All Articles Tagged iTunes

Beginning last Friday, it’s been an exciting time for the iPhone community and for all of us here at TiPB as we’ve witnessed and participated in the launch of the much-anticipated iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0, the App Store, and MobileMe. Although things didn’t go 100% according to plan for Apple, and even though there are numerous bugs to fix and ghosts in the machine to exorcize, there is quite a bit of “new” to be excited about!

With the release of iPhone 2.0 and the App Store, there are now tons of apps to choose from, with more being added each day. Our readers are getting in on the app action and excitement with the opportunity to earn TiPB Store discounts by reviewing apps via our iPhone App Lightning Reviews promotion.

I am now proud to announce the beginning of the iPhone App Avalanche, a brief overview of iPhone apps from the iTunes App Store that will be brought to you here at TiPB. Stop by often for frequent App Avalanche app overviews over the next couple of weeks, then settle in for a weekly overview. With the introductions out of the way, let’s jump into iPhone App Avalanche 1!

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Epic YES! Since the moment the original iPhone came out with its WiFi goodness, I’ve been begging asking for a way to use the iPhone to control the similarly connected iTunes, Front Row, and Apple TV. And now Apple has answered! (Er… except for Front Row, see below). And not only for the iPhone. While I’ll use that term exclusively below, everything here also applies to the iPod Touch.

Remote is FREE, and available either via iTunes (picture above) or right from your iPhone 3G via the App Store. It’s not hard to find, currently dominating the Top Free Apps charts. If you’re not sure how to use App Store yet, check out Brian’s excellent overview to get you started.

I chose to download directly from the iPhone so I could test out the 3G experience. It was fast. (However, when I later synced back with iTunes — my first time post App download — I was asked to re-authenticate my MacBook with the iTunes Store before it would sync the App for backup).

How did it work? Read on!

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Civilizations rose and fell.  Rivers carved canyons.  Stars twinkled into existence, then died.  All this while we waited for iPhone 2.0 and the App Store.  If you were lucky enough to upgrade your iPhone 2G to 2.0 or have a newly-acquired iPhone 3G, and you have upgraded to iTunes 7, you now have access to the App Store on either iTunes or your iPhone and the 3rd party native apps downloading extravaganza can commence!  If you are new to 3rd party apps, new to iPhone and/or iTunes, or just want a little guidance before diving into the App Store, then read on after the break for the App Store walkthrough!

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As we just noted earlier today, iTunes is feeling the hurt of all the traffic today. Case in point: Activation is confirmed to be down all across Canada. We’re also getting reports that some people who did manage to buy an iPhone 3G are stuck in emergency call mode and can’t activate. It seems that activation is so tough right now some AT&T stores are letting customers leave without activating their iPhones. Our advice: do not leave the store without getting it activated, at least for today.

Meanwhile, there’s even worse news: people who applied the 2.0 update to their first-generation iPhones are reporting in the comments that since iTunes is hurting so much, they can’t connect to activate their phone.

In other words, hold off on that update for a bit, otherwise the only person you may be able to call today is going to be 911, and as unhappy as you may be about the entire situation, the police really don’t want to hear about it.

Quick Update: If you’re looking at a non-functional iPhone 3G that can’t be activated but your old phone had its SIM de-activated, pop the new sim out and slap it in your old phone so you can at least make some calls and suchlike.

Although Apple forces you to get your iPhone activated in-store before you walk out the door, that may not mean that people are going to have a trouble-free syncing experience today. To wit: the error message above is the best I can get when I plug my iPhone 3G into my Mac. Apparently iTunes wants to double-check that my iPhone really is what it’s supposed to be. With the presumably massive number of people getting iPhone 3Gs today, iTunes is not handling the load so well.

The store itself is up, but I find it aggravating in the extreme that I can’t sync over any of my apps or media without this initial call-in to the Apple mothership. Thank god Mobile Me is working for me, otherwise I wouldn’t even have contacts on my iPhone.

Update: Rene just called in to say that all of Rogers in Canada is basically down an unable to activate iPhones, so he’s just sitting pretty in the store until things clear up. Let us know — any delays at AT&T or Apple stores when trying to activate?

…Speaking of downtime: yeah, we know, TiPb is not performing up to spec lately. We’re upgrading servers over the weekend (we hope) to bring it back up to acceptable levels. Pardon our 503s.

