This week's news on Apple Ping.
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iCloud upgrade has Ping-like aspirations
17 MaySlashGear
The next upgrade for Apple’s iCloud may well have the company moving into the social networking realm once again with photo sharing in the same vein as ultra-popular photo application Instagram. This report comes from the Wall Street Journal whose sources say that the upgrade will be coming in the form of an iCloud Beta release first for developers at WWDC 2012. This upgrade will have users sharing sets of photos between iCloud accounts, much in the same way that Instagram shares within its own network before sharing outward toward Twitter, Facebook, and the like.
This upgrade would have Apple once again working to become its own social networking hub as it has several times before with such programs as Ping. Apple’s Ping network was revealed back in September of 2010 as “A social network for music” and still exists today inside iTunes. Ping is relatively in-house as far as how share-friendly it can be, but does connect with such networks as Twitter in part – Apple also has Twitter essentially built-in with new iPhones, it’s important to note as well.
The iCloud update being tipped this week for a summer release has also been said to be working with socially sharing videos filmed with the iPhone and iPad much in the same way it’ll have users sharing photos. This iCloud update will also have new access for users to Notes and Reminders, two iPhone and iPad staples that’ve gained heavy traction inside the last couple of years with the newest releases of the iPhone 4S and the iPad 3rd generation (with Retina-quality display.) WWDC 2012 has also been tipped to be the launch point for an early version of iOS 6 which will likely be released in full on 2012′s next iPhone, tentatively code-named iPhone 5.
Story Timeline
- HBO working with Fox and Universal to remove iCloud restrictions
- Mountain Lion Preview 2 adds Twitter notifications and iCloud tab support
- Zapper taps iCloud for custom remote sync
- iTunes 11 to bring tighter iCloud integration and iOS 6 support
- Apple loses iCloud appeal in Germany over push e-mail
- Apple fights Greenpeace over dirty iCloud power report
- Apple gives away free Snow Leopard update for iCloud preparation
- Apple's iCloud hits 125 million users since launch
- Apple's iCloud coal trains blocked by protestors
- Apple iCloud beta website shows iOS 6
iCloud upgrade has Ping-like aspirations is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Could iOS Photo Sharing Be Apple’s Next Ping-like Social Failure?
15 MayNerd World - TIME.com
Apple's enjoyed success in almost everything it's done lately, with the exception of social networking. The company may try to change that with iOS 6, the next version of its iPhone and iPad software.
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Apple Gets Serious About Photo Sharing With iCloud Update
14 MayReadWriteWeb
Apple's Wordwide Developers Conference is still a few weeks away, but as usual, there's no shortage of clues about what to expect. The latest news suggests that Apple is putting more focus on photos and their inherently social nature. The company is expected to push out an update to iCloud that enables users to share and comment on photos.
Details are sparse, but according to The Wall Street Journal, some are expecting a service akin to Flickr to emerge within iCloud. Whether it's a full-blown social service or something a bit more limited, the importance of photos and how they're shared among people is clearly not lost on Apple.
The iCloud update will come two months after Facebook agreed to acquire Instagram for $1 billion. The unexpected deal served as the latest - and perhaps most significant - measure of just how valuable social photography can be, especially on mobile devices of the sort that Apple manufactures (and on which Instagram existed exclusively until recently).
Apple has never been known for building its own compelling social products. The most obvious example is Ping. There's no reason this tendency couldn't change, but what the company is likely cooking up will probably be designed to fit nicely into iOS and iCloud and not necessarily cater to a larger public.
Currently, the way photos are handled within iCloud is pretty static. Photostream syncs photos across devices, but that's about it. The new upgrades will not only add sharing functionality but also the ability to sync videos.
What we'll see at the WWDC is, as always, the subject of widespread rumor and speculation, but the next iteration of iOS is a safe bet. In addition to these iCloud updates, Apple is expected to unveil its own proprietary, notably non-Google mobile maps application. We may also learn more about Mountain Lion, the next version of Mac OS X, and see a hardware refresh or two.
