iTunes

Apple's proposed Web radio service is no certainty

Apple is working hard to convince the major record companies to buy into its plan for a Web radio service, but some at the labels don't like what they're hearing.

Bloomberg reported this afternoon that Apple's negotiations with the three top labels have "intensified" over an ad-support Web radio service that Apple hopes to launch early next year. But music industry executives who spoke with CNET said that some decision makers at the big record companies want Apple to sweeten the offer.

The negotiations are ongoing so the terms could change, but the sources said … Read more

Apple, where's the software?

The Apple event today went mostly as we expected. We got the iPad Mini we were expecting (though the fourth-generation iPad was a surprise), we got a new MacBook Pro and a new iMac, and we heard a lot about the many millions of iThings that have been sold (if you made a drinking game hinging upon the word "millions" at an Apple event, you'd have passed out in the first 30 minutes). As a software reviewer, however, I have to say there wasn't very much for me to talk about.

We heard a little bit … Read more

iPad Mini won't be the only Apple news

Monday's CNET Update dusts off the crystal ball:

Everyone is eager to learn about the rumored iPad Mini, but today's tech news roundup looks at what else Apple will be announcing. We're expecting to see at least one new computer, such as an iMac or Mac Mini. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the Mac Pro will get an update in 2013, so it may be too soon to announce that. As for laptops, there have been reports that Apple will give the 13-inch MacBook Pro a retina display.

When Apple does unveil the iPad Mini, … Read more

Apple may rev up iTunes 11 at tomorrow's iPad Mini event

iTunes users waiting for the new version could find their wait over sometime tomorrow.

Reports cited by MacNN and other blog sites say that Apple will officially kick off iTunes 11 at its iPad Mini event tomorrow.

Apple showed off the latest update to iTunes at its iPhone 5 launch event on September 12, promising that the new version would come sometime in October. So tomorrow does seem a likely candidate.

iTunes 11 offers the latest refresh to the now 12-year-old music player. The interface itself has been redesigned, while iCloud support is now built in. And the new mini … Read more

Manage iPod and iPhone music and apps with CopyTrans

iTunes is the default program for managing all of your Apple devices, but it's certainly not the be-all and end-all for managing your iPhone or iPod content. CopyTrans promises an easy, smart, safe way to transfer and back up your Apple device content, and it delivers.

To ensure a positive user experience, CopyTrans offers help from the get-go with a pop-up window that gives you links to its online User Guides, Getting Started Guide, and video demo. But thanks to its simple but functional user interface, we really didn't need the documentation. With our iPhone 4 plugged into … Read more

How to manage your iTunes subscriptions

When you subscribe to a magazine or a service such as Netflix or Hulu Plus using your iTunes account, the subscription will keep auto-renewing until you turn it off. Turning off auto-renew, essentially canceling your subscription, only takes a few taps or clicks; you just have to know where to look.

There are two ways to manage your subscriptions in iTunes. You can use your iOS device, or you can use iTunes on your PC or Mac.

On your iOS device, launch the App Store and make sure you're viewing the Featured tab. Scroll to the bottom, tap on … Read more

iTunes Terms of Service gets the RapGenius treatment, hilarity ensues

RapGenius was created for those of us who just might not be urban enough to understand what the hell Li'l Wayne is rapping about or what specific kind of "gas" 2 Chainz is "smokin' on."

The site is basically a huge wiki intended to explain the lyrics of any and all rap songs, and since the entire Internet is invited to participate, there are naturally a few Justin Bieber songs up in the mix as well. But lately, some non-music entries have been uploaded to the site, including the Terms of Service for iTunes, which has already begun to be annotated to hilarious effect.… Read more

Money and musicians: Rdio's new artist-payment model

One of the creators of Skype has announced a new addition to his digital music service Rdio.

Janus Friis says the Rdio Artist Program is designed to give musicians a better alternative to iTunes Match or Spotify, where some complain that commission rates based on the number of times a song is streamed leaves an artist with almost nothing.

With Rdio, uploaders earn $10 for every new subscriber they lure to the service. The platform pays artists to share both music and recommendations on social-networking sites including Facebook and Twitter -- promoting the company as well as themselves.

San Francisco-based … Read more

Woz: I wish iTunes could run on my Android devices

Apple ported iTunes to Windows, so why can't it do the same for Android?

That was just one of the comments made by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in a Q&A on tech-news site Slashdot yesterday.

Although he and Steve Jobs built Apple from the ground up, Woz has remained technology neutral, enjoying hardware from a variety of companies and competitors. As an Android device owner, he'd like to see Apple enter that arena as well.

"If you remember, we ported iTunes to Windows," Woz said in a response to one question. "We now … Read more

Apple's Ping officially closes, disappears from within iTunes

Right on schedule, Apple has closed up shop on its failed music-meets-social networking experiment Ping.

The closure, which was quietly announced from within iTunes last month and slated for September 30, is simply a removal of the feature from within iTunes software, as well as the iTunes Store. Users who attempt to click on the link get an error message and are sent to the Apple Store home page.

Any playlists users made within Ping have been converted to iMixes, Apple's publishable playlist format. Meanwhile, Ping users lose their followers and people they were following with the closure.

The … Read more