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Apple's Pandora-like iRadio Service to Launch in 2013?
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Yes, and it would work in iTunes. Seems like a perfect fit.
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Meanwhile in other news, Carriers still have data caps and frown on streaming.
In other news, home Internet access is still a constant cost.
iTunes Match plays mismatched songs all the time on my iPhone. "Clean," radio-edit versions, or on occasion, just straight up cuts to the next track mid-song. Sometimes it won't download a song when I press the cloud icon over and over, retry, retry, retry. It's horrible.
But yes... it SHOULDN'T be so difficult. Google's version works flawlessly. If you aren't having problems, consider yourself lucky, mang.
You must be trolling. A functionality comparable with Spotify or Pandora that would enable people to listen to the complete iTunes library for a small fee would make many people delete Spotify and Pandora from their harddrives.
Why? There are several reasons but this one stands out in my opinion:
Both Spotify and Pandora have vast libraries, but they are dwarved by the iTunes library. Many artists are not available on these platforms or just a small part of their catalogue (often just the past decade). In addition much of the content on Spotify is from copycats. Just try looking for Skyfall from Adele, and see what you come up with.
The iTunes library is much better managed from a content point of view. I'm predicting that as soon as Apple will enable this feature that both Spotify and Pandora will see a major part of their mac user base cancel their accounts.
edit: I just looked up Toto on Spotify and on their official artist page the back catalogue shows a mix of their own records and a number of zouk and zumba fitness music albums from some band that's called Toto also..
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In all honesty I don't see this being anything more then one more streaming service. Why would it be any better then Pandora? Even more so you now have tons of advanced subscription streaming services available including Spotify, MOG, Rdio, Sony's Music Unlimited etc. All of these have over 15 million songs and numbers are just growing. What makes these services hard for Apple to compete with is their cross platform operation. Spotify is available for almost every imaginable platform so you can enjoy your music everywhere. The rest of the providers are also following the trend to be extremely cross platform. I can't imagine Apple doing the same. Then again this might be Apple's push to have their iTunes like presence in every device imaginable.
I agree, although, to be fair, Sonos does integrate and move forward with Apple really well. I like the new feature that allows songs to be played directly from an iPad/iPad mini now.
1. iTunes has a superior managed music database with more content than the streaming services
2. Better integration with personally owned iTunes content
I think the big difference here between Pandora and Spotify is that it opens up that type of streaming service to Apple's walled garden.
So if you are able to create "stations" based on your music/taste and listen to the entire the entire iTunes offering, and have the ability to one click buy a song you've never heard before then you can listen to it on demand like the rest of your library. So now it's part of your collection and that's pretty powerful for the user and great for the artists.
It's just a great way to discover and own music.
I've heard songs countless times on Pandora/Spotify that I then search out on iTunes and purchase. This would just integrate the process.
So if you are able to create "stations" based on your music/taste and listen to the entire the entire iTunes offering, and have the ability to one click buy a song you've never heard before then you can listen to it on demand like the rest of your library. So now it's part of your collection and that's pretty powerful for the user and great for the artists.
It's just a great way to discover and own music.
I've heard songs countless times on Pandora/Spotify that I then search out on iTunes and purchase. This would just integrate the process.
Should complement the iTunes store well. I prefer to own music, but a radio service like Pandora or Last.fm, which plays stuff I might like could lead me to pay for more downloads from the store.
could not agree more. I don't see why more people don't just to that....$9 a month and you listen to what you want all you want. With that said, I only listen to music when in my car (which came with satellite radio) so it is basically the same thing as using the free side to pandora/spotify
Imagine I can do that already. And it's not limited to just iTunes.
I think you're right in this model.
I see this as a nice 'add on' to iTunes. But it's not a game changer or anything "amazing"
1. It's one thing to have content for sale and another to have ability to stream that content as free or premium "radio station". Royalty payments on streaming stations are next to nothing so labels see only low margins compared to album sales.
2. It's true that Apple steaming service would probably have superior integration with iTunes but at the same time zero integration with everything else. Services like Spotify integrates with everything from your trusty old Mac to smart TV's, hell those guys seem to be pushing that service everywhere.
Regarding integration from device standpoint, Sonos is great example of excellent integration offering incredible variety of subscription and non-subscription based content from different providers.
Another attempt at a service from Apple?
I wouldn't touch that with a 100ft. pole!
Whoever is in charge of the Apple services needs to go back to school.
They have plenty of disasters to learn from.
After using Apple products and services since 1984, usually when I am not interested in a service it goes bust or needs to be made workable.
(Ping, mobile me,itunes match (no interest for me), and dropbox wins over iCloud. Don't see iRadio beating Pandora.
... trying to be like Pandora when Spotify has already made something better. Get with it, Apple.
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I pay for it. It's worth it.
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I pay for it. It's worth it.
This will be awesome if songs can be downloaded and played offline (similar to Microsoft). Data caps and dead cell areas make streaming less attractive. It would be great if you can build a catalog of music on the device that can be used for offline.
Try the analyst think Apple wants, or should want, this. There's no proof anything is happening at all, is or was ever intended.
This is up there with the whole 'two iPads released in the same year' which was said over and over and eventually came true. So why not keep saying this one and the TV set one and 'of course' the same thing will happen