Apple has removed the cover flow feature from iTunes 11. Cover flow made it possible to view album covers in a three-dimensional, animated user interface.
Cover Flow was first introduced in 2006 with the launch of iTunes 7. Apple has cited research in its decision, stating that there are not enough iTunes users who consider Cover Flow a useful feature. The company has no plans to bring Cover Flow back to iTunes in a future release.
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Facebook is now getting a slice of the Apple iTunes gift card business. A new addition to Facebook Gifts is the ability to purchase digital gift cards good for purchasing music, movies, apps and more on the iTunes store. Buying one of these iTunes gifts simply involves logging into Facebook, charging the gift to your credit card and sending it to a Facebook friend.
How much easier could it be to shop for the holidays? Facebook now has over one billion users every month, and the site is looking for new ways to increase profits. Apple's iTunes gift card business clocks around $2 billion per year. Could Facebook Gifts and iTunes be a match made in heaven?
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After a delay last month, Apple is likely to release iTunes 11 before the end of November. This is according to a report in MacRumors that confirms the software launch will take place within the next few days. Apparently labels have been asked by Apple to submit photos and galleries of their artists.
iTunes 11 will feature a redesigned music store layout, which is where Apple could feature the new artist images. Feiyr, a German music distribution service, sent an email to their artists requesting new art for the upcoming iTunes update. Their message stated that iTunes was coming within days and pointed artists to the Promotion section of their website to submit images.
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Internet radio will have a new competitor early next year if Apple successfully negotiates a deal with record labels. Talks are in progress according to Bloomberg and could be concluded by the middle of November. Apple is seeking to take on Pandora, the current online radio leader.
Apple's radio service would differ somewhat from Pandora's model, with a customized app making it possible to purchase songs as streaming files and re-listen to music in automatically generated playlists on iOS devices. Access to both services will be free, with iAds providing revenue for Apple's service.
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Development for iTunes 11 is well underway at Apple, and details of an internally seeded version of the upcoming software have been revealed by 9to5 Mac. Apple plans to further integrate iCloud controls into the interface of iTunes 11.
Other changes focus on the inner workings of the software, not necessarily cosmetic changes. One of the highlights includes modifications for iOS 6 compatibility. Sources at 9to5 Mac claim that Apple is likely to release another 10.x version to add iOS 6 compatibility for new devices (such as the next iPhone) before releasing iTunes 11.
