Apple on Wednesday announced iTunes 10, a major upgrade to its music jukebox and media management software. Leading the changes in this version is a social networking component aimed at helping users discover new music.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs described that feature -- called Ping -- as "Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes." A major new social component of the iTunes Store, Ping is an opt-in social network that lets customers follow their favorite artists, and be followed by friends. Artists can also interact with their fans on their iTunes Store page. You can create a "circle of friends," view what your friends are buying and listening to or watching, post your thoughts and opinions on artist and album pages, keep track of more than 17,000 concert listings, and mark which ones you're going to.
Ping will also be available on the iPhone and iPod touch as a new button in the iTunes Store app.
iTunes 10 also gained a new hybrid view that reorganizes the way the application displays album art in music columns. For albums with more than five songs, iTunes can display an album icon and take up no extra space or require the window to be expanded.
iTunes 10 will be available as a free download on Wednesday at Apple.com or iTunes.com.
We'll have more details on the iTunes update later today. See the live blog of the Apple announcements.
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