Apple has just announced its line up for the annual iTunes Festival. The event which first started in 2007 has been hugely popular as all of the tickets are given away free of charge. The live concerts all take place at London’s The Roundhouse and it all kicks off on September 1^st and goes on until September 30^th.

Every year since 2007, the iTunes Festival has been bringing you a full month of spectacular live music. Many of the world’s biggest stars and the brightest newcomers have graced the festival stage, and this year’s brilliant line-up includes jack White, One Direction, Norah Jones and more. It will all take place in September 2012 at one of the UK’s best live music venues-the Roundhouse in London.

If you can't make the live shows, you can enjoy all the action live on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via the iTunes Festival app, as well as on your Mac or PC. The iOS app even supports AirPlay; enabling you to stream the action straight to your Apple TV. Unfortunately, it looks like being exclusively for UK based users as the app is only available in the UK App Store.

Free - Download Now

Source: iTunes Festival

Apple has quietly continued the roll out of its iTunes Match service by launching it in five more countries. iTunes Match is now available in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia. iTunes Match was originally made available in the United States  back in November. It was then rolled out to a few more countries in December last year and now a five more have been added into the mix.

iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to iCloud for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Since there are more than 20 million songs in the iTunes Store, chances are your music is already in iCloud. And for the few songs that aren’t, iTunes uploads what it can’t match. Even better, all the music iTunes matches plays back from iCloud at 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.

How to set up and use iTunes Match

Source: Macstories

The standing committee on infrastructure and communications in the Australian House of Representatives will be launching an investigation into why digital goods (such as iTunes music and iBooks) are priced so much more highly in Australia than elsewhere in the world. Traditionally, shipping costs drove prices up for physical goods, but for electronic files you're downloading, there's really no good reason for such a price disparity. Stephen Conroy, Australia's Minister of Communications, said in a recent letter:

There is evidence to suggest that the innovative use of technology is not always matched with innovative new business models in the case of products and services distributed online... I agree that Australian businesses and households should have access to IT software and hardware that is fairly priced relative to other jurisdictions … the global digital economy is likely to make it increasingly difficult to sustain business models that are based on a geographic carve-up of markets.

iOS apps in Australia don't really cost any more than they do over here, but there's a pretty big disparity in music prices. For example, Jack White's newest album, Blunderbuss, and Adele's, 21, cost $10.99 in the U.S., but $16.99 in Australia. I'm sure there are different taxes to be paid over there, but they can't be that huge. As for iBooks, there aren't many textbooks that have found their way to the Australian market since the big educational update. Pricing for iBooks can sometimes be even more expensive than a proper paperback, a situation which is exacerbated by a pricing model which is currently under scrutiny elsewhere, too.

Of course, Apple isn't the only one in the crosshairs. Adobe is charging $1400 more than the the U.S. version for one software package in Australia. Microsoft will also be called to explain its pricing model to the government over the course of the investigation, which will be launching sometime this year.

Australians, who have you found to charge the most inflated prices for digital downloads? Have the higher prices stopped you from buying software, music, or e-books?

Source: SMH

Sick as a dog. It never fails, a couple times every spring and fall, I get a sinus infection that makes me seriously wishing my head would just explode and get it over with. But no such luck. I still have a site to run. And a column to get done. For the people who are still alive...

iTunes

It also seems to be the time of year for iTunes to hit the news cycle, both with rumors about an iTunes 11 refresh and a lot of media angst about whether or not iTunes as it currently exists is a bloated, hot mess.

Well of course it is. It has to be. iTunes is a way for Apple's mostly Windows-based iPod, iPhone, and iPad consumers to buy media and manage their devices. It was the only way until iCloud, and it's probably still the primary way.

Tempting as it might be to think iTunes on Windows is Apple's way of getting payback for Office on Mac, it's simply been easer to maintain the port of a single, multi-purpose, monstrous app than to implement an alternative. It's also been easier to direct customers, mostly Windows customers, to a single, multi-purpose, monstrous app than to implement an alternative.

Want to activate your iPhone, iPod, or iPad? Connect to iTunes. Want to buy stuff to put on it or sync stuff over to it? Connect to iTunes. And because of that, iTunes remains a single, multi-purpose, monstrous app on OS X as well.

When Windows compatibility isn't necessary, like with Mac Apps, you get a separate Mac App Store app.

It will take a long time for a critical enough mass of Windows users, especially traditionalists, to shift off iTunes and onto iCloud. It will also take a long time for iCloud to become functional enough to make iTunes for Windows unnecessary. Apple will know when that happens by the download and usage numbers.

And when they do, that's when iTunes will change. On both Windows and the Mac.

Upgrade pricing

Upgrade pricing has also made it's way back into the news. Almost 4 years post-App Store launch and, a few hints to the contrary not withstanding, Apple still doesn't provide a way for developers to charge for upgrades. We're not talking about bug fixes or even minor feature enhancements either. Not 1.0.1 or even 1.1. We're talking about major new versions of software, like 2.0, 3.0, etc. Software that takes time and incurs costs to develop.

That's bad for developers and bad for consumers. Sure, the idea of free updates forever sounds nice, but it's not manageable. It's like your boss telling you he's not paying you for work you did today because he already paid you for it yesterday.

Conversely, just because I bought a hamburger at McDonald's today, doesn't mean I get free hamburgers every day for the rest of my life. Just because I paid to see Batman Begins doesn't mean I'll be let into Dark Knight Rises for free. And just because I bought Tweetie doesn't mean I was entitled to Tweetie 2 for free (or any other stand-alone version 2.0, 3.0, etc. app for that matter).

No one can run a sustainable business like that. And I want developers to have sustainable businesses because I want more, better, deeper apps.

Cocoaheads

I had the opportunity to speak at Cocoaheads Montreal last Tuesday on the topic of app marketing. It's something near and dear to my heart for a couple of reasons. First, before I ran iMore I worked in enterprise software marketing. Second, now that I run iMore I see tons of apps with tons of potential fall on the App Store with a whimper instead of an explosion, get very little attention, and disappear.

You absolutely need to make a great app, but you also absolutely need to tell people about it. Just like you wireframe and mock up the design and plan and code the functionality you need to strategize and execute the product marketing.

Be in the App Store day and date with that great new feature Apple really wants to show off, so they and the media show you off along with it. Find the sites that write about the kind of apps you make and engage them directly and passionately. Talk about the problems your app solves (not "my app does XYZ" but "if you need XYZ, that's what my app does"). Be easy to work with -- have assets ready for Apple if they want to feature you immediately, have advanced promo codes ready for key writers if they want to do release day reviews. If there's a legitimate reason to have web-based accounts that offer additional functionality, don't abuse them but certainly use them to directly engage your user base.

The App Store might be a gold-rush-come-lottery but that doesn't mean you can't stack what odds there are in your favor.

Wide-screen iPhone

Last iMore heard, Apple was sticking with the 3.5 inch screen size, though it wasn't "set in stone" and could be slightly bigger. A confluence of events led some to speculate that Apple could go wider instead of just bigger. Closer to 16:9 than the current 3:2. Apple has lots of prototypes in the labs, which is why there are so many rumors about different sizes and cases of iPhones and iPads. We haven't heard anything about a 16:9 iPhone, but we have heard Apple is (perhaps still) discussing or experimenting with alternatives to the current Home button. Could these experiments come together into an almost all-screen iPhone?

It raises the kind of problems for developers and apps that Apple has thus far avoided by retaining the same aspect and pixel ratio in iPhones since they first introduced the original iPhone. Given how long Apple is leaving older devices on the market as well -- for example, the 2009 iPhone 3GS is still sold as new -- it would be a long-lasting problem as well. Boxing 3:2 apps, like Apple does with iPhone apps on the bigger iPad screen, wouldn't create the premium phone experience Apple is known for.

Features

• iPhone 4S six months later: A group of us from iMore, Mobile Nations, and the podcasts shared our thoughts on the iPhone 4S a year-and-a-half into the product cycle. How's it holding up? Is it still competitive? Would we recommend it to a new buyer today?
• Flipboard vs Zite vs Pulse: iPad personalized magazine app shootout!: Ally takes a look at her three favorite iPad note-takers/text-editors and figures out which one is the best and for whom.
• Could carriers rebel against the high costs of Apple’s iPhone?: Chris Umiastowski takes a look at the iPhone's popularity relative to its subsidies and how that may concern the carriers.
• How I use my iPhone 4S as a therapist: Georgia shares how she uses her iPhone at work.
• Solving the case of the missing iPad apps: The best clock, voice recording, weather, calculator, and stock apps alternatives: Leanna goes looking for replacements for the apps Apple intentionally withheld from the iPad.

Recommended reading

• From the Editor's Desk: The alternative Android dictionary: Phil Nickinson reveals the dirty little secrets of dirty little blogs
• BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 Review: Kevin Michaluk pays $2K for a BlackBerry and tells us if it was worth it.
• iCloud’s First Six Months: The Developers Weigh In: Federico Viticci interviews prominent developers about the current state of iCloud.
• Nielsen is wrong on mobile: Josh Clark of Global Moxie tackles the concept of mobile as a second-class experience.
• Instagram is the best, Instagram is the worst: Chris Ziegler and Dieter Bohn get into a good old fashioned "duck season/rabbit season" row over the value of Instagram.
• The Mac App Store Needs Paid Upgrades: Wil Shipley explains why upgrade revenue matters under the current software business model.

Still alive

Fever's still up and so am I. Let's see if fixing that second part fixes the first.

According to numerous iMore readers, Universal Studies movies are now showing as available to re-download via iTunes Movies in the Cloud. Part of Apple's iCloud offering, apps, iBooks, and music were available at launch, with TV Shows following soon thereafter. Movies in the Cloud were added shortly after the new iPad but only in the US and only from a few studies. This may have been due to the so-called "HBO window", when cable operators like HBO have exclusive license to certain movie for a certain period.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported, however, that HBO was open to negotiations.

HBO isn’t planning to give up its exclusive windows, for which it pays hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and which allow it to beam movies to its online service HBO Go as well as to its traditional TV channels. But HBO is relaxing terms to let users of iCloud and other services send movies they already own to other devices during those windows, an HBO spokesman said.

HBO agreed to loosen its arrangement with Warner Bros., which is working with iCloud, and also is in talks with Universal and Fox to do the same, the spokesman added.

Hopefully this is what's happened with Universal, and hopefully it will happen with the other remaining Movies in the Cloud hold-outs.

And hopefully we'll get it outside the US soon as well!

Note: MacRumors is reporting the same.

Some people, really security conscious people, would probably prefer iTunes ask for a password any time it does anything, always. Better safe than sorry. Who knows who could be using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad after all, from a friend to a colleague to a spouse to a child to a friend's colleague's spouse's child. You really want to risk $100 in Hello Kitty apps suddenly showing upon your Home screen?

Other people, really convenience-oriented people, would probably like iTunes to ask for a password as little as possible. Maybe never. If you're the only one who ever uses your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, and it never leaves a place you control, then why should you be bothered by having to enter in a password every time an app has a minor bug fix update?

Personally, I'd like a choice (big surprise, right?) Give me a Settings option for "always ask", or "only ask for paid transactions". I don't think "never ask" is safe, so I'm fine with that not being there. What about you? How often do you think iTunes should ask for your password?

Apple today released iTunes 10.6.1, a bug-fix update that addresses a number of irksome issues, including the problem with TV shows on Apple TV. Here's the rundown.

iTunes 10.6.1 provides a number of improvements, including:

• Fixes several issues that may cause iTunes to unexpectedly quit while playing videos, changing artwork size in Grid view, and syncing photos to devices.
• Addresses an issue where some iTunes interface elements are incorrectly described by VoiceOver and WindowEyes.
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may become unresponsive while syncing iPod nano or iPod shuffle.
• Resolves an ordering problem while browsing TV episodes in your iTunes library on Apple TV.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

You can grab it now via Software Update. When you do, let us know how it works for you and, if you were having any issues, whether it fixed them.

If you need any help updating, or want to discuss the contents of the update in greater depth, jump on into our iTunes forum.

You've just gotten the new iPad, and now that it's in your hands and you just can't wait to see see what your favorite videos look like on that high density Retina display. In other words just can't wait to load it up with all kinds of content including movies, TV shows, and music. All of the above are available in the iTunes Store directly from your iPad.

How to download and watch a movie or TV show

In most countries, iTunes has a great selection of movies and TV shows to choose from that you can either purchase or rent straight from your iPad, no computer needed. Follow these steps to download or rent a movie directly from your iPad.

