitled If you’re reading this it’s too late, was added to iTunes shortly before midnight ET …
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Legacy Support! After 14 years, the first iPod still syncs to the latest version of iTunes

Jordan Kahn Feb 10 2015 - 11:07 am PT

12 Comments

What happens when you hook up the original 1st-generation iPod with the latest version of iTunes? YouTuber Matthew Pearce attempted exactly that, and surprisingly found that the current version of iTunes (12.1) works just fine with the old 2001 iPod, and even prompts to set it up as a new device.

It appears that Apple is supporting the first-gen iPod, rather than it just happening to work: iTunes shows an icon for the original iPod design after connecting the device. The setup required a Firewire 400 to 800 adapter, and for newer Macs you’d also need a Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter.

Check out out the full experiment in the video below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKJsl02f2BU]

9to5Toys Last Call: Lexar 256GB flash drive $80, Better Call Saul free on iTunes, Sling TV free trial, more

Justin Kahn Feb 9 2015 - 9:06 am PT

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Canon Printer w/ AirPrint + Lightroom 5 or Photoshop Elements $90 shipped ($238 value)
Dell UltraSharp 24-inch 4K Ultra HD IPS LCD 60Hz Monitor $432 shipped (orig. $550)
Mass Effect Infiltrator is IGN’s free iOS game of the month ($4.99 value)
Bluetooth speakers: Bose SoundLink mini $159, Mini Boom $49, more
Beats Studio Over-Ear Headphones (1st gen, refurb) $119 shipped (orig. $300)
Preorder Canon’s new Spring lineup of DSLRs and pocket cameras today
The new HyperX Cloud II gaming headset with free 16GB USB flash drive
Home: Greek Yogurt Maker $19, Cuisinart 14-Piece Cookware Set $135, more

Lexar 256GB S73 USB 3 Jumpdrive Flash Drive (100mb/s read): $80 shipped (Reg. $170)

Download the first episode of Better Call Saul in HD for free

Sling TV is now available with free 7-day trial, details on new channel availability

Valentine’s Day bailout: up to 70% off select jewelry and free 1-day shipping

Valentine’s Day Roundup: ProFlowers 30% off, Gap/Timbuk2/J.Crew up to 40% off, more

Get 67% Off The Productivity Pack (Updated to include 3 Months of Dropbox Pro FREE)

Small States: Woodchuck USA complements Apple products w/ USA-sourced wood, 15% off & giveaways

More new gear from today:

New! Ultimate Ears BOOM Bluetooth Speaker $130 shipped (Reg. $180+)
New! Samsung 2.5″ Internal SSDs: 850 Pro 512GB $290, 850 EVO 500GB $200
New! Seagate 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive: $130 shipped (orig. $250)
New! Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter: $22 shipped (Reg. $40)
New! Daily Deals: iPhone 5c (refurb): $199, Polk outdoor speakers: $60, more
New! Games/Apps: Borderlands GOTY for Mac $10 (Reg. $30), iOS freebies, more
New! Adobe Creative Cloud (PS CC + Lightroom): $10/month w/$25 Amazon credit
New! Amazon Kindle sale: Fire HDX $84, Kindle reader $59, Paperwhite $99, more

More deals still alive:

iTunes Free App of the Week: Angry Birds Seasons (up to $2.99 value)
PSA: check your Chromecast for a possible free $6 movie credit offer
5-pack of Etekcity Wireless Remote Controlled Outlets $22 (Reg. $35)
Pier 1 Imports coupon code for an extra $10 off $50+ or $25 off $100+, more
HTC One (M8) w/ 32 GB flash storage, 4G LTE, GSM (factory unlocked) $300 (Reg. $499)
iOttie One Touch Windshield Dashboard Mounts for iPhone 6/Plus $13 (Reg. $20)
50% off clearance items today only at A4C: LeapFrog case $12, Bluetooth headset $5, more
Sennheiser MM30i in-ear headphones w/ mic & remote $23 Prime shipped (Reg. $50+)
Cut the cord! Mohu Leaf 50 Ultimate HDTV Antenna (open box): $30 shipped (orig. $90)
Sennheiser HD 558 Over-Ear Headphones $90 shipped (orig. $180)
Tons of Lonely Planet guides and books for Kindle Reader: FREE
Headphones: JBL J55i on-ears $30 (orig. $100), Bose SoundTrue 10% off, more
LG 34-inch UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)
Timex Weekender Men’s/Women’s Watches extra 30% off: from $19 Prime shipped
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Over-Ear Headphones (black) $129 shipped (Reg. $169)

New products & more:

ControlAir adds iTunes and Spotify gesture control to any Mac for free
Super Smash Bros. GameCube Controllers $25, Controller Adapters for Wii U $30
Kitchen Tech: Pressure Cookers make the perfect chicken sandwich, and much more
Olympus and Samsung queue up new cameras and accessories for the Spring
SONOS announces new PLAY:1 Blue Note Limited Edition wireless speaker
This iPhone 6 Batmobile case looks the part and even casts the Bat-Signal
Gaming For Couples: Tomb Raider Definitive Edition and NES Remix Pack
Life Hack: these simple Velcro ties make cable management a cinch
Eero beams carefree WiFi to every corner of your home or office
The Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive arrives
Raspberry Pi 2 launches with juiced up specs and free Windows 10 at the same low price