As part of the latest version of iTunes software, Apple have launched ‘Ping’, a social networking service for music fans which allows users to forge connections with people in a similar way to Facebook and Twitter.
In a move set to take on declining services such as Myspace alongside profile based streaming sites such as Last Fm, Ping will enable users to generate friends lists, including the profiles of professional musicians and pop acts, featuring a top 10 list of albums and singles from each ‘friend’ alongside a list of forthcoming gigs they are attending.
Referring to the huge existing user base for iTunes during the launch of the Ping product in San Francisco last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said: “We think this will be really popular very fast because 160 million people can switch it on today”.
Despite this, the service immediately gained criticism for not featuring sufficient spam and URL filtering, resulting in thousands of users reportedly experiencing problems with spam content including the offer of a free iPhone that directed users towards suspicious links.
Jobs also launched a range of new iPods alongside the renewed version of ‘Apple TV’, a service that can be plugged into a TV set and used to stream film and TV content directly from iTunes.
Competitors such as Spotify have already made moves to integrate more social features into their services despite only having a user base of seven million people.
Generate Debate: Have you used Ping yet? What about the spam-Was this an uncharacteristically bad product launch from Apple? More importantly, does it add anything new to the expansive landscape of social media now connected to music? Does Apple simply have the global audience to wipe out all competition?
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