1. Open the iTunes app from your homescreen.
2. Click on either the Movies or TV shows tab along the bottom. Here you'll see a list of new and featured movies or TV shows in iTunes.
3. In the upper right hand corner you can search for any movie or show you'd like.
4. Once you've found what you're interested in, tap on it in order to view a larger description. You can also preview movies via the preview button.

5. When you find something you'd like to rent or buy, you can choose to purchase or rent the standard definition (SD) or high definition (HD) version. Once you've decided which one you want, tap it twice to purchase it. TV shows will only allow you to purchase from your device. Movies will allow you to rent them as well as purchase.
6. You'll be prompted to enter your iTunes password and you're done! Your download will begin.

To watch your content:

1. Go back to your Home screen by tapping your home button.
2. Find your Videos app and open it.
3. You should see all your tv shows and movies. Tap on the one you'd like to watch to see a description and more info. When you're ready to watch it, just tap the Play button and enjoy!

You'll also be able to access most of your iTunes purchased movies from any iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV linked to your account via Movies in the Cloud. You can do this with TV shows you've purchased as well.

How to download and listen to music

1. Open the iTunes app from your homescreen.
2. Click on the Music tab along the bottom. Here you'll see a list of new and featured music. You can also use the tabs at the top to view Featured, Top Charts, and Genius. Genius will look for music based on your current collection that it thinks you may like.
3. In the upper right hand corner you can search for any song or album you'd like.
4. Once you've found a song or album you're interested in, tap on it in order to view a larger description. Tap on the track number to preview a song.
5. You can either purchase individual songs from an album or purchase the entire album in one go. Tap on the price to purchase.
6. You'll be prompted to enter your iTunes password and you're done! Your download will begin.

To listen to your newly downloaded music, follow these steps -

1. Go back to your home screen by tapping your home button.
2. Find your Music app and open it.
3. You should see all the music you've synced to your phone. Just search for the song or album you've just added. You can also go under playlists and "recently added" to see all the music you've recently added.
4. Tap play and you're good to go!

How to re-download your previously purchased music, TV shows, and movies

Most of the content you download will be available for use on your other devices as well. Music, movies, and tv shows can be re-downloaded and watched on any iPhone, iPad, or computer you have authorized on your iTunes account. Movies and tv shows can also be streamed to your Apple TV while music can be accessed if you subscribe to iTunes Match or have your computer running on the same network.

How to stream movies from iTunes on Mac or Windows PC

If you'd rather keep your content on your Mac or Windows PC and just watch them on your iPad, that's easy to do with Home Sharing. As long as you're on the same Wi-Fi network, everything on your computer can be beamed straight to your iPad.

• How to use iTunes Home sharing with your new iPad

Other ways to get movies, TV shows, and music onto your new iPad

There are a variety of other options for getting great videos and music onto your new iPad. Netflix and Hulu bring you TV and movies new and old. A lot of TV networks and some cable networks have dedicated apps where you can watch your local shows. Air Video will transcode on the fly and stream MKV, AVI and other videos from your home PC to your iPad. Slacker will provide you with internet radio channels. And there's a lot more too.

Take a look around the App Store, you'll be amazed how many apps there are for exactly that!

Additional resources:

• How to set up your new iPad with iCloud or iTunes
• Access iTunes movies in the cloud with your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
• Movies, TV shows, and videos help and discussion forum
• Music, DJ, and Jamming Forum

If you just got your new iPad, you're going to want to set it up and get it working just as quickly and effectively as possible. With iCloud you can do that right on your iPad, with no computer or cables involved. If you prefer the old-school approach, you can also set up your new iPad using iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.

For most people, most of the time, we recommend iCloud, but we'll walk you through both of them below.

How to setup your new iPad

When you turn on your new iPad, you'll be greeted with a Lock screen that simply says "iPad". That's where we start.

Note: None of the default choices pre-checked for you. You can't simply keep hitting Next to speed through. You have to look at the choices and tap one to check it before the Next button will even activate. Apple is forcing you to pay more attention than is often required on the web or in apps.

1. Swipe to unlock.
2. Choose your language. Your iPad will show you the most common languages for the area in which you bought it, but you can tap the downward arrow icon to see all the choices. Tap the blue Arrow button to continue.
3. Choose you country or region. Again, your iPad will show you the region where you bought your iPad, but you can tap **Show more...* for additional options. Tap the blue Next button to continue.
4. Choose whether you want to globally enable or disable location services. Location Services use GPS, cell-tower triangulation, and Wi-Fi router mapping to determine the approximate location of your iPad. This feature is used for turn-by-turn navigation (like Navigon, check-in games (like FourSquare), social networks (like Facebook), geo-tagging (like in the Camera app), and utilities (like Find my iPad, etc. Unless you have a particular need to globally disable it, you'll want to turn on the Location Services feature at this point. You can change your mind or selectively disable or enable these services later on in the Settings app (e.g., turn off your Camera app’s geo-tagging, but leave on TomTom’s turn-by-turn navigation). Tap the blue Next button to continue.
5. Choose your Wi-Fi network. Even if you're on 3G or LTE, your iPad wants Wi-Fi because there may be a lot of data to move around and blasting through your data cap on setup is no fun. Enter your network password and tap the blue Next button to continue.
6. Wait for Apple to activate your iPad. This could take a few minutes.
7. Choose if you want to setup your iPad as new, restore from iCloud backup, or restore from an iTunes backup on a PC. Tap the blue Next button to continue.

How to set up your new iPad as a new iPad (clean install)

To set up your iPad as new (basically like doing a first or clean install of your computer):

1. Choose whether you want to sign in with your Apple ID or create a free Apple ID. If you're not sure what that is, and don't know if you already have one, it can be any of the following: iTunes Store account, , me.com email account, Apple developer account, FaceTime or iMessage account
2. If this is the first time you've ever used an Apple product or service or just want a new one, you can create an Apple ID.
3. Enter your Apple ID to login. (Enter your full email address as the username.) Tap the blue Next button to continue. (If you change your mind, you can logout of iCloud, or login under a different account later.)
4. Agree to the terms and conditions of service by tapping the blue Agree button on the bottom left.
5. Confirm your agreement by tapping the Agree button.
6. Choose if you want Setup iCloud. If you're not sure, choose to setup iCloud. The basic service is free and makes your iPad infinitely more usable. Use iCloud.
7. Choose if you to use iCloud Backup. Again, you really, really do. It keeps all your data safely backed up and let you restore or easily switch to a new or additional iOS devices later. Use iCloud Backup.
8. Choose if you want to use Find my iPad. Also free, also incredibly useful to track down your iPad if you ever lose it or have it stolen. If in doubt, Use Find my iPad.
9. Choose if you want to automatically send Diagnostics to Apple. It's anonymous and helps make Apple make better products, but if you're uncomfortable with the idea, choose Don't send.
10. Wait while iCloud is setup.
11. Start using your iPad!

How to restore your new iPad from an iCloud backup

For the smoothest experience and longest battery life, we always recommend setting your new iPad up as new (see above). If you have an old iPad or other iOS device, and need access to your old data quickly, or dread the idea of starting from scratch again, you have the option of simply restoring your new iPad from a backup of your old device.

1. Choose restore from iCloud backup.
2. Enter your Apple ID to login. (Enter your full email address as the username.) Tap the blue Next button to continue. (If you change your mind, you can logout of iCloud, or login under a different account later.)
3. Agree to the terms and conditions of service by tapping the blue Agree button on the bottom left.
4. Confirm your agreement by tapping the Agree button.
5. Choose your backup*. You'll see your Latest iPad Backup listed, and this is usually the one you want to choose. You'll also see older backups, if available, and if no iPad backup is available, backups of your other iOS devices on the same iCloud account.

A progress bar will show you an approximation of how long it will take to download your backup. Once it's done, your iPad will reboot.

Once your iPad reboots, you'll be asked to re-enter all your passwords (as a security measure, iCloud will not restore passwords).

Once that's done, your iPad will start re-downloading all your apps. If iTunes in the Cloud is available in your country, it will also re-download iTunes music, movies, TV shows, and iBooks. will restart, all your settings nicely back where you left them, and iTunes will begin to re-download all the apps you had installed when the backup was made.

You will need to stay on Wi-Fi for any file larger than 50MB to re-download.

How to update the software on your new iPad

Depending on when you buy your new iPad, there may be software updates available. Small updates might simply fix bugs and improve performance (for example, iOS 5.0.1). Medium updates might add a few new features or support new devices (for example, iOS 5.1 released in March of 2012 with the new iPad). Large updates might add significant new features (for example, iOS 5, released in October 2011 with the iPhone 4S).

If a software update is available for your new iPad, a popup notification will let you know, and a red badge will appear at the top righthand corner of your Settings app. If you connect your iPad to iTunes on the Mac or Windows, iTunes will also popup a notification to let you know when there's a software update waiting.

Just like setting up your new iPad, you can either do software updates directly on your device, over-the-air (OTA) or by plugging into iTunes on your PC.

OTA on-device updates are faster and more convenient since your iPad will only download the changes and update in place, so once it's done and rebooted, you're good to go.

iTunes updates backup your iPad, download the entire software install from Apple (typically over 500MB), replace the entire operating system, then restore from backup.

• How to update your iPad software over-the-air (OTA)
• How to update your iPad software with iTunes

More new iPad how-tos

Setting up your new iPad is only the beginning. You still need to get apps and games, books, TV shows, and movies, set up your email, get iMessage and FaceTime up and running, and much much more. iMore has tips, tricks, and how-tos for all of them.

• All new iPad help and how-to guides

Need help?

If you run into any problems or need any extra assistance, don't hesitate to ask. We've got a special, dedicated thread set up in our forums to deal with any issues you may have.

• New iPad setup help

Apple has made 1080p TV shows and music available for streaming and purchase via the iTunes Store. The price is the same as the previous 720p HD content, but is the image quality better enough to justify the bigger download sizes and increased storage they'll require?

First of all it's worth remember that, as of now, only the new iPad and the new Apple TV, in addition to iTunes on the desktop, can even play back 1080p content. If you primarily watch your iTunes TV shows and movies on an iPad 2 and iPhone 4S or older device, 720p is all you can play. That makes the choice simple -- there is none.

[Clarification: As pointed out in the comments below, you can load 1080p content onto iPad 2 or iPhone 4S, but the screen density is insufficient to play them at native resolution. For streaming, there's no reason to go 1080p. For purchases, you may want to swallow the size difference and go 1080p simply to future-proof your collection.]

If you're getting the new iPad and/or the new Apple TV, however, you have the choice. With one flip of the Settings, you can go from 720p to 1080p. That makes the choice not so simple.

Ars Technica has taken a look and compared 720p vs 1080p content from iTunes, and the results are surprising. 1080p iTunes content isn't that much bigger than 720p, but still manages to look better.

n the iTunes 10.6 preferences under Store, you can select whether HD downloads come in 720p or 1080p resolution. In the iTunes Store, movies conveniently list the file size for the selected format. A couple of examples: Hugo is 1.74GB in SD, 3.99GB in 720p, and 4.84GB in 1080p. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is 1.00, 2.91, and 3.65 gigabytes, respectively. However, to determine the quality difference, I looked at two (currently free) TV episodes: episode 1 of season 5 of The Big Bang Theory, and the first episode of Awake.

The reason Ars gives is that the new Apple TV supports High Profile H.264 decompression up to level 4.0, while the iPhone 4S and the new iPad support it up to level 4.1. That means they can handle more bits per second, and otherwise better optimize quality vs. file size. However. Ars also found the amount of extra detail in the 1080p versions varied greatly between videos and even within videos. In other words, 1080p didn't always make a big difference to the overall quality of the experience.

While not directly comparable, if you want to look at the difference between 720p and 1080p without buying or downloading entire movies or TV show episodes, iTunes Movies Trailers is a good resource. I checked out a bunch of recent trailers, including The Avengers and noticed not only differences in quality but in color fidelity as well (look at the greens in the image up top). File sizes weren't outrageously different either.

Check out their full report via the link below, and let us know if you're going to be flipping your iTunes switch to 1080p.

Source: Ars Technica

Apple has made the complete new iPad event keynote video available through iTunes. You can find the video under Podcasts > Technology > Tech news > Apple Inc > Apple Keynotes. You can then download just the event video or subscribe to all future events when they become available.

The free download is 980.9 MB; so if you are on a slow connection it may take a while to download. You can always see the event as a stream on Apple's site if you can't wait for the download.

Source: iTunes

Apple is set to announce the next generation iPad later today at its media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Also on the agenda is a revamped Apple TV which 9to5 Mac has garnered some rather interesting information.

