ITunes Ping
|
Type of site
|
Social network service |
|---|---|
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Website | www |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | > 1 million after 48 hours; discontinued |
| Launched | September 1, 2010 |
| Current status | Discontinued September 30, 2012 |
iTunes Ping, also known simply as Ping, was a software-based, music-oriented social networking and recommender system service developed and operated by Apple Inc. It was announced and launched on September 1, 2010, as part of the tenth major release of iTunes. The service launched with 1 million members in 23 countries.
The service allowed users to follow artists and see short, timely postings by both friends and artists. Ping was also accessible via iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Apple officially closed the service on September 30, 2012, and replaced it with Facebook and Twitter integration in iTunes.
After Ping's official announcement on September 1, 2010, Karsten Manufacturing, the parent company of PING, a golfing equipment manufacturer, released a statement regarding the name of Apple's social network, stating that Karsten Manufacturing had entered into an agreement with Apple under which Apple will use the "Ping" trademark in connection with its iTunes application. The name has also caused minor confusion as the term "to ping", which was being used by users of Ping, is already a commonly used but unrelated computer term used in conjunction with Ping networking utility.
Ping was announced by Apple CEO, Steve Jobs as being "sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes," but stating that "Ping is not Facebook" and "it is not Twitter," instead describing it as "something else ... all about music." Many have speculated that Ping was meant to compete directly with the declining MySpace, which is still holding on to its existence through music.
The announcement was endorsed by both Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, who closed the event by performing "Viva La Vida" and "Yellow", as well as an unreleased song titled "Wedding Bells", and Lady Gaga who introduced the social network in a recorded video message that was played as part of the practical demo of the service. Lady Gaga's pro-LGBT posts were censored from promo shots by Apple.
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