Apple has launched a new social network called Ping to allow users build a network of ‘Friends’ and professional musicians. The social networking service is said to be “all about music” unlike other existing social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Ping’s services will be accessible through the latest version of the iTunes software (iTunes 10) on Mac, PC and through iTunes apps on iPhone and the iPod Touch. Users will be able to create their own profiles on iTunes, with details of their friends lists, what music they are listening to and concerts they will attend. In addition, it will show a top 10 list of songs and albums their friends and artists they follow are downloading from iTunes.
Apple hopes that Ping will eventually become very popular among music lovers particularly the several million iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users all over the world. However, while Ping is not expected to directly compete with Facebook or Twitter, the same cannot be said about MySpace which traditionally attracts music artist and producers to share songs and discover new and upcoming musicians online.
Talking Point
It appears as if Apple is taking advantage of iTune’s status as the largest online music service with the launch of Ping. How much threat do you think Ping will pose to Facebook and other social networking sites in the near future?