According to their sources, the new Apple TV will stick to its current low price point of $99 even though it is getting a very nice spec bump. The new Apple TV should have the exact same form factor as the current version but include the ability to play back 1080p high definition content, Bluetooth 4.0 should also be included and of course a processor bump to help run all of the new internals.

The Apple TV J33 model, MD199LL/A – J33 BEST -USA, which we’ve covered before will come in at the same $99 price point (and similar prices globally).

Also the mystery Apple TV accessory which is listed as B82 has also been given a price point of $39. We have no idea what this accessory may be but we assume that it could be some type of advanced remote control to take advantage of the new Bluetooth 4.0 capability.

And lastly, the new iPad 3/iPad HD may also be receiving the same AppleCare+ treatment the iPhone 4S received back in October. It would replace the already existing $79 AppleCare plan and be priced at $99. From there users would be covered for up to 2 incidents of accidental damage, which general AppleCare plans don't cover. The AppleCare+ package for iPhone currently has a $49 deductible per incident. No word on whether the deductible would be the same for AppleCare+ for iPad.

Source: 9to5 Mac

Apple is rumoured to be launching its own TV streaming service which could be available in time for Christmas. The news comes from a report in the New York Post which claims to have some inside information on the direction Apple is looking to take.

For months, Apple’s point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant’s efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing, sources said. Apple’s negotiating stance can be summed up as “we decide the price, we decide what content,” according to one source familiar with the talks. “They want everything for nothing,” said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.

Apple has been rumored to be releasing an updated Apple TV device at its iPad 3 event which is scheduled for March 7. It has also been strongly rumoured that Apple is working on an actual Apple HDTV set. We will have to wait and see how this one transpires but it would appear to make more sense if Apple manages to get control of some live TV content; especially sports content.

Source: New York Post

Apple is reportedly working on a new audio format that's supposedly all about enabling a better streaming and downloading for users of Apple's iTunes Match service. The new format should hopefully enable Apple to increase the quality of audio being delivered without increasing its file size. The same format could also be an adaptive streaming format so a lower quality audio stream could also be delivered in times of low bandwidth availability. According to UK newspaper The Guardian:

It is believed that Apple will use the new file type to upgrade its iTunes Match service, which allows users to re-download music from iCloud to their Apple devices. A source with inside knowledge of the process says Apple has asked a London studio to prepare audio files for a new streaming format that will adapt to bandwidth or hardware capabilities. "All of a sudden, all your audio from iTunes is in HD rather than AAC. Users wouldn't have to touch a thing – their library will improve in an instant," said the source, who requested to remain anonymous.

Musician Neil Young claimed back in January that modern digital music was so highly compressed that 95 percent of the audio content was lost. He believed that Steve Jobs was working on a solution to the problem. The recent Mastered for iTunes seems like the first steps towards that. Maybe this new audio format is another?

Source: The Guardian

Apple has acquired Chomp, a search and discovery app for the iPhone that helps users find the best-of-the-best apps in the App Store. Apple plans to utilize Chomp's proprietary algorithms and technology to improve discoverability and user experience, presumably both on the mobile and desktop versions of the App Store.

According to M.G Siegler at TechCrunch:

This is not a cheap “acqui-hire”, Apple has bought the Chomp team and technology and plans to use both to completely revamp App Store search and recommendations, I hear.

This follows a recent 9to5Mac report that Apple had plans in the pipeline for a complete revamp of the iTunes and App Store environment, with emphasis on app and music discovery. The Chomp acquisition would no doubt play a roll, potentially a large one, in the rumored redesign, especially server-side where right now there are far too many scam apps and poor quality search results to effectively find quality apps.

Whether or not it would replace, or merely reinvigorate the Genius recommendation system is unknown.

There are currently over 500,000 iOS apps available for download and purchase, and Apple is already preparing for 25 billion app downloads. There's also a growing number of OS X apps in the Mac App Store. This is something Apple simply has to address.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple has been working with musical artists and their sound engineers to offer up the highest encoding practices possible for submissions to the iTunes Store, and has now begun to showcase some of that work, launching a new "Mastered for iTunes" section on the iTunes Store.

Apple currently makes use of the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec for music compression and while, to the average listener, these files may sound great, to audiophiles, sound-engineers and the artists who create the music, they're not getting the full array of sound that they intended for you to hear. Most recently, the likes of Neil Young, Dr. Dre and even Jimmy Iovine, head of Interscope-Geffen-A&M have all gone on record as not being in favor of the sound quality listeners are getting when purchasing music. The Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec used by Apple and various other digital media service providers, causes quality loss during the conversion from the 24-bit 192kHz original recording. By the time consumers actually get the file, you're only receiving as little as three percent of the original 192kHz quality.

With the launch of the Mastered for iTunes section, Apple is now transitioning from their original methods of taking the CD masters and encoding them to the 256kbps iTunes Plus files, and is instead asking publishers to submit the full high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz files so they may be the base file for encoding. To help with the transition for music publishers, they've also released a white paper documenting the changes and advising how to go about the process of submissions as well as providing new mastering tools to go along with it.

In the end, the ultimate goal here is to have everyone obtain the highest quality audio files possible from the iTunes Store. Neil Young noted previously that he had been working with Apple on this change prior to the death of Steve Jobs and since then, there hasn't been much word from Apple. Now, with the roll out of the new encoding standards and the Mastered for iTunes section, we know why Neil hasn't heard any word from Apple. They were busy making it all happen behind the scenes.

Source: Mastered for iTunes, white paper, via Ars Technica

Beatles fans can now enjoy their favorite Beatles songs in ringtone and alert form on their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iTunes now has an exclusive selection of Beatles ringtones from the Beatles "1" album -- a collection of their greatest hits. All 27 songs are available as ringtones.

For the first time, get the music of The Beatles as individual ringtones - exclusively on iTunes. Each of the timeless tunes from 1 is now available to purchase and enjoy as a ringtone or alert on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

You can choose to use the tones as ringtones on your iPhone or alert tones on your iPad or iPod touch. Apple just recently made content from the Beatles available on iTunes last November.

If you're a Beatles fan, you can jump over to the iTunes store on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and purchase them now.

• How to set an iPhone ringtone
• How to change your iPhone alert tone

$1.29 each - View selection

Apple is reportedly planning a redesign for the iTunes Store and App Store for sometime later this year. Apple hasn't introduced a complete overhaul to the iTunes Store interface since late 2009 when they introduced iTunes 9. Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac reports:

The new design is said to be even simpler and more user-friendly than the current design. Apple is working on ways to enhance the speed and efficiency of finding new content, such as songs, videos, and applications. The cornerstone element of Apple’s new iTunes Store is interactivity. As Apple vaguely explained to a number of music labels and entertainment partners, Apple is looking to make the iTunes Store a much more engaging experience. [...] The interactivity that Apple wants within the digital store is something Apple could only likely pull off by housing the store within a full-fledged application, not a pure web browser experience.

They're not sure if this redesign, like iTunes 9, will require a new version number -- iTunes 11 -- or if it will just be rolled into an iTunes 10 point release. However, discoverability is said to be on the agenda, with more interactive ways to find music, movies, apps, and games being a priority. It sounds like iTunes on Windows and Mac is the current focus, and may be timed to coincide with Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion this summer, though the more traditional fall update cycle -- perhaps alongside the iPhone 5 -- could be a more likely possibility.

Source: 9to5Mac

The App Store has been around for nearly 4 years, and it is approaching 25 billion downloads. (That's 25,000,000,000!) To celebrate, Apple is doing a countdown and giving away a US$10,000 (or equivalent) iTunes gift card to the person who downloads the 25 billionth app.

As of today, nearly 25 billion apps have been downloaded worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks. Download the 25 billionth app, and you could win a US$10,000 App Store Gift Card.* Just visit the App Store and download your best app yet.

You can enter by downloading an app from the App Store or alternatively filling out a form on Apple's website. US and Canada residents can also enter by calling 1-866-296-5926.

The promotion will end once the 25 billionth app has been downloaded and will be announced on Apple's website.

Just like with Apple's giveaway on previous milestones, we want to ask, what would you do with US$10,000 to spend on iTunes?

Good luck, it could be you.

Source: Apple countdown, online entry form

Paul McCartney is celebrating the release of Kisses On The Bottom, which came out Tuesday, February 7, with a free live-streaming concert on February. 8, 2012. The event is being held at Capital Studios in Los Angeles and will be available to one and all via iTune.

Kisses On The Bottom is a collection of music McCartney grew up listening to plus two new songs -- My Valentine and Only Our Hearts composed by the former Beatle himself with some help from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder.

For the album, McCartney also got help from Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall, whose band who will also be on hand for the live-streaming event. You can hear McCartney speak more about the album in the video below.

Source - Guitar World; More Info: iTunes

Apple has removed a number of copy-cat apps from the App Store, specifically plagiaristic titles such as Tiny Birds, Temple Jump and Numbers With Friends created replicated by developer Anton Sinelnikov. Apple has made similar moves against shady developers in the past, taking down 1,000 apps in 2008 after they noticed fake 5-star reviews in the App Store.

However, the problem is greater than just a few scam apps from a few shady developer. Most of us know that these titles copy from the real deal, specifically Tiny Wings, Temple Run and Words With Friends, but new users might have a hard time telling them apart, and get a nasty surprise after they've drop down money only to discover they've been conned into buying a fake app. That creates a bad experience and might make them wary of the App Store in the future.

For legitimate developers, they lose out on the income. It's difficult and expensive enough, especially for independent developers, to get a hit title on the App Store. When and if they finally do have a hit on their hands, they now have to worry about scammers trying to steal their sales, damage their brand, and turn off their customers. Worse yet, according to developer Kode80, scammers rely on the outrage that follows their copy-cat apps to actually gain attention and drive sales.

Should Apple be doing more to prevent copy-cat titles from hitting the App Store in the first place, and should they be making it easier to report when they do? Apple long ago appointed themselves as gate-keepers and curators, but when it comes to copyright issues, they've followed the common practice of waiting for a complaint and then leaving the developers involved to fight it out. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it lets bigger, more established brands bully competitors out of the App Store.

Likewise, Zynga, one of the biggest gaming companies on the planet, has been accused of copying NimbleBit's Tiny Tower with their new game, Dream Heights. Dream Heights doesn't present itself as a copy-cat in the App Store the way Sinelnikov's did, with similar naming and branding intended to cause confusion, but it does duplicate the look, feel, and gameplay of a popular independent game.

Where should the line be drawn, and should Apple be the ones drawing it?

Source: The Guardian, TechCrunch; image via @tapbot_paul

Apple is reportedly investing a bug in iTunes Match that replaces music containing explicit lyrics with "clean" versions from the iTunes Store. Cult of Mac had this to say about the bug:

iTunes Match had successfully filtered out all the profane and derogatory words by changing the tracks to clean versions of the albums, which pretty much ruined my jog because I was really really wanting to sing along and drop 50 “F-bombs” a minute. Maybe this is just a rare glitch in iTunes Match’s system, but it’s a travesty tantamount to treason in my eyes and I want it fixed.

9to5 Mac now says Apple has acknowledged the problem, but hasn't come up with a fix just yet.

A 9to5 reader emailed Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services about the issue a couple of weeks ago and received a response from one of Eddy Cue’s engineers. According to the engineer, Apple is currently investigating the issue and working on a fix. Apple has no interim workaround for users of the iTunes Match service, the email elaborated.

So don't be surprised the next time you fire up some 50 Cent only to find that all the swear words have been removed. Apple is aware of the issue and is working towards a resolution. In the meantime, you'll just have to go about your rap-listening sessions in censored manner.

Source: Cult of Mac, 9to5Mac

Canadian musician Neil Young has claimed in an interview that Steve Jobs preferred listening to music played back on vinyl rather than digitally via an iPod. Speaking to Peter Kafka and Walt Mossberg at the D: Dive Into Media conference, he told them that he discussed the prospect of offering higher quality digital music downloads with Steve Jobs.

“Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digital music, and his legacy is tremendous,” Young said. “But when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you’ve gotta believe that if he’d lived long enough, he would have eventually done what I’m trying to do.”

Source: Macworld, Image: All Things D

Apple has posted the full education event keynote video on its website and placed it on iTunes for download. The keynote video covers all of today's education announcements including iBooks 2, iTunes U and iBooks Author for Mac.

If you subscribe to Apple Keynote podcasts in iTunes you should find it there when you refresh. If you don't want to watch it via iTunes, there is also a stream available on their website via the link below.