This will come as a surprise to precisely no-one, but it looks like iTunes announces itself over Bonjour when you turn on “Look for iPhone and iPod Touch remotes” under the advanced preferences. Above are my iTunes Remote details that popped up in Bonjour Browser after I clicked the iTunes’ check box.

Sadly, there are no remotes to read the signal just now, but it does seem likely that some enterprising hackers may someday be able to use this info to hack together iTunes remotes for other platforms besides iPhone 2.0. Because, you know, there are still going to be people out there that don’t use the iPhone.

Steve Jobs only speaks to the media when he has to, when he launches an iPod, the iPhone, the MacBook Air… the App Store. Here’s what he just said to USA Today:

“This is the biggest launch of my career.”

From the man who brought us the Apple II and the Mac? Really? That’s a lot of faith in what some are calling the next major platform. And it looks like Jobs isn’t taking any chances. Heck, it looks like he’s positively stacking the deck:

500 Apps in the Store at launch. 450 of them under $10. 125 of them FREE.

Of course, to enjoy these Apps, you’ll need iTunes 7.7. It’s live now, just crank up Apple’s Software Update or go to Apple.com for the direct download!

Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home - a free download from the App Store.

You’ll need iPhone firmware 2.0 as well, unfortunately, so that means we’re still waiting for another big drop… and/or an iPhone 3G!

UPDATE: According to MacRumors, while the App Store proper is not visible yet in iTunes, APPS ARE!!! To find them, just search for their names (or parts thereof), i.e. AOL, Remote, etc.

(And YES! Apple’s iTunes Remote is there, and it works with iTunes and Apple TV!)

Those lucky… bloggers over at Gizmodo have scored a video walkthrough of both the iPhone 2.0 software (build 5A345) and the matching iTunes 7.7 developers received last week. What say they?

As you can see in the video, the App Store is there—although it’s not active yet—along with the new Push data feature, the content restrictions, and the BCC field in Mail, among the rest of the new features.

Though they also say that the Gold Master didn’t drop last Friday due to some remaining glitches. However, the iPhone/iPod Touch Remote Control was already baked in!

Check out the video and then keep wiping the drool until the 11th!

iPhone 2.0 and its App Store are almost upon us, and while deep-delving every new SDK/firmware beta has revealed many a gem before, this time it’s the Read Me file from the new, developer-only, iTunes 7.7 beta that’s giving up the goodness:

Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store.

YES!

This feature — and hopefully parallel Front Row and Apple TV remote control — has been near the top of my wish list since the iPhone was announced, and while this type of functionality (and much more!) has been hinted at before, it looks like we might finally see it.

Now how about hurrying up with 2.0 already, Apple, you teases!

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Given how kick-in-the-crotch fake the last supposed leaked memo from Rogers (the Canadian GSM monopoly and exclusive iPhone 3G carrier) was, I’m taking this with a Rockies-sized grain of salt. If even remotely accurate, however, it looks like:

In order to unbrick the iPhone in store (which is a requirement of the iPhone Sales Process), you must have iTunes version 7.6.3b4. Installed on your computer. This version has a special ‘Activation Only Mode’ that must be enabled and used in store.

For complete details, including the unbelievable but very Rogers-like ban on all forms of publicity, posters, and promotion (no advertising until 13 weeks post-launch?!), and more telco-related acronyms and contractions than you can shake your head at, check out the read link.

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Beta release 8 is compatible with the final iPhone OS 2.0 release and must be used to build and sign any iPhone OS application to be submitted to the App Store. As a reminder, you must be a member of the iPhone Developer Program to submit apps.

So quoth Apple’s developer site, continuing its relentless schedule leading up to a rumored Friday Gold Master, and a necessary July 11th iPhone 3G launch.

The latest beta weighs in at 1.25 GB and is identified as 5a345.

What’s new this time around? Aside from stability, new certificates replaced the previous, just-expired certificates. Only time and the usually bit-by-bit code inspection will tell what else may lurk in the strings (like MMS and Secure Erase?).

However the SDK beta does require the also available-to-developers beta of iTunes 7.7, with a new, fresh tab to handle App Store apps the same way its previously handled Music, Video, and the rest of your iPhone content.

We’re through the looking glass, folks.

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A New Version of the iPhone SDK is Now Available. Seventh beta version just posted.

So quoth developer.apple.com/iphone, continuing their breakneck, nigh-unprecedented release pace for the iPhone Software Developer Kit (SDK) and iPhone 2.0 beta firmware.

As always, enterprising developers will likely comb through every string and bit in the new release, looking for new features, and hoping strike gold as they have in the past. I’m still holding my breath for video recording and… cut and paste, but admittedly any new discovery will be welcome.

Meanwhile Apple Software Update is now delivering Quicktime 7.5, one of the core components of the Mac’s, and iTunes’ graphic layers. If you’re not prompted for it, and don’t want to trigger it via the utility proper, just surf on over to Apple and grab the direct download. (Note: Mac users will require a reboot — like we said, it’s core level. Windows users, please let us know if you’re likewise sent to the restart.).

Speaking of iTunes, iPhone 3G specs indicate iTunes 7.7 will be required to use Apple’s new handset, so expect another update sometime between now and the July 11th first release date. Other than iPhone 3G specific support and shifting activation to carrier stores, it’s unknown what else the update will bring.

Anyone want to guess? What’s hidden in 2.0 Beta 7, and iTunes 7.7? Give us your best shots!

Long the [out-of-wedlock] stepchildren of the iTunes experience, Canada and the UK got some small measure of love a while back with the addition of TV shows, albeit primarily local and cable fare, like CBC and BBC respectively. But where were our movies? What about our (pricey) Apple Take 2 rentals?

Today Apple finally bestowed cinema on her Majesties loyal subjects, home and commonwealth alike:

Your favourite Hollywood movies are now available to download from the iTunes Store and watch instantly. Rent new releases for just $4.99 and other library titles for just $3.99, or buy movies and own them forever. Sit back and enjoy the show on your computer, take it on the road with your iPod—or view movies in stunning high definition with Apple TV.

In Canada, purchased movies seem to range from $9.99 to an expensive $19.99 for new releases (hey, studios, seen the power of le loonie lately?) while in the UK, rentals will fetch a premium £2.49 to £3.49, and purchases, £6.99 and £10.99.

Like the US, HD Movies are reserved exclusively for direct-to-Apple TV rental (thanks Big Media!), but it seems we might just get to enjoy them for 48 hrs. instead of the miserly 24 in the US.

One drawback? Canada already has steep data rates and stingy data caps (low end accounts offer a paltry 1-2GB a month, with high overage charges). Unlimited accounts can also be slower (low end toping out at 1.5 Mbps). Add to that the potential for cable and telecos to throttle what might seem to them to be competing offerings (to Rogers and Bell on-demand or PPV services, for example), and it will make for some interesting politics.

While the telcos may argue that the post office doesn’t deliver Netflix for free, it’s not like end users see the shipping charges either. It may end up that Apple has to deal with the Big Pipe devils same way they do with Hollywood and the carriers…

UPDATE: I had to reset the settings (not restore to factory, just reset) on the Apple TV in order to get it to offer up some movies, which meant reconnecting it to sync and stream from iTunes.

With the super-fast new 3G iPhone Steve Jobs will all but certainly announce this June, it makes sense that Apple would want to provide services that exploit all that delicious bandwidth, like over-the-air (read: via cell as opposed to WiFi or local sync) ringtones, ringbacks (shudder!), and iTunes Music Store purchases. Sounds great! You’re on the road, away from your WiFi and your computer, and you hear a great song, and it’s available right there via 3G HSDPA download. More songs for us, more content for Apple, and more money for the artists, right?

Wrong. Enter the record labels, who reportedly think that if you buy a song over 3G as opposed to WiFi on your computer, it should somehow give them MORE money. That’s right, a bigger cut for them, meaning higher cost to Apple, meaning (unless Apple eats it like they are with movie sales right now), higher cost to us.

Makes, sense: be given a bigger, more convenient market… demand higher prices.

Where did these guys come from? Did I miss some late-night infomercial…?

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Not evil twin to Phone Different Week in Review, not an invasion by Fake Steve, This Week in Smart Phone Schadenfreude brings you all the feel-better news you need about the smartphone world outside Apple’s current media dominator. (Who knew there was such a world? We were just as surprised! Inelegant, interface challenged, keyboardy, crashy, single-touchy place — best not to linger…). Join us as we mock review the big news from last week at our sister sites. Everybody loves sibling rivalry! Read the rest of this entry »