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itunes extras posts

Filed under: iTS, iTunes, Developer

Apple documents iTunes LP and iTunes Extras for developers

by Joachim Bean (RSS feed) on Nov 26th, 2009

After seeing the intent by developers and artists to create iTunes LP and iTunes Extras for their music, Apple has opened up the availability to develop these features to third parties. However, automatic submission for iTunes LP and iTunes Extras is not expected until early 2010; in the meantime, it's still a limited process and uploads must be performed manually.

If you're an iTunes contributor and you're looking forward to developing an iTunes LP of your own, Apple has posted several resources for Extras & LP, including a best practices guide, a development guide, asset delivery tips and a testing guide.

There's also templates to get you started, and documentation on the TuneKit framework used by iTunes LP and iTunes Extras. These make extensive use of the WebKit framework, while using many new web standards.

Are you going to be more interested in these features since it's now open for development? Let us know in the comments below!

Tags: developers, iTunes Extras, iTunes LP, ItunesExtras, ItunesLp

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTunes, Software Update, Apple TV

Hands-on with the underwhelming Apple TV 3.0 update

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009

Regardless of some of the breathless comments coming out about the Apple TV 3.0 update, it appears that Apple TV is still a "hobby" to Apple. That is my impression after updating my Apple TV this afternoon and giving it a short run around the block.

To start with, I need to qualify this post with a quick reminder that I rarely use my Apple TV. But the gyrations I went through to get it updated are an indication that it still needs a real update, not just a facelift.

I began the update by turning on my Panasonic Viera Plasma TV and flipping the various switches to get the Apple TV on the display. Shortly after, the Apple TV woke up from a few months of sleep and I began flipping screens to find the Update button. I saw something that said "Downloads," and decided that was where I needed to go.

It asked for my Apple ID and password, and then told me I had the password wrong or it couldn't find the Apple ID. All of this was done not by typing on a keyboard, but by using the old white plastic Apple remote to pick one letter at a time off of a grid of letters and numbers. So much for Apple's vaunted skills in user interface design...

Continue reading “Hands-on with the underwhelming Apple TV 3.0 update”

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, iTunes 9.0.2, itunes extras, itunes lp, Itunes9.0.2, ItunesExtras, ItunesLp, software update, SoftwareUpdate

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Apple TV

Apple TV gains hard disk capacity, loses weighty price

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Sep 14th, 2009

Less than a week after the Apple TV was studiously ignored by Steve & Phil at the music event, a tipster has pointed us in the direction of the Apple online store where the device has suddenly gained some capacity and become less expensive.

The original 40GB model has been dropped altogether, and the 160GB model is now available for US$229, down from the previous price of US$329. Is Apple doing this to move inventory in anticipation of a new device, or to clear things out before dropping the Apple TV line?

Regardless of what direction Cupertino is taking, the existing Apple TV needs a software update stat! AppleInsider has speculated that the iTunes LP format and iTunes Extras released last Wednesday are specifically designed to deliver content to Apple TV. They've noted that the content is designed for 1280 x 720 resolution, fitting the native resolution of the Apple TV. There are even html meta tags in the new content -- "hdtv-fullscreen" and "hdtv-cursoroff" -- that seem to indicate that these new formats were designed for the Apple TV.

If Apple is planning on doing something with their "hobby" device, it would behoove them to announce it before the Christmas buying season. Does anyone want to take bets on whether or not there will be an Apple TV event before the beginning of November?

Thanks to twofedoras for the tip!

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, hdtv, hobby, itunes extras, itunes lp, ItunesExtras, ItunesLp

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