• iTunes link
• Apple.com link.  

Following their education event held in New York where iBooks 2 and textbooks were announced, Apple has gone ahead and released iTunes 10.5.3 to the masses. As noted in the change log, this release covers the ability to sync interactive iBook textbooks to your iPad:

What's new in iTunes 10.5.3

iTunes 10.5.3 allows you to sync interactive iBooks textbooks to your iPad. These Multi-Touch textbooks are available for purchase from the iTunes Store on your Mac or from the iBookstore included with iBooks 2 on your iPad.

iBooks textbooks are created with iBooks Author — now available as a free download on the Mac App Store. For information on the security content of this update, please visit: support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

The update is currently showing on the Apple website and should start rolling out through software updates shortly.

Source: 9to5Mac; Via: Apple

Apple’s iTunes Match service has now expanded to a total of 37 countries. The service initially launched in the United States in November of last year and has slowly rolled out to various countries internationally since then. While Latin American areas already had iTunes in the cloud, iTunes Match was still not enabled but with the latest roll out both services are now offered in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.

Apple had a little bit of a rough start with iTunes Match but it appears things are running a whole lot smoother now for them. If you're looking to learn more about iTunes Match, be sure to check out all our previous coverage.

Source: Apple via MacRumors

Apple has snuck a couple of new features into their apps pages in iTunes, specifically an information popup with tabbed content remarkably similar to how Google presents Android Market details. We know that in the past Android has been accused of copying Apple, but like Notification Center this time it looks like Apple is the one caught with their fingers in the copy jar.

The iTunes pop-up windows are activated by a new information icon which will appear when hovering over an app icon. The purpose of this is to make things easier -- the information appears right in front of you now without having to click through and load a new page. Movies and TV shows are also getting in on the action, although they'll have a play button to preview a clip of the video instead.

Source: MacRumors; @sdw

Apple is sending out refund notices to iPhone users who purchased GameStore, the bizarre Apple app that briefly appeared in the App Store over the weekend.

You recently purchase the GameStore app. The app was made available for sale prematurely. We apologize for the problem and have refunded the purchase amount back to your account. These funds will be applied to your original payment method within 5 business days.

While GameStore showed a release date of Dec. 31, 2011 in iTunes deskstop, the on-device App Store showed a date of June 9, 2009, which suggested it might have been a beta app used to test the iOS 3 in-app purchases feature.

The refund language, however, clearly says "premature", which would suggest it will be properly released at a later date.

Whether or not that's accurate, whether or not a new app with the same name but more current functionality, or whether there's a different explanation remains unknown.

According to an article in British newspaper The Daily Mail, Apple is considering throwing its hat into the bidding ring for the rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer games. The deal is open for a new round of bidding before the end of this season in May.

The Premier League is seen as the type of premium content that will help establish Apple TV in the UK and boost iPad sales, while the iTunes subscription service infrastructure is already in place.

Apple will face some huge competition if it is to get its hands on some form of TV rights for these games. Sky, who currently owns most of the rights for live games, had to pay around £1.6 billion ($2.5 billion) for the privilege. Competition is also likely to come in from Google, ESPN and Middle East Network Al Jezeera.

If Apple did manage to secure some of the rights to live EPL games, it would then have to force consumers to buy an Apple TV if they wanted to see the content on their big screen televisions. This does not appear to make a great deal of sense for the consumer unless of course the deal is just to sell the games through iTunes; in a similar way to its TV episodes.

Source: The Daily Mail

The Mac Security Blog warns of a new phishing scam in circulation that tries to trick users into updating their Apple ID billing information, in hopes of stealing it for nefarious purposes.

A vast phishing attack has broken out, beginning on or around Christmas day, with e-mails being sent with the subject “Apple update your Billing Information.” These well-crafted e-mails could fool many new Apple users, especially those who may have found an iPhone, iPod or iMac under their Christmas tree, and set up accounts with the iTunes Store or the Mac App Store for the first time. The messages claim to come from “appleid@id.apple.com.”

The email looks pretty legitimate, but upon hovering over the link you'll notice it points to an obviously fake Apple website asking you to enter your Apple ID credentials, and it's all downhill from there.

As always, never click on links in an email -- type them in yourself in a browser. When you get phishing emails, mark as spam and wash your hands of the worry. Done and done.

Source: The Mac Security Blog via CNET

Apple has created a new section on their website to give a better breakdown into how the new iTunes Match service works.

With iTunes in the Cloud, the music you buy from the iTunes Store automatically appears on all your devices.1 And for music you haven’t purchased from iTunes, iTunes Match is the perfect solution. iTunes Match is built right into iTunes on your computer and the Music app on your iOS devices.2 It lets you store your entire collection in iCloud, even music you’ve imported from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes. When it’s in iCloud, it’s available on all your devices. So you can enjoy all your music anywhere, anytime — on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, or Apple TV.

Ally has already put together a great How To on getting started with iTunes Match, but in case we missed anything, it's good to know that Apple has something setup that TiPb readers can fall back on. Check it out via the link below.

Source: Apple

Apple has launched its 12 Days of Christmas app for the third year running. The app offers free content from iTunes for twelve days between December 26^th and January 6^th. Today you can access three live audio tracks and three live videos from Coldplay’s recent appearance at the iTunes Festival in London earlier this year.

Each day between now and January 6^th, when you open the app, new content will be available for free. Last year this included music, movies, books and apps. It is offered by Apple as an introduction for new iOS users to get to know how iTunes works and also as a thank you for existing users too.

Apple’s 12 Days of Christmas is only available in Canada and most parts of Europe; strangely the United States is not part of the promotion. The app is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.

• App Store – link

The Recording Academy has announced they'll be honoring Steve Jobs with a Special Merit Grammy Award for revolutionizing the music industry based on the massive success of Apple's iTunes Music Store

As former CEO and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs helped create products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books. A creative visionary, Jobs' innovations such as the iPod and its counterpart, the online iTunes store, revolutionized the industry and how music was distributed and purchased. In 2002 Apple Computer Inc. was a recipient of a Technical GRAMMY Award for contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. The company continues to lead the way with new technology and in-demand products such as the iPhone and iPad.

The Academy will be holding a special awards ceremony honoring other visionaries with Lifetime Achievement Awards as well as Technical Grammy Awards on Saturday, February 11th, including a special Trustee Award honoring Steve Jobs for his contributions to the music industry at the official Grammy event the following day.



Source: Recording Academy via MacRumors

Apple has posted a support article to back up its recent, silent roll out of iTunes Match content internationally. iTunes Match has been available in the United States since November but last week some other international countries started to see it appear too.

The support article confirms that iTunes Match is now available across seventeen countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. The article also goes on to confirm what content is available through Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud service. Interestingly, it forgets to include Brazil, which is the only additional country for which Apple issued an official press release. (Some of the images also show as not found, which is rather un-Apple-like.) Curious.

iTunes in the Cloud allows users to download content they have already purchased through iTunes onto different devices over the air. It covers content such as Music, Music Videos, TV Shows and Books. There is a well laid out table to confirm exactly what is available based on your location.

Source: Apple Support Article, thanks @setteB.IT!

Apple has rolled out a new option for iTunes subscribers called "Complete My Season Pass", which allows users who've downloaded single episodes of any TV show offered in iTunes to download the rest of the full season at a discounted rate.

Apple previously offered a similar option for music, called "Complete My Album", so this is great news for those who use iTunes to purchase and download TV shows as well as music.

You can start using the new feature now in iTunes.

Source: MacRumors

Just like [iTunes Match], iTunes TV Shows in the Cloud seem to be rolling out internationally. TV Shows in the Cloud, part of Apple's iCloud service, allows users to re-download previously purchased TV Show content to iTunes on Mac or Windows, or iOS devices including iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV.

If you're outside the U.S. and you're getting your first fix of iTunes TV Shows in the Cloud, let us know where and how it's working for you!

iTunes Match seems to be going live internationally right now -- and for real this time, not like yesterday. International iTunes users are now once again getting the sign up page for the iTunes Match. Folks in Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, France, New Zealand and various other regions are reporting successful signs ups for the service.

Not everyone has been successful though. If you're having trouble:

1. Make sure you've updated to iTunes 10.5.2
2. Restart iTunes
3. Haven't already activated 10 devices (PCs and/or iOS) on the same iTunes in the Cloud account.
4. Jump into our iTunes Match Forum for trouble-shooting help.

It does seem as though the system is a little bit overloaded right now. But let us know when -- and where -- you successfully get yourself up and running, and how long iTunes Match says it's going to take to process your library.

We've launched the Mobile Nations network brand, we've launched great new shows like Girls Gone Gadgets and Stock Talk, and while you'd think we'd be happy enough now to take some time off for holiday cheer, we figured we'd throw out just a few more things to celebrate in 2011.

Mobile Nations has partnered with iTunes to provide you an all new, all beautiful Mobile Nations artist page where you can find all our latest shows, but our essential audio shows and video shows as well. We've also done a series of Holiday Gift Guide specials, where your favorite editors and hosts share with you their favorite holiday gadgets and gifts. You can find them all at our Mobile Nations Gift Guide page on iTunes.

If you haven't already, please take a moment to subscribe to all the shows you enjoy and leave a rating or review, it really helps us out with iTunes! Also, please take a moment to subscribe to our new YouTube channel so you don't miss any of the new shows. Speaking of which...

We're launching another new show -- Mobile Nations Enterprise with Craig Johnston and Isaac Kendall. It's everything you love about our existing Mobile Nations shows, but targeted specifically at smartphones and tablets in business. From BES to BYOD, massive BlackBerry fleets to iPad deployments, from privacy and security concerns to balancing work and personal usage, this will be your go-to show.

Mobile Nations Enterprise launches tomorrow at 8am ET at http://www.mobilenations.com/live and we'll have YouTube, RSS, and iTunes links available as soon as possible.

So sit back, relax, get your favorite podcatcher warmed up, and get ready for even more amazing Mobile Nations content in 2012!

Last week an iTunes TV show menu suddenly started showing up on international Apple TVs, didn't work, and subsequently disappeared. This week iTunes Match suddenly started showing up for international iTunes users, didn't work, and Apple subsequently offered refunds to those who'd tried to purchase it.

So, we'd suggest waiting until a) Apple makes an official announcement about iTunes Match in your country, or b) significant reports come in of it actually working, before c) you give them any money for it.

Whether or not Apple is planning to officially launch iTunes TV shows and iTunes Match in more regions and someone accidentally lent on the big red "launch" lever at iCloud central a tad early -- twice -- or there's some stranger problem going on is uncertain.

International licensing agreements are complex. Cloud services are complex. But false starts and pull backs seem decidedly un-Apple-like.

Here's hoping iTunes gets their international launches back in order, and officially out the door, asap. If you saw either the here-today-gone-tomorrow TV show menu on Apple TV, or tried and failed to buy iTunes Match outside the US and Brazil, let us know in the comments below.

Apple has announced they're rolling out the iTunes Store to Brazilian and a number of Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

iTunes in the Cloud is available today for free in Brazil and Latin America and iTunes Match is available today for a $24.99 annual fee in Brazil.

The iTunes Store in Brazil offers over a thousand movies to rent or purchase, with many in stunning HD, from major studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures. The iTunes Store in Brazil now joins the revolutionary App Store™, which offers more than 500,000 apps to consumers in 123 countries, reaching hundreds of millions of iPad, iPhone and iPod touch® users around the world. Customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps to date.

Brazil before Canada or the UK? Oh Apple, you tease. Hit the source for the full press release from Apple. Any Brazilian or Latin American readers excited to finally be included in the Apple ecosystem?

Source: Apple

Apple has updated iTunes to version 10.5.2, fixing an audio distortion issue when playing or importing specific CD types as well as adding improvements to its iTunes Match service.

What’s new in iTunes 10.5.2

iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.

Apple has been vague on the improvements included to their iTunes Match service, so let us know if you see any specific changes in the comments. You can grab the update from the Apple Software Update Utility or as a direct download from the website.

Source: Apple

Apple has released a new iTunes TV commercial, this one focused on the Beatles and called Covers.

Let iTunes take you on a journey through The Beatles, from Please, Please Me, all the way to Abbey Road.

It's a well executed, visually interesting commercial, and just in time for the holidays.

• The Beatles on iTunes

Coming to us from Subafilms Ltd. is The Beatles Yellow Submarine book which is now available through iBooks for download. The beautifully illustrated book has iTunes exclusive clips from the movie as well as interactive animations, sounds and music clips.

If you fancy yourself a Beatles fan then you are no doubt are familiar with Yellow Submarine. That said; if you're looking to add a little something nice to your digital Beatles collection then you'll want to check this out.

You can grab the Yellow Submarine interactive books as a free download for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch -- keep in mind iOS 5 is needed in order for it to work properly.

• Download Yellow Submarine - iTunes Bookstore Link

Apple has released their 12 Days of Christmas app a little early this year. The promotion will run between December 26 and January 6 but Apple hasn't put any content in there just yet.

You and your friends can download a fantastic selection of songs, music videos, apps and books for free. Each download will only be available for 24 hours. Get our special 12 Days of Christmas app to make it even easier to access your gifts while you’re on the go.

Don’t have an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch? Don’t worry. Come back 26 December to download gifts from your computer.

Falling in line with their 12 Days of Christmas promotion last year, Apple will promote special daily deals on music, apps, books and more for the holidays. You can download the app now from the Portugal and UK App Store, but content won't start showing up until the promotion begins. If you're outside of Portugal or the UK and see the app available in the App Store, let us know in the comments!

• Free - App Store Link

MacWorld's Jason Snell has written up a quick way to force your local Windows or Mac iTunes library to upgrade all your songs to the 256kbps iTunes Match versions. If you're still syncing your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to iTunes via USB or via the new Wi-Fi sync, it's a quick way to get them on your device(s) as well.

While iTunes Match makes the -- often higher quality -- tracks available in iCloud, it keeps the local -- often lower quality -- track on your actual drive until you tell it otherwise. If you have thousands of tracks, that could be a long process.

Snell's tip involves creating a Smart Playlist or two and having the courage to delete all your local versions, trusting iCloud will replace them. If that doesn't scare you off, hit the link below and get your upgrade going fast.

Source: MacWorld

Apple has released iTunes 10.5.1 and along with it, their paid music locker service in the U.S., iTunes Match. Coming after several extended betas, and past the previously announced October time frame, iTunes Match costs 24.99 a year and allows users to scan their iTunes libraries and either gain access to matching, 256kbps tracks from the iTunes Catalog, or upload their own, off-catalog tracks for access from any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or iTunes client on Mac or Windows.

Introducing iTunes Match. Store your entire music library in iCloud, including music you've imported from CDs, and enjoy your collection anywhere, anytime, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer, or Apple TV.

So if you've been eagerly waiting to get your music to the cloud, hit software update or download directly via the link below. Then come back here and tell us what you think. Did Apple get it right?

UPDATE 1: iTunes is currently saying no new subscriptions are available due to overwhelming demand, and is asking users to check back in a hour. Let us know if you get signed up, and how long it takes!

UPDATE 2: Here's our official TiPb iTunes Match troubleshooting thread in the forums to give and get extra help!

• How to subscribe to and set up iTunes Match
• http://www.imore.com/2011/11/16/daily-tip-set-itunes-match-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch/

Have you gone (or stayed) all in on any one approach? Do you mix and match, for example use iCloud for personal information but still connect to iTunes for big files like movies? If you have a family and are managing iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads for spouses and kids, do you sync them all the same or does it vary? Do your kids games pop up on your work iPhone thanks to automatic downloads, or do their iPods get stale because it's become too much of a chore to keep everyone updated?

How is sync working for you in iOS 5? Does it "just work" or is it more complicated and confusing now than ever? Vote in the poll up top and let me know the details in the comments!

Apple has released iTunes 10.5.1 beta 3 to developers which includes stability and performance improvements for iTunes Match. Developers must update to iTunes 10.5.1 beta 3 if they want to continue using the service.

The iTunes beta update comes hot on the heels of Apple deleting developer’s iTunes Match libraries again. All of these things should add up to a launch of iTunes Match sooner rather than later. Apple originally stated a released date of October but that has come and gone.

iTunes Match will eventually cost $24.99 a year  and will allow a subscriber to store all of their music in iCloud; not just music purchased through iTunes.

Source: TUAW

Make of this what you will, either the impending public launch of iTunes Match or just another step along the beta test path, but Apple has informed developers they'll be deleting all current iTunes Match libraries today.

Apple previously said they'd be launching iTunes Match, their paid iCloud music locker service, in October, which has since come and gone decidedly launch-less. Under the theory of better done right than done right now, let's just hope if it's arriving soon, it's arriving in good working order.

Anyone already have their $24.99 set aside for it?

Following up on the beta release of iOS 5.0.1 for developers, Apple has also released iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2, replacing the now timed-out iTunes 10.5.1 beta 1 and allowing for continued testing of iTunes Match.

The Loop's Jim Dalrymple also noticed iTunes Match is now up and running on Apple TV.

While Apple missed their previously stated goal of releasing iTunes Match in September, but since it's still in beta, it looks like they'd rather take the time to get it right, rather than just right now.

Source: developer.apple.com, The Loop

Scooby-Doo has eventually infiltrated the iPad and what better timing than just before Halloween. The new app titled “The Haunted Halloween: A Scooby-Doo You Play Too Book is a mixture of interactive book and puzzle games all based around this spooky time of the year.

It’s Halloween in Coolsville and Scooby and the gang are invited to a Halloween party! Only Scooby and Shaggy find themselves in a real haunted house! They need your help to find all the hidden Zoinks Points and solve the Haunted Halloween Party puzzles!

• Word highlighting for younger readers.
• Read along with professional narration.
• Record your voice reading the story, or have your child record theirs.
• Customize your experience: Text display, audio, and autoplay mode can be turned on and off.
• Easily jump to your favorite page or activity with the visual index.

• Personalize Your App! iPad 2 users can use the camera to take a photo with Scooby-Doo. iPad 1 users can import a picture from Photos.
• Collect Zoinks Points! Throughout the story, look for opportunities to earn Zoinks Points. Write down your code and enter it on zoinkspoints.com to get free exclusive Scooby games, videos, downloads and more!
• Interactive Animations: Tap mysterious hot spots for spooky surprises.
• Sticker Fun: Choose a background and use digital Scooby-Doo stickers to create your own Scooby-Doo scene. Use multitouch to spin, shrink, and grow the characters! Save to Photos to share with friends.
• Puzzles: Tap the puzzle icons and turn pages into jigsaws to solve.
• Coloring: Choose from multiple pages and get creative with the Scooby-Doo palette. Save to Photos to share with friends.

The Haunted Halloween: A Scooby-Doo You Play Too Book is iPad only and costs $0.99 for a limited time only. If you want to pick this up, don't leave it too late or it may go up in price!

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has informed its iOS developers that it intends to reset iTunes Match beta accounts on Thursday October 27. Apple states that this is intended to improve “overall quality and reliability” of the service. Resetting iCloud data is nothing new as it has happened a few times during the iOS 5 and iCloud betas.

iTunes Match was announced as part of iCloud and is Apple’s version of a music locker service. For $24.99 a year, iTunes Match will scan your desktop iTunes library, give you a 256-bit AAC version of every song it finds there that’s included in the 20 million strong iTunes catalog, and let you upload any songs (at the original quality) that aren’t.

It still appears that the service will be US only at launch due to licensing deals. Hopefully Apple is working hard to resolve these issues; then the reality of cutting the cord can be fully realized by everyone. Apple did say at the "Let's Talk iPhone" event that iTunes Match would be available at the end of this month; so it is expected right around now!

Source: AppleInsider

DIRECTV has updated its iPad app and it now offers the ability to use your iPad as a portable TV. Before you get too excited, it can only work within the walls of your own home and does not offer any form of remote viewing access to your content. Of course it does a lot more than just in home streaming to the iPad. It also lets you search, record and control all your DIRECTV content from home or when you are away.

The latest update also adds a few other new features:-

• Turn your iPad into a portable TV and watch your favorite shows in any room of your home. Quickly scroll through a list of channels available to watch on your iPad with a dedicated “Live TV Streaming” Module.
• Get tips in the help section to guide you through features in the app.
• Set parental controls to block live TV channels viewed on the iPad.
• Change start and end times to add padding to a program when setting a recording.

[App Store Link]

Garmin has announced an iPhone fitness app called Garmin Fit and also an accessory called the ANT+. The fitness app will allow users to track their workouts including pace, distance, time and calories burnt. It can also map your runs and automatically uploads your data to Garmin Connect which is a web community for Garmin Fit users.

The ANT+ adapor clips into the 30 pin dock connector on your iPhone and it can then connect wirelessly with various Garmin accessories such as a heart rate monitor and even a foot pod senor. The foot pod sensor allows users who are using a treadmill or similar to track speed, distance and even run cadence.

"Garmin Fit is the ideal solution for users who are new to the fitness tracking landscape and for those looking to stay totally connected,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “To be able to utilize Garmin’s powerful fitness accessories with the same device that plays music, makes calls and uploads workouts automatically to share and analyze, makes Garmin Fit a must have app.”

The Garmin Fit app is available in the App Store for and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The ANT+ adaptor is available directly from Garmin at a price of $49.

[App Store link]

Apple has released another update for the Apple TV, this one is numbered 4.4.2.  It appears that Apple has been having some strange problems with recent Apple TV updates with widespread reports of devices having to be restored using iTunes after the 4.4 and 4.4.1 updates. If you are already running version 4.4 or 4.4.1, Apple wants you to perform a system reset before updating to this latest version.

Apple TV devices with software version 4.4 and 4.4.1 have an issue with updating software to later versions. The recommended way to resolve this is go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings, prior to updating. Note: If you apply the software update without resetting all settings first, the updater will reset the settings for you.

Source: Apple

Tired of tethering your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to iTunes and wondering how to set up iTunes Wi-Fi sync? It works just like traditional USB sync but without the cable! (Without the sync cable that is, you still need to be plugged into a power cable -- baby steps!) Here's how to get it going:

• Make sure your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is connected to your Wi-Fi network and running iOS 5. (Here's how to update to iOS 5)

• Make sure the PC running iTunes is connected to the same Wi-Fi network and is running iTunes version 10.5

• Plug in the device you want to setup Wi-Fi sync with
• When its been recognized, click on it in the left column then select Summary in the header bar

• Scroll down until you see the option for Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi

• Click the box to turn it on
• Hit Apply

(Yes -- It has to be plugged in to the power for this to work, so you are really just cutting the cord to the PC not to the wall!)

If you want to initiate a sync manually, you can do this from your iOS device and you don't need to be plugged into a power outlet.

• Go to Settings
• General

• Click on iTunes Wi-Fi Sync
• Click on Sync Now

That is all there is too it, you can now sync your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad without the cable. Well without a cable connected to your PC anyway!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Looking for some last minute ways to get your Halloween gruesome on? To zone out with zombies, lose your head with horsemen, read about vampires that burst ever-so-properly into flame, and otherwise get more monstrous this weekend? Well, since you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you're covered! From App Store to iTunes Store to iBookstore, and with a hellish dose of Netflix and Amazon thrown in, you'll never go brain-hungry again.

App Store Halloween apps and games

If you're looking for app-solutely (sorry!) the best way to have fun and get your iPhone and iPad chills and thrills on this Halloween, check out the apps and games. And don't just check out the Halloween apps and games either, because a lot of developers large and small and holding sales this weekend as well! Note: Neither Plants vs. Zombies nor Angry Birds Seasons are to be missed!

• App Store Halloween link

iTunes Halloween movies

iTunes is having a sale on Halloween themed-movies, starting at $4.99. We'd recommend Sleepy Hollow, because the heads weren't found at all...

• iTunes Movies Halloween link

Netflix Halloween movies

If you don't want to buy or rent individual movies, you can subscribe to Netflix and stream all the Halloween content you want.

• Netflix web link

Apple iBookstore and Amazon Halloween reading

The greatest and Halloween stories all time come from the dank, dusty pages of old books, written and read by candles flickering in the chill, dark wind. Apple's iBookstore has some on sale for both young and old. Not content with just books, After all, it's never too early to start Halloween off with a good family scream.

• iBookstore Halloween link

Everything else

Not content with apps or games, movies or books? Amazon has a special Halloween page up with everything you could ever possibly want. Ever. Costumes. Candy. Seriously.

Amazon has a special Halloween page up with everything you could ever possibly want. Ever.

• Amazon Halloween link

Your picks?

Got any other great ways to enjoy your iPhone, iPad touch, and iPad over Halloween? Let us know in the comments!

Apple has put "iTunes Match (Coming Soon)" placeholders up on iTunes in pretty much every country store we've checked, including the US, UK, and Canada, and the Music Settings in iOS 5 have just gotten an iTunes Match ON/OFF toggle, so... is iTunes Match about to go live? And if so, will it really go live everywhere?

iTunes Match was announced as part of iCloud and is Apple's version of a music locker service. For $24.99 a year, iTunes Match will scan your desktop iTunes library, give you a 256-bit AAC version of every song it finds there that's included in the 20 million strong iTunes catalog, and let you upload any songs (at the original quality) that aren't. It's been in developer beta since the end of August, with the only public launch date give as "coming soon".

That means it's perfectly feasible that Apple is indeed getting ready to launch iTunes Match. At least in the US. And maybe a few other countries. However, music licensing being what it is, it's very hard to imagine Apple has secured the rights for every country that currently has the "coming soon" tag in place.

So we're going to expect it when we see it, with the strong feeling it's coming "sooner" to some countries than others.

UPDATE: While the page is still there, the link saying iTunes Match (Coming Soon) from the menu seems to be gone from the Canadian and UK Stores. Maybe Apple pushed that piece out wider than they intended to?

Apple has released another update for the Apple TV which takes it from version 4.4 to version 4.4.1. The update claims to fix issues with a small number of Apple TV units that needed to be connected a computer running iTunes after last week’siOS 5 update.

Addresses an issue that required a small number of Apple TV units to be connected to iTunes in order to complete the update.

A word of warning before you update, there are widespread reports that this update is causing more connect to iTunes issues than the original update. It may be wise to hold off updating until more information is available.

UPDATE: One of TiPb's Apple TV, which we didn't try to update until last night, ran both 4.4 and then 4.4.1 without success, still resulting in the image you see up top. We're trying again and we'll keep you posted.

Source: Apple Support

Brian Waring, vice president of marketing and category for Starbucks UK and Ireland, said: “Digital offers are very important to us and making WiFi freely available across our stores is the foundation for many other plans we have moving forward…Content partnerships are key and we also have an extremely exciting digital programme ahead for 2012.”

Source: The Telegraph

BT has confirmed that the release of iOS 5 caused the highest ever internet traffic spike in the UK.  We knew that Apple’s servers were under immense pressure last week with the release of iOS 5 and other updates. Even Rene joked on the podcast that Apple had brought down the internet!

Traffic levels were at their highest level ever seen within BT’s UK broadband network (wholesale through BT Retail and other content providers) on Wednesday night – this was sustained from the launch of Apple’s iPhone OS 5 until past midnight. Last night (Thursday) saw the 2nd highest we’ve ever seen on the UK broadband network, less than 10Gbits/s lower than Wednesday and sustained for a longer period of time. This exceeded previous peaks seen during Wimbledon and major England football matches.

BT claims that it was seeing more than 80Gbits/s of additional traffic; which is around double the previous maximum spike. It also claims that it had very little issue with network congestion. Not sure if everyone trying to download the updates would agree with the last part!

Source: Cult of Mac

Marco Arment, creator of the popular Instapaper app for the iPhone and iPad, noticed an problem related to changes made in iOS 5 tied to iCloud backups.

A common scenario: an Instapaper customer is stocking up an iPad for a long flight. She syncs a bunch of movies and podcasts, downloads some magazines, and buys a few new games, leaving very little free space. Right before boarding, she remembers to download the newest issue of The Economist. (I think highly of my customers.) This causes free space to fall below the threshold that triggers the cleaner, which — in the background, unbeknownst to her — deletes everything that was saved in Instapaper. Later in the flight, with no internet connectivity, she goes to launch Instapaper and finds it completely empty.

(Last week, almost this exact scenario happened to one of my customers.)

Apps like eBook readers, podcast clients, offline mapping programs and even Apple's own iBooks app (as long as Apple is following its own rules) would have its cached data wiped clean if ever the device runs low on space.

Hit the link below for Arment's detailed explanation of the problem.

Source: Marco Arment

With the release of iOS 5, Apple has added the ability to buy custom alert tones from the iTunes app on your device. If you open iTunes and click on Genres, you will see a new entry called Tones.

The iTunes Store on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch now includes the Tone Store — an incredible spectrum of music ringtones and alert tones that can be assigned to any alert setting on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Interested in selling or giving away your old iPhone to pick up a nice new iPhone 4S but need to know how to make sure you've erased all your personal information from the device first? Luckily Apple makes it easy to securely wipe all your data. We'll show you how after the break.

Although we highly suggest performing a full firmware restore and setting up your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as "new", if you're not near your computer you can still get the job done:

1. Tap the 'Settings' icon
2. Tap 'General'
3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap 'Reset'
4. Tap 'Erase All Content and Settings'

If you have a passcode setup, you'll have to verify your credentials before being asked one last time that you're positively sure you want to dispose of everything on your iPhone. The process can also take some time depending on how much music, video, apps, etc. you had stored on the iPhone, as Apple is writing over the data multiple times for security's sake.

It's also important to note that if you have a jailbroken iPhone, you'll want to go through the full iTunes restore process due to permissions issues preventing the data from being fully erased from the device.

Once it's done you're good to give away or sell your old iPhone without having to worry about anyone getting into something you may have left behind. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Apple is preparing to deliver movies via its just released iCloud service. According to the report, representatives from Apple have been in meetings with various studios to finalize deals.

Representatives of the iPhone and iPad maker have been meeting with studios to finalize deals that would allow consumers to buy movies through iTunes and access them on any Apple device, according to knowledgeable people who requested anonymity because the discussions are private. The service is expected to launch in late 2011 or early 2012.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Find My Friends allows you to easily locate your friends and family from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Install this free app on your iOS 5 device and sign in with your Apple ID you use with iCloud. Adding a friend is easy – just send a request to see their location. Once your friend accepts using the Find My Friends app, you will then be able to see that friend’s location on a list or on a map.

• Easily locate friends and family
• Temporary sharing option
• Simple privacy controls
• Parental restrictions
• Free for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

New to these giant software releases and wondering how to upgrade your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iOS 5? Luckily iTunes makes the process of upgrading painless. The best part is once you're on iOS 5 you can start to receive OTA updates and you'll never have to fuss with cables and computers again.

For now though, where you're ready to update to iOS 5, here's what you need to do:

1. Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes. Your phone should start to sync and backup automagically.

2. If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button in order to back up your device. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)

3. iTunes may prompt you that an update is available. If it does just click update after you've backed up your device (iTunes will also prompt you to back up if you haven't already.)

4. If it doesn't, click Check for Update under the Version section.
5. The new software will start to download and then install. Your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad will restart. Don't worry about it. Let iTunes do it's thing and update your device to iOS 5.

6. Once it's done updating, iTunes should prompt you to do one of two things - set up as a new device or restore from a backup. Choose to restore from a backup and select the backup you just made.
7. Once the restore is done your device will reboot. When iTunes detects it again it will start to sync back any apps and games your old iPhone had installed.

After you've done the initial manual update to iOS 5 you'll have the option to use iCloud backups in the future. Do it. It's free and it just works.

If you have any questions or have issues, check out our TiPb Forums for all the help you could ever need!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

While the general public gets their first taste of iTunes 10.5 today, Apple isn't wasting any time moving developers up to iTunes 10.5.1 beta. Like other recent betas, it includes iTunes Match functionality for further testing.

If you're a registered dev, grab it via the link below:

Source: developer.apple.com

As a precursor to tomorrows iOS 5 update and iCloud explosion, Apple today released iTunes 10.5 to the masses. Here's what's new:

iTunes in the Cloud. iTunes now stores your music and TV purchases in iCloud and makes them available on your devices anywhere, any time, at no additional cost.

Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices.

Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music, TV, app, and book purchases again, at no additional cost. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.

Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.

Wi-Fi Syncing. Automatically sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes any time they're both on the same Wi-Fi network.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

If you're going to be updating to iOS 5 tomorrow, update to iTunes 10.5 today. (Jailbreakers, we don't expect any trouble but air on the side of caution and let others test the waters first.)

Everyone else, hit Software Update, and keep your browsers locked on TiPb for lots more iOS 5 and iCloud coverage!

Switching from an old iPhone to the new iPhone 4S and wondering how you can transfer your data over? Luckily, iTunes makes this process almost painless. After your initial transfer to your new device, iOS 5 and iCloud will make the process even easier from here on out. But if for some reason you still need to transfer your data manually, we've got you covered!

If you've ever had to swap an iPhone out at an Apple store, you're probably already familiar with this process. If not, follow these easy steps to copy data to your new phone. This process will save all your contacts, camera roll photos, apps, and settings into an iTunes backup for you.

1. Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes.

2. If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)

3. Unplug your current iPhone and plug in your new iPhone.
4. You'll be asked to register your iPhone if you haven't already.
5. iTunes should prompt you to do one of two things, set up as a new iPhone or restore from a backup. Choose to restore from a backup and select the backup you just made.

6. Once the restore is done your iPhone will reboot. When iTunes detects it again it will start to sync back any apps and games your old iPhone had installed.
7. Let iTunes do its thing. When you come back, your new phone should have all the same settings and data as your old one!

After you've done a manual transfer you'll have the option to use iCloud backups in the future. If you have any questions or have issues, check out our TiPb Forums for all the help you could ever need!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

The Tech Erra points to a snippet of code discovered in iTunes 10.5 beta 9 indicating that Apple may begin allowing App Store app rentals.

"510.036" = "Apps are automatically removed from your iTunes library at the end of the rental period.";

This either suggests iOS users could finally have the ability to play around with an app before deciding to purchase, or someone just got sloppy with some strings.

Personally, I've desired some type of demo capability in my iPhone ever since Apple debuted the App Store in 2008. A "try before you buy" approach could mean more sales for developers and a more pleasurable experience for users. But rental? How much would it cost to "rent" an app, and for how long? 15 cents for 24 hours as opposed to a full 99 cent purchase? Seems a bit awkward..

Source: The Tech Erra via AppAdvice

Cnet

According to Cnet’s sources familiar with the discussions, Apple is seeking international music licenses for at least the United Kingdom, Germany and France. The deals with the various rights holders is close to agreement but has not been signed as of yet. Apple hopes to get this wrapped up in time for the “Let’s Talk iPhone” event next week; but it may be too late!

Without these licenses in place, iCloud and more importantly iTunes Match is a rather weak offering for those outside the U.S. iCloud of course will still function with your apps and other data but the music features are some of its best features. Let us hope that the record labels don’t live up to their usual reputation and help Apple get this one ironed out in time for Tuesday!

Source: cnet

Previously, users could access and download click-wheel games for the iPod classic by clicking on a drop down list next to the App Store button within iTunes, but it looks like the option has now been removed completely. With Apple gearing up to announce the next iPhone on October 4th, this could mean they're making preparations to remove the classic from the iPod lineup altogether.

TUAW got a tip earlier this week that Apple is indeed planning to get rid of the platter-based iPod in addition to the iPod Shuffle to help streamline the product line and go touchscreen-only.

It seems that the "product transition" Apple mentioned on the last earnings call could very well be within the iPod line. Specifically, if you want to buy an iPod shuffle or iPod classic from Apple, you should do it sooner rather than later. We've heard those two iPods are getting the axe this year.

Could we see the iPod classic go the way of the Dodo or will Apple keep it around for nostalgia's sake?

Source: AppleInsider, TUAW

While there haven't been any new iOS betas for iPhone or iPad since beta 7, iTunes is still getting some attention -- beta 9 was just released to developers.

If you're a registered dev, just hit the link below and go grab it.

Source: developer.apple.com

Apple has announced that it will reset developers iTunes Match iCloud Libraries on Monday September 26.

This is a similar to lasts week's announcement, where we saw Apple resetting developer’s iOS 5 iCloud backups.

To continue to improve the overall quality and reliability of iTunes Match, it has become necessary to delete all current iCloud libraries.

All iCloud libraries will be deleted on Monday, September 26th at 9AM PDT. To prepare, please turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn off iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn off iTunes Match.

The songs on your computer should not be affected. As always, please backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer.

Apple is probably resetting iCloud data in preparation for an early October launch of iOS 5. We should hopefully find out on October, which is the rumored date for the next iPhone launch event. However Apple has still not confirmed this date or even an event as of yet. Hopefully that will happen next week.

Table Foosball has to be one of the best games to play with your friends especially after a couple of beers. Unfortunately, you don't see these awesome football tables around very often. Well, some good news, you can now play it in all its glory on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch thanks to Stinger Foosball League.

Stinger Foosball League takes the handheld foosball game to a whole new, dynamic level. Pass and strike your way to foosball victory in this dynamic app. Combining realistic physics and AI, with fantastic 3D graphics, it's all about fun with this app. Adding hours more of gameplay, the game also features multiplayer modes, a full season and tournament mode, as well as four mini-games to build your foos skills and compete against others in online leaderboards.

• Fully customizable game to suite your desires.
• Several different ways to play.
• Single Player
• Multiplayer
• Tournament
• Four Mini-Games
• Real 3D physics powered by The Foosics Engine.
• Lively ball that rolls, flies, bounces, and deflects.
• Detailed right down to the ball scuffs on the pitch.
• Realistic AI that mimics the way real players play.
• Simulates real human reaction times for a more natural game.
• Tuned and tweaked with an emphasis on fun.
• Universal App that will work on all iOS devices: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
• Foosball anytime, anywhere.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Hot on the heels of last month’s Dolphin Browser for iPhone release, we now have Dolphin Browser HD. As is always the case with browser apps, Dolphin has to use the built-in iOS web view for rendering pages, so it has the same HTML, CSS, and JavaScript engine as Safari, but they do a good job of differentiating themselves via their interface and features.

• Simplify the way you navigate the mobile web. Open any of your favorite websites with just the touch of your fingertip in lightning speed.
• Bring out the beauty of the web and with Dolphin Webzine users can experience the web like never before.
• With Dolphin, you can access Windows you opened simply by swiping from the right edge of iPad screen to left. You can access Bookmarks simply by swiping from the left edge of iPhone screen to right.
• Enjoy desktop class web browsing experience. Create as many tabs as you need, quickly switch between opened web pages and open links in new tabs.
• Take advantage of the 100% of the iPad screen. Hide toolbars and tabs with one tap.
• Easily find a word on the web page. Work great for long articles.
• Dolphin excels bookmark management. Add bookmarks, create multiple nested folders
• You can set Dolphin to browse desktop versions of the web sites.
• Enabling private mode will stop the browser from remembering history.

Dolphin Browser is available on the iPad for free. Anyone saying goodbye to Safari?

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has once again opened the beta doors to its music locker service, iTunes Match, for US developers. To get in, you'll need the latest iTunes 10.5 beta 8 and a US iTunes account associated to a US credit card (sorry international devs, no gift cert'ing your way into this one.)

Devs who do make it in (and it looks like some are having trouble at the moment) will have to pony up the $24.99 annual subscription fee for iTunes Match, and are warned up front their libraries will be deleted at the end of the beta period. So remember, it's not really early access, it's beta.

iTunes Match, part of iCloud, is expected to launch for everyone this October alongside iOS 5.

UPDATE: Lots of people are telling us it's not working for them. Let us know if you're having any problems and if you find any fixes.

Looks like iTunes Match is no longer downstreaming -- streamloading? -- or whatever weird blend of marketing, legalspeak, and technology led users to see stream-like behavior where Apple claimed there was none. Now with the just released iOS 5 beta 7 it downloads, plays while downloading, but stays on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch after it has downloaded for repeat local playback.

And yes, that may mean you now have to manually manage storage on your device by deleting older downloads to make room for new ones, then deleting the new ones to make room for re-downloading the old ones again, as you so wish. Just like App Store apps work today.

If iTunes Match stays this way through release, does it clear up the confusion or just make things more complicated for Rene's mom?

[Insanely Great Mac via MacRumors]

Konami has released its latest version of the ever popular Frogger game. This time it is called Frogger Decades. Why decades? Well it is thirty years or three decades since the original Frogger games was released, I remember it, I feel old!

Celebrating Frogger’s 30th birthday with an all new adventure! Frogger Decades is an exciting new chapter in the Frogger family of award-winning games, featuring breathtaking animation with an original musical soundtrack and cast of new characters to experience the Frogger world in a whole new way.

• Brilliantly designed levels, and features with high definition textures and graphics!
• Touch screen controls let you help Frogger do what he does best!
• The world of Frogger comes to you with many of his friends joining up for Frogger’s greatest adventure yet!
• Creative new never before seen abilities for Frogger and his friends!
• Collect achievements and see how your scores stack up on the worldwide leader boards via Game Center!
• Challenge your friends across the world wide Open Feint network!

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple released iTunes Match, their iCloud-powered music locker service, into beta yesterday and immediately -- and rightly -- it's been Zapruder-ed by every eyeball online, especially when it comes to whether it downloads music, streams it, or both. And confusion and conflation have followed.

Sure, technically there's a difference between downloading a song to your local iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Mac or Windows PC and playing, and streaming that song directly to your device from iCloud. But many downloads will start playing before they finish and most streams will cache locally to prevent hiccups due to the ever present irregularity of internet connections. The lines are blurry, and made even blurrier by the music industry who wants to nickel and dime Apple, and consumers, at every turn.

(It's fair to say that if the music industry acted 20 years ago the way they act now, CDs would have been licensed per-player. You want to play that CD you bought in your car and in your living room? Pay us again! You want to play it in your bedroom? PAY US!)

As it stands, Apple technologically and no doubt contractually doesn't want anyone to know or care about whether or not iTunes Match downloads or streams from iCloud. The same way Apple doesn't discuss things like RAM, my guess is they're not going to specify exact behavior for iTunes Match.

You'll hit "play", Apple will take care of managing the local/iCloud relationship. Just like they don't think my mom should have to worry about file systems on iPad, they probably don't think she should have to figure out download vs. stream. It should just work.

Once iTunes Match is stable and out of beta, no doubt every geek and their packet sniffer will pour over it, parsing out every nuance of the stream vs. download behavior, and keep us updated when Apple tweaks it and makes changes to it going forward.

Meanwhile my mom won't worry about whether or not she's synced the Lion King Musical soundtrack, or how many GBs she has left. She'll just hit play and listen.

(Or she would if they released the damn thing in Canada.)

Apple has sent out an email to developers advising them that Apple's music locker service, iTunes Match, is now in beta.

iTunes Match stores your complete music library in iCloud, allowing you to enjoy your collection anywhere, anytime, on any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or computer. iTunes Match beta is currently available to developers in the United States. Beta subscribers will receive iTunes Match service during the beta period plus an additional 3 months for free with their 12 month paid subscription.

To get started with iTunes Match, download the current version of iOS 5 beta and iTunes 10.5 beta 6.1 with iTunes Match. Once installed, choose Turn On iTunes Match from the Store menu, and click "Subscribe for $24.99."

Please note that you must maintain a local backup of your iTunes library as well as any music you add to iCloud. Apple will periodically reset your iCloud library during the beta and it is critical that you backup your music regularly. Some features and optimizations of iTunes Match will not be available during the beta.

If anyone tries it out, let us know what you think of it, especially how it compares to competing services like Amazon Cloud Locker and Google Music Beta.

UPDATE 1: Yes, US only. Requires a US credit card on file with a US iTunes account.

UPDATE 2: Streaming and re-downloading both seem to be supported in the beta. Let's hope those make it to release.

UPDATE 3: Our official iCloud Forum thread for iTunes Match

[Thanks W!]

If you have been looking for a powerful photo editing application for your iPhone or iPad, Lumnance could be the one. Filters include White Balance, Exposure, Brightness/Contrast, Hue/Saturation, Tone Curve, Split Toning, Vignette, Colors and Sepia.

Luminance gives you pro photo editing capabilities in a simple and elegant interface. Effortlessly add effects to your photos, choose from many built-in presets, and copy edits you've made from one photo and apply them to multiple photos.

• Create any look, with an infinite combination of adjustment layers.
• Place your adjustment layers in any order to create unique effects.
• Choose from many built-in presets.
• Copy edits from a photo and apply them to multiple photos.
• Share photos via Facebook, Camera Roll, Email, Copy, and Print.
• View the history of any photo and easily jump back to a previous edit.
• Export photos at full resolution (Small, Medium, Large, or Original)

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

If you are a lover of Rugby, you are more than likely very excited for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011. The competition starts in New Zealand in early September and what better way to keep in touch with all the action than with the Official Rugby World Cup 2011 app.

Don’t miss a thing during Rugby World Cup 2011 with the Official RWC 2011 mobile application, in association with Land Rover. Access the Match Centre for live match coverage, including live commentary, stats and video highlights. Get the latest news and keep up to date with the RWC Daily video. In New Zealand and want to know what to do? Go to the Fan Zone section to find out what events are on near where you are right now. Going to the match? Check out stadium locations, seating plans and facilities.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

A new phishing email scam is arriving in email inboxes targeted at Apple MobileMe users. The email is supposed to be from Apple and is asking users to upgrade their MobileMe accounts to iCloud. The email has been based on an earlier email that Apple sent to MobileMe users after the WWDC iCloud introduction.

Please sign up for iCloud and click the submit botton, you'll be able to keep your old email address and move your mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service. Your subscription will be automatically extended through July 31, 2012, at no additional charge. After that date, MobileMe will no longer be available. Click here to update iCLOUD

This phishing email is one of many currently doing the rounds, it is not that well done to be fair but it is worth mentioning as it appears to be a widespread problem. Stay well clear!

[MacRumors]

Apple seems to have removed $0.99 TV show rentals from iTunes and Apple TV. In a statement provided to Wall Street Journal technology blog, All Things D, Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr explained:

“iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows. iTunes in the Cloud lets customers download and watch their past TV purchases from their iOS devices, Apple TV, Mac or PC allowing them to enjoy their programming whenever and however they choose.”

Fox seems to confirm the reasoning:

“After carefully considering the results of the rental trial, it became clear that content ownership is a more attractive long-term value proposition both for iTunes customers and for our business. To further enhance the value of ownership, we are working with Apple to make content available within their new cloud-based service.”

Apple announced $0.99 TV Show rentals are part of the all new, all streaming Apple TV in 2010 but never got all the US networks on board, nor did they manage to roll the service out beyond the US. While networks likely felt $0.99 undervalued their content, let's be clear -- it overvalued it. $100 for 100 hours of non-repeatable TV is ridiculous. Subscriptions, which Apple has reportedly been pursuing, make far more sense at scale and volume. Whether the networks will ever agree to that or not is the question. (And at this point there's no evidence iCloud, despite its ideal positioning, will be part of the answer.)

At least we can take some comfort in the fact that nature has shown in knows what to do to dinosaurs.

[All Things D]

Firemint has finally released its latest game which is called Spy mouse. It was announced way back in February this year.

Play as Agent Squeak and navigate over 70 levels spread across six unique worlds with an advanced arsenal of gadgets, gizmos, and power-ups. Outwit fiendish hench-cats in his quest to liberate tasty treats without winding up one himself! This tiny package packs in a wealth of content including achievements, secret levels, and more updates to come.

• Sneak, scamper and snack your way through 70+ deviously challenging levels!
• 6 unique worlds, full of adventure, each with their own diabolical hench-cat to outwit.
• Run circles around your feline foes using all manner of zany gadgets, gizmos and power-ups!
• Cat trouble? Recruit the help of the exotic Kiska and get your mission back on track.
• Forever fun with achievements, secret levels and thrilling, action-packed updates!

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

The soccer -- or football to those of us on the proper side of the pond -- season is starting again, so what better time to look at the best soccer apps for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. With these apps you can get all the latest transfer news, big stories, results, match highlights and even live games.

Sky Sports Live Football Score Centre

Sky Sports Live Football Score Centre is a great app that covers all the action from the main European leagues. It has all the scores updated as they happen as well as offering a host of other features.

There is live game commentary, league tables, match stats, results, video highlights and even team line ups prior to kick-off. Backed up by the fantastic Sky Sports team, this app is one of the best for soccer fans. You can even personalize the app by selecting your favorite teams. News and results are then brought to you on a dedicated my teams page.

Unfortunately this app is only available in the UK due to the link up with the televised games.

[Free - App Store link]

Fox Soccer

Fox Soccer lets you watch live Premier League and UEFA Champions League games on your iPhone or iPod touch. The app will allow you to follow every English Premier League game as well as provide the latest breaking news, in-match video clips, highlights and more.

The app starts off as a free version which offers news, fixtures, live scores and team line ups. In order to view the live games, you will need to subscribe. Access to the premium section is currently priced at $7.99 for a single month’s access, $22.90 for 3 months access and $79.90 for 12 months access. You then will get access to live video streams of the games.

[Free – App Store link]

LiveScore

LiveScore is a fantastic free app that provides real time scores from many sporting events around the world; with a particular emphasis on soccer scores.

Every match in the UK league is covered along with most other countries. With this app you will know about goals, yellow cards, red cards, substitutions, you name it, seconds after they happen.

There are no push notifications, which is a shame however the app does auto-refresh when open. The application comes directly from LiveScore Ltd., the inventors of real-time delivery of live sport data and owners of the no.1 ranked football / soccer web site globally. No country restrictions either! Fast access and my app of choice!

