Went into the App Store and what did I see, why an updated Remote app for iTunes and Apple TV! One of the first apps in the App Store at launch, the latest update for Remote [free - iTunes link] turbo charges the cool factor with support for gesture-based Apple TV control. Very slick:
- Hold down “Menu” to bring up main menu. Swipe to move around.
- Tap to play or pause music or video.
- Drag left or right and hold to rewind or fast-forward music.
- Flick left or right for previous or next music track.
- Flick left or right or drag and hold to rewind or fast-forward video.
- Flick down to show chapter markers, then flick left or right to skip through video.
- Drag two fingers left for 10 second reply.
- Tap “Exit” or “Options” for those actions.
If you hit exit, you get similar functions, art display, etc. to the previous version of the Remote app. Hitting Options brings up a new overlay menu on the Apple TV. Speaking of which…
The new Apple Remote app’s gesture features require iPhone 3.0 and the latest Apple TV software update, also released today (which seems to have gotten a UI over haul as well). Get that, or you won’t get the nifty new interface.
I’m trying it. I’m liking it. How about you?
More screen shots after the break!
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As of approximately 1:30 EDT/10:30 PDT, iPhone 3.0 (7A341) — weighing in at 230.1MB –went live and is now available via iTunes.
We’re downloading now, and we assume you are too, so sound off in the comments and let us know how it’s working for you, and how you like it!
NOTE: For those on the iPhone 3.0 GM seed, make sure you hit Restore as Update will think you already have 3.0!
And if you need help finding all the features, check out our massive iPhone 3.0 Walkthrough for all the details!
Gizmodo made our Friday just a little more bizarrely amusing with a story about a British gang whose DJ made some music, got it up on iTunes (and Amazon) with a 40% commission, and then used stolen credit cards to buy it — making them look popular, and $300,000 “richer” at the same time. Strangest part?
the British police won’t know why they did it until they ask them?
Us neither then.
Remember that brouhaha over the Palm Pre syncing with iTunes? (Check out PreCentral.net’s massive Palm Pre review for more on it from a functional perspective.)
Well, DVD Jon’s nanocr.eu site (via Engadget Mobile) says he’s confirmed that:
the way [Palm Pre] hooks to iTunes is very shady indeed. Turns out that the Pre identifies itself as an iPod when it’s in Media Sync mode, but only on the system’s mass storage interface; the root USB node still comes through as a Palm Pre.
This leads them to believe it might be something Apple could more easily block, if Apple so chooses to. We’ve already gone over the reasons why we think Palm’s decision to sync directly with iTunes (as opposed to with the iTunes library XML file like RIM and Nokia do) is ballsy but ultimately bad for Apple (since they’ll get blamed for problems by consumers who don’t understand the hacky nature and limitations), Palm (since they will have to work at maintaining unlicensed compatibility), but most importantly consumers (because the experience is flawed and unreliable).
Here’s hoping Palm finishes their strut around the launch-day press lines and the next update contains something closer akin to a non-shady, yet still iTunes and user friendly solution for everyone…
Today Apple officially released the latest version of iTunes (8.2). Anyone who is familiar with jailbreaking should be well aware that now is a time to wonder, will the cat and mouse game continue? It seems like it has but @MuscleNerd claims it is unintentional on Apple’s part.
Today’s iTunes 8.2 update changes the way your computer talks to the device. This affects things like QuickPwn and PwnageTool when they try to identify what’s connected. Also, ssh over usb breaks due to same reasons. Fixes are in the works but for now avoid 8.2
So if you are planning on jailbreaking anytime in the near future, be sure to avoid this latest version of iTunes until the fix is made available to the public.
Stay tuned as TiPb will bring you the latest updates as they become available.
Fortune scoop’let’ed the story: the Palm Pre syncs with iTunes. No, not like a dumb USB disk. Not even like a 3rd party-enabled BlackBerry on the PC. Somehow, when Jon Rubinstein joined Palm, someone at Apple forgot to frisk him for iTunes keys.
Our friends over at PreCentral.net, of course, are all over this:
If the Pre does indeed just show up as a standard device on iTunes, it would be big news — but it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Apple has allowed other OEMs to license the necessary APIs to talk directly to iTunes so they can show up as a device. If you take a gander at the list of compatible players on Apple’s support site, you’ll see that Rio players, Nomad Players, and others will all work with iTunes directly (not to mention various Motorola phones).
Still, the level of integration purportedly available to the Pre makes us feel more than a little violated. Did Apple really license them that deep a hook into the system? Given the existence of one Steven P. Jobs, we somehow doubt that. But if not, which 3rd party hook did Palm embed, is it all nice and legal, and how — if at all — will Apple react?
We know! At WWDC Phil Schiller will announce — iPhone compatibility with Palm Desktop!!
Ahem
Not sure when they — finally — flipped this switch, but this morning when I fired up iTunes I was greeted with a full on content party — US TV productions from ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and Warner Brothers are now available for Canadians to download in both standard and high definition.
Prices are $3.49 for HD (which includes an SD copy for your iPhone or iPod) and/or $2.49 for SD all by its lonesome.
So, if you don’t mind paying for a-la-carte programming a day later but sans commercials, loves you the HD option, and you live in the True North Strong and Free-ish, apparently this week is Canada Day come early!
Unsubstantiated rumor? Check. First time source? Check. Friend who wants to remain nameless? Check. That’s it then it’s crazy iPhone screenshot time!
The above come from Kwame Jones via Ars Technica and while I’m perfectly willing to believe Apple would extend their on-device music and podcast (including video podcast) download service to include movies and TV shows, and that we’d get early warning by way of leaked screenshots, I just can’t bring myself to believe this part of the story:
This revelation, (again at least to me) comes by way of an advertisement in the new ad supported version of the app Twitterfon released on 5/15/09. Three ads, stumbled upon by a geeky friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of the powerful arms of the Apple legal department, scrolling across the top of the app were for ‘iTunes Movies’, ‘iTunes TV’ and ‘iTunes Movie Rentals’.
Could Apple accidentally post content pre-official release? Sure, happens to everyone. But to advertise it through a network placement pre-release? Not since Steve Jobs walked the MobileMe hallways with a flamethrower, I’d wager.
If the service is for real, AT&T would no doubt impose the usual 10MB cap on 3G downloads, though Wi-Fi would work. 3G streaming, like with SlingPlayer Mobile, might just bring the network down like the towers of paper antenna it’s thus far proven to be.
Ifs, ands, and buts, aside, would you want on-device downloads for your TV and movies?
We posted last month about how initial reports showed the then new $1.29 price point Big Music had convinced iTunes, Amazon, and other digital music retailers to adopt had caused pricier tunes to fall down the charts, how do things look now, some 4 weeks later?
The same if not worse-ish, according to the Register:
Billboard notes that after four weeks, both $1.29 and $0.99 songs have, as expected, experienced a decline in revenue, down 34.5 per cent and 29 per cent. But since $1.29 songs have a higher margin, the hike has raised more income than if the price had remained at 99 cents. How much? Billboard reckons $14,000 a week net. DMN confirms the trend but wonders if the net effect isn’t negative overall.
Has the long-tail truly come off the online music business? Will the record labels continue to try and squeeze more and more out of the bestselling hits? Do we care? I know I barely thought twice about hitting the buy-button on $0.99 DRM-free, 256-bit iTunes music. At $1.29, however, psychological barrier or not, I think more than twice.
Maybe Steve Jobs was right?
Maybe, in that news of Disney joining up with Hulu to offer even more free, advertising supported television and movie content via the web, could reduce the amount of people in the US who choose to pay for that same content, ad-free for rental or purchase via iTunes. However, there are some other factors involved that Business Week isn’t addressing:
- Hulu is only currently available in the US. iTunes TV and movies are available in Canada, the UK, Australia, and most recently Germany.
- Streaming content such as Hulu is a great option, but not always the best option for every situation. Being able to download, store locally, and watch or take content on the go to watch is still important. (And will remain so until the Internet is as ubiquitous and transparent as electricity).
Most importantly, however:
- Apple has repeatedly stated that they operate the iTunes store at break-even levels just to get people to buy more iPods and now iPhones. Whether that’s semi-disingenuous or not, the iPhone will eventually be able to play Hulu content as well — either directly off the web like YouTube or via a 3rd party Hulu offering in the App Store. More reason to buy iPhones and iPod touches.
If nothing else, Apple has proven to have some small insight into where the “fat middle” of consumerism. They don’t blaze trails, they don’t bleed edges, but they wait and see and when they feel a market is mature, they offer their take on it.
Our bet is we see that Hulu app… whether AT&T allows it or not is another matter…
