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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,140



Apple is close to acquiring talk radio curation service Swell for about $30 million, reports Re/code. Swell's iOS app launched last year and allows users to listen to streaming audio from iTunes, NPR, ABC, ESPN and others through a design that emphasizes simplicity.

As a part of the acquisition, Swell will shut down its iOS app this week as its CEO Ram Ramkumar and other members of its development team will join Apple. Apple will likely look to use Swell's technology to improve its own Podcasts app, which holds a 1.5 star rating and has been widely criticized for performance issues. Users of Podcasts also experienced an outage last month, as the app constantly crashed upon opening.

swell_app-800x469.jpg
Swell's iOS app​
Apple's purchase of Swell follows the acquisition of "Pandora for Books" startup BookLamp in April for a reported sum between $10 million and $15 million, as the company also acquired Beats Electronics this past May for $3 billion. It was revealed in the company's Q3 2014 results earnings call that it had acquired 29 companies since beginning of 2013, with 5 coming from beginning of March quarter, not including Beats.

Update 7/29 12 PM PT: Apple has confirmed its acquisition of Swell in a statement to The Wall Street Journal.

Article Link: Apple Close to Acquiring Radio Streaming Service Swell for $30 Million
 

sputnikv

macrumors 6502a
Oct 3, 2009
506
3,184
I find it strange that Apple can't design a decently operating podcasts app
 

StoneJack

macrumors 68020
Dec 19, 2009
2,354
1,446
Тhis is good step. Apple can't do everything well, so acquiring good product always helps.

Hint: Garageband, iTunes, OS X
 

flash84x

macrumors regular
Aug 5, 2011
189
132
I find it strange that Apple can't design a decently operating podcasts app

I've heard (3rd hand) that their Apps team consist of very few people and is responsible for way too much. If that's the case they really should dedicate small teams to each individual app. They're certainly capable. Overcast will be hard to beat though.
 

Mashurrab

macrumors regular
May 30, 2014
196
7
OSX is decent enough, and iTunes works just fine. Its some of the other apps that are :confused:
I think he meant that these were good acquisitions

----------

Young owl slightly surprised a moment, his physique is very special? Does the mouth three elders soul incomplete, deficiencies, are false? In pandora ring fact, there has been no problem? Those old guys of the family, really did not ill-wishers. "That's what it taught me martial arts ah?" Rolled her eyes Young owl, the idea hit the pandora most important thing above. "If you want to become a qualified monks, they must need the support of the air, so, first practicing internal organs Heart!." "Strength exercises? Teacher, I have no internal organs Heart!" Thought the pandora dog charm family replies, Young owl hearts can not help but sigh. "I have here, as my disciples, it still refuse to use those exercises?!" Heard, Zhou Shi Hao face flick, dumbfounding cursed.
What?
 

patent10021

macrumors 68040
Apr 23, 2004
3,505
794
I find it strange that Apple can't design a decently operating podcasts app
Steve was vision so it's not very strange.

There are plenty of apps but Steve's would be unique and Steve would say,

"This is my music app. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My music app is my best friend. It is my life."
 

ricci

macrumors 6502
Aug 21, 2012
259
13
NYC
Young owl slightly surprised a moment, his physique is very special? Does the mouth three elders soul incomplete, deficiencies, are false? In pandora ring fact, there has been no problem? Those old guys of the family, really did not ill-wishers. "That's what it taught me martial arts ah?" Rolled her eyes Young owl, the idea hit the pandora most important thing above. "If you want to become a qualified monks, they must need the support of the air, so, first practicing internal organs Heart!." "Strength exercises? Teacher, I have no internal organs Heart!"

Thought the pandora dog charm family replies, Young owl hearts can not help but sigh. "I have here, as my disciples, it still refuse to use those exercises?!" Heard, Zhou Shi Hao face flick, dumbfounding cursed.


Now kids, listening very carefully !!!!! This is what funky weed does!!
 

Mums

Suspended
Oct 4, 2011
667
559
So many acquisitions

Agreed - it makes them look desperate. Acquiring Beats was the biggest mistake Apple ever made, because even if it makes them money, it damaged their reputation among those customers who set trends.
 

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
$30 mil :eek:

With so many, i reckon Apple doesn't have a clue what it's doing..

They're just randomly poking in the hope they will poke the right guy.

Maybe they should have done their homework better.

I don't mind going into things when I'm confident I'll get there, but having no idea...??

That's pretty stupid.
 

SgtFire

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2014
122
2
I for one was hoping that Apple would announce a stand alone app for their radio part of the music app and announce a streaming service at WWDC. Hopefully this is them getting things in order to do that. We'll see won't we.
 

Four oF NINE

macrumors 68000
Sep 28, 2011
1,931
896
Hell's Kitchen
I use the podcast app very frequently across iPad/Phone/MBP and never have had a problem. What problem/s are you having?

I rec'd that comment, but an issue I have is that there are syncing issues. For instance, I mainly listen to podcasts via iPhone or iPad, but if I decide to listen to a podcast on the MacBook, I get the message that says something like:

"We stopped updating this podcast because you haven't been listening lately"

I think it should work better than that. For me syncing is the biggest issue
 

flux73

macrumors 65816
May 29, 2009
1,019
134
$30 mil :eek:

With so many, i reckon Apple doesn't have a clue what it's doing..

They're just randomly poking in the hope they will poke the right guy.

Maybe they should have done their homework better.

I don't mind going into things when I'm confident I'll get there, but having no idea...??

That's pretty stupid.
Apple makes $4 million in profits per hour. So even if it was a total screw up (which I don't think it is), it would take them 7.5 hours to make it all back.
 
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