[Free - App Store link]

Eurosport

Eurosport has put together a very smart app for keeping an eye on all things sporting. Soccer is covered all across Europe with the results and latest scores from all the major leagues.

The app also covers other major sports including Tennis, Formula One, Basketball, Cycling to name a few. The layout and design is very clear and can be customized to match your interests. Eurosport also has a seperate app specifically for the iPad. Not sure why it can't just make a universal app!

[Free - App Store link iPhone]

[Free - App Store link iPad]

Football Manager Handheld 2011

The final app is not a news app but to finish off we have chosen a game. With this game, you can pretend that you are the manager of your club and guide them to the top of the league to wipe out the disappointment of your real teams underachievement.

Football Manager Handheld is a highly detailed management style game where you take control of your team, including transfers, tactics and training. The app covers 34 leagues across 11 countries. The game is highly addictive; so make sure you have plenty of free time before picking this one up.

[$9.99 – App Store link]

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 best Soccer apps to get you going. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPhone App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites, leave them in the comments below!

Apple has updated its iTunes software with an incremental update to version 10.4.1. The update is available now for both Mac and PC users. It is mainly a bug fix release with a few performance issues addressed.

• Fixes a problem where the media keys on some third-party keyboards work inconsistently with iTunes
• Addresses issues with adding artwork to songs and videos
• Resolves an issue which may cause iTunes to become unresponsive when purchasing an HD film
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may take longer than expected to open after waking your Mac from sleep
• Addresses issues with VoiceOver support

[iTunes]

Oh my, could iOS 5 finally fix one of my longest standing pet peeves? If the latest betas are any indication, it might! Tap buy (download or install) in the App Store and instead of being torn out and thrust back to your home screen, the app simply starts to download in the background and the button greys out when it's done.

iTunes has also been improving over the last couple of betas. Now, if you buy an album, you can see the download progress of each track right in the list.

I'm so happy, I might even update when it's finally released!

UPDATE: It seems to still throw you out if you're in the main store, not if you're in your previous purchases tab. Which is something, just not everything we wanted. Apple, make it happen!

UPDATE 2: Some of you are telling us you're seeing this on iOS 4.3.x as well. iTunes and App Store pull their content from the web, so Apple can update them whenever they want without having to release new firmware. So, it's possible some of this was or is being pushed out to everyone. Let us know what you're seeing!

UPDATE 3: So sometimes it's working and sometimes not. The App Store has been flaky the last two days so let's wait and see how this pans out. (Fingers crossed!)

Trying to figure out where to find the UDID or serial number of your iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone? There are many reasons you may need to look up your UDID, IMEI, or serial number of your iOS device. While earlier generations had the serial printed on the back casing of the device, many newer models don't. There are still several ways you can obtain this information both natively on your device or via iTunes.

Follow along to find out how.

As a side note, a lot of information is taken out for privacy reasons. Obviously your fields will not be empty.

Serial Numbers

There are a few ways to obtain serial numbers. The most common in under Settings.

1. Tap Settings and go into General.
2. Now click About.
3. When you scroll down you'll see quite a bit of device information including your serial number. (As a side note, users on 4.x will not see the UDID/ICCID number on your device like in the picture above. I believe this is a new feature in iOS 5.

If your iOS device will not boot and it has a SIM tray, you can also pull out the SIM tray and view the serial printed on it. As long as your SIM tray has not been mixed up with anyone else's, it should be the correct serial number.

UDID numbers

To view your UDID number in iTunes, use the following steps -

1. Open iTunes with your device plugged in and you will see your device name and information. Tap where your phone number is a couple times and it will eventually show your UDID number (also known as ICCID). This is the number you have to have on file to test developer builds of iOS.

2. If you need to paste this number somewhere, simply go to the top of iTunes and click Edit and then Copy. This will paste your UDID number to the clipboard. From there you can easily copy it into an e-mail or text document.

To view your UDID number from on your device, use the following steps -

1. Download a UDID app from the App Store. There are several available and most are free. I use UDID by Sean White (Free - iTunes Link)
2. Simply open the program and it will give you all of your device information.

3. You can then copy it into an e-mail or just view it.

Viewing device information from programs like UDID are especially convenient if you aren't home to plug into iTunes and need to access the information quickly.

But what if your device is stuck in restore mode and you can't load this information in iTunes or on the device?

You can still pull the information if you have a previous backup file as the backups are saved as "UDID - Date".

Simply navigate to the following location and view your UDID as the name of your backup -

Backup locations in Windows

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Backup locations in Mac OS X

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

Have you used any of these methods or a different one? How'd they work for you?

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

According to Digitial Music News, eight years and almost as many strategies later, Walmart is closing their MP3 Music Download store its $0.88 tracks in the face of insurmountable competition from Apple's iTunes and associated devices like iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

"After eight years in business, the Walmart Music Downloads Store located at mp3.walmart.com will close on August 28, 2011. All content in the Store will be disabled and no longer available for download from the store.

"The sale of physical record music products on Walmart.com as well as in Walmart US retail stores will remain unaffected. Walmart Soundcheck (soundcheck.walmart.com) will remain operational as a live streaming site without any download options."

They'll keep the DRM servers running for customers who purchased WMA music before Walmart switched to unprotected MP3.

Still, Walmart gets added to Yahoo! Music Unlimited, MTV URGE, AOL MusicNow, MusicMatch Jukebox, and growing list of others to exist the music download business. Which is unfortunate because iTunes needs rivals, and not just subscription services like Rdio, Spotify, Zune, Slacker, Pandora, etc., or music lockers like Amazon Cloud or Google Music Beta.

Amazon MP3 is still going strong, though Amazon has failed to grow the service internationally, and has yet to begin offering associated devices of their own, like their much-rumored Android-based tablet. Is the age of downloadable music, outside of iTunes, simply coming to an end?

[Digital Music News]

CNET drops a big bottle of killjoy juice on recent rumors that Apple might just be ready to rollout their fabled iTunes Replay service -- the ability to re-download and stream content to iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV and iTunes on Windows and Mac from the iCloud -- or a Netflix-like subscription service.

While Apple has music and now TV available for re-download, at least in the US, apparently they've only got agreements with 4 of the 6 big studios needed to add movies to the mix.

One reason is the HBO window. During specific periods of time--often referred to in the film industry as windows--HBO owns the exclusive electronic distribution rights of films from three of the six top films studios: 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. Any retailer that wishes to sell physical DVDs from these studios during HBO's window is totally unrestricted. But online retailers are legally prevented from delivering movie downloads from the three HBO-restricted studios during HBO's window and they also can't stream titles from those studios. This means that right now iTunes can't stream a movie to a customer during the HBO window that the customer may have purchased outside of the window.

Broadcast windows are also the reason movies and TV Shows sometimes disappear and reappear from iTunes, Netflix, etc. But the bottom line seems to be, at least for now, that iTunes movie re-downloading, streaming, and subscription services are still a long way off.

[CNET]

Orange in the UK has teamed up with Apple to offer its users a free iTunes movie rental each week, under the name of Films To Go. The service, which is UK only, will offer a different movie each week. The movie will be available to view for 30 days but once you have started watching, you have 48 hours to complete it.

This week’s film is My Blueberry Nights with The Wrestler scheduled for next week. To get access to the free movie rentals, Orange customers just need to text FILMTOGO to 85060. You will then be sent a text message with a code to allow the free download via iTunes. The movie can then be viewed on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

One small point to note, when you send the text message to Orange, you do get charged 35 pence for the privilege of receiving the code!

[Orange Film To Go]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released an iPhone app called FBI Child ID. If your child goes missing, it must be one of the most stressful things to deal with in life. Most times they just lose track of time and return safe and well, maybe just a few hours late. If they don’t however, you need to know what to do and be able to react as fast as possible. This is where the FBI Child ID app comes in.

The free FBI Child ID app provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your child so that it’s literally right at hand if your child goes missing. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Using a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks. The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing

[iTunes link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Curious how to quickly get to specific section or category of content in iTunes for Windows or Mac? Luckily Apple has provided convenient drop-down menus for all the major sections like Music, Movies, TV Shows, App Store, Books, Podcasts, iTunes U, and, um... Ping.

In the iTunes Store, you can quickly and easily go from anywhere in the store directly to a particular media type, genre, or special feature by using the top navigation bar. Hovering your pointer over the titles which are always present at the top of the iTunes Store window causes downward pointing triangles to appear next to each media type. Click one and you'll see a list of helpful links related to that media type which you can use to navigate to what you're interested in -- Jazz in Music perhaps, Action & Adventure in Movies, Comedy in the TV Store, Games in the App Store, and more.

You can use this tip to quickly get more games for your iPhone or iPad, or to jump right to the technology section in podcasts for iPhone Live, iPad Live, and all our other awesome shows.

[Inside iTunes]

Tap Tap Glee is now available in the App Store. It is basically a themed version of the hugely popular Tap Tap game which involves tapping on buttons in time with music. It is a lot of fun to play and for fans of Glee, this is a must have app.

It's time to tap and shake to your favorite music from Glee! See EXCLUSIVE behind the scenes footage from Glee: The 3D Concert Movie!

• Over 50 tracks available including three FREE tracks: "Don't Stop Believin'", "My Cup" and "Hell To The No"
• Promo Track of the Day: Tap to a NEW promo track every day!
• Connect to Facebook and represent as a GLEEK or JOCK.
• Slushy your friends on their Facebook wall.
• Check out info on your favorite Glee characters in the Yearbook section.
• Try your hand at Glee Trivia for a chance to top the GleeK of the Week leaderboard.
• Additional tracks for purchase include "Bad Romance," "Poker Face," "Teenage Dream," "Baby One More Time," "Marry You," "Just The Way You Are," and "Baby!"

[iTunes link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is now finally available in the App Store. If you're into role playing games, this is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year!

Released as the Final Fantasy series' first tactical RPG in 1997, Final Fantasy Tactics on Playstation went on to sell over 2.4 million copies worldwide. The game grew in popularity upon its re-release in 2007 as Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for the PSP with added features such as new movies, scenarios and Jobs.Now, in 2011 the game has finally arrived for the iPhone/iPod touch! You can enjoy the game whose story gave life to the world of Ivalice, and whose high strategy battles bring tactical games to a whole new level.

• The complex tactical game can be effortlessly and intuitively controlled by simply tapping units and menus. Gone is the old method of switching fixed map views - you can now rotate, move and change the size of maps as you please by sliding and pinching.
• Loading times have been improved to get you into the action quicker than ever. What's more, you can even skip certain cut scenes.
• Graphics have been adapted for optimal performance on iPhone/iPod touch screens.
• Upcoming scheduled updates: Facility to fast-forward battle scenes and skip cut scenes.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is available on the iPhone for $15.99. Screenshots after the break.

[iTunes link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

InstantCam is a new app that claims to decrease the time it takes for you to take a picture with your iPhone. One of the loudest complaints about the iPhone camera, is the time it takes from pressing the camera icon on the home screen to actually being able to take a picture. This app claims to dramatically speed up the process.

Have you ever missed that special moment just because it took too long to start the camera app and press the right button? Do you have children and find it difficult to keep up with their pace? Then this app is perfect for you! InstantCam allows you to launch and start shooting pictures lightning fast! If you want you can even let the app shoot pictures automatically as soon as it's possible! InstantCam is also very smart and saves the images in memory to be as fast as possible when you need it. The images are then saved when the opportunity arises or in the background after closing the app.

• Minimalistic user interface so that you can concentrate on whats important
• Continuous shooting (burst) of images (automatic or manual) with variable speed (up to ~1-2 frames/s). All in full resolution!
• Gestures to easily control the camera functions
• Photograph by tapping the screen
• Start burst mode using long press
• Focus on double tap. If you want you can even have the app take a photo as soon as the focus is found!
• Toggle Light/Torch by swiping the screen (if supported).
• Flash the screen on capture

The app costs $0.99 and is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad 2.

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

The new, longer 90 second iTunes music previews seem to be finally rolling out internationally. They aren't available on all songs yet, and in my testing of the Canadian iTunes Store, it seems hit in miss as to whether you'll get them or not, but at least some songs are going the full 90 seconds.

After a November 2010 notification to record labels Apple originally switched to 90 second previews in the US back in December of last year. Why it took that email so long to reach beyond American borders is unknown, as is how long it will take to fully roll out now that it has begun.

In an effort to crowd source this, let us know if you're seeing the 90 second previews, what country you're in, and whether or not the 90 second previews are everywhere or just on a few songs.