Photo: Sullivan/Getty
Apple unveiled new iPod models and iTunes LP — a project that will attempt to revive the album experience on a computer — at their “It’s Only Rock n’ Roll” press conference today in San Francisco.
Before the event even began, the audience gave a standing ovation to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who recently received a liver transplant. Jobs has been out of action for some time, and speculation over whether he’d speak at the conference was almost as furious as rumors there would be an announcement pertaining to the Beatles’ catalog coming to iTunes. (More on that later, and thanks to Gizmodo and Engadget for their coverage of the event).
First up, iTunes 9. The latest version of the world’s most popular digital music service — Jobs told the crowd that song downloads recently topped 8.5 billion — will not only boast a cleaner look, it will also house over 30,000 ringtones from all four major labels for $1.29 each. Additionally, Apple, using user-submitted playlists, has updated their Genius feature, giving users access to better mixes drawn from their own libraries. “The Genius database has gotten smarter and smarter. They’ve enabled us to make Genius playlists. Well, we’re applying that same tech to something new called Genius Mixes,” Jobs said. “Imagine a genius DJ that plays endless mixes of songs from your library that go great together. You just click on one of the mixes, and start playing it — and it will go on and on and on. It’s like a great radio station.”
The coolest addition to the music service, however, is iTunes LP, or the long-rumored “Cocktail” project that Rolling Stone previously noted. The plan is to reproduce the forgotten thrill of rummaging around the artwork and liner notes of an LP, except...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily