back to article Apple to launch streaming online radio service?

The market for streaming media services is growing increasingly crowded, but if sources close to Apple are correct, the 800-pound gorilla is about to enter the room. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, anonymous insiders claim the iPhone maker is in talks with record labels about licensing music for an online …

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  1. cyke1
    FAIL

    death of app's

    When this service is launched you will see all other music streaming app's dis pear from the app store. As its apple's way that they kill off any app that competes with an app they make.

    1. Barry Dingle

      Re: death of app's

      Unnecessary apostrophe, so like the remainder of the post.

      1. Ted Treen
        Headmaster

        Re: death of app's

        Not so:- "app's" is an abbreviation of "applications", so the apostrophe denoting an omission is perfectly correct.

        Although I concur with your rating of the rest of the post.

        1. Craigness

          Re: death of app's

          It's the plural of app'?

          Apple policy is noy to allow...app's...which replicate the built-in functionality.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: death of app's [sic]

          "app's" is an abbreviation of "applications"

          No, it's not. If you want to abbreviate it and you feel you must use an apostrophe, then something like "app'n" is most acceptable (by analogy with words like "cap'n" for captain or maybe "bos'n" for bosun, itself an idiomatic reading of "boatswain"). Using a period for abbreviation is much more common, though: app.'s looks a bit weird, but at least it's kind of supported by analogy with similar constructs like "M.D.'s" or "C.D.'s" (though many would find the forms without apostrophes more correct) and your readers will be left in no doubt that "app." is an abbreviation for something.

          You might get away with app7n or ap8n by analogy with "localisation" (l10n) or internationalisation (i18n). Not a lot of people are familiar with l10n or i18n, though, so even fewer would recognise app7n or ap8n as meaning "application". Both do seems to have a bit of quirkiness about them that might aid understanding, though: the 7 looks somewhat similar to an apostrophe, and the 8 is kind of consonant with the "-ation" ending of the word. I wouldn't recommend either, but they're infinitely better than "app's"!

          As for why you shouldn't use "app's" as short for applications, it should be obvious that most people who understand the rules of grammar will immediately assume that you're using the apostrophe in the more regular possessive case and infer that you simply don't know how to use it correctly. Better to simply follow the rules rather than blaming your readers for not being able to understand what you mean. Finding the "correct" abbreviation is a bit of a minefield, but "app's" is probably the worst way to go about it.

          1. Ben Tasker

            Re: death of app's [sic]

            As for why you shouldn't use "app's" as short for applications,

            Shouldn't that be

            As for why you shouldn7t? Or shouldn.t?

            Sorry, couldn't resist!

            Most people are taught that the apostrophe can be possessive but also signifies the omission of one or more characters. Shouldn't being should not etc, so most would have seen app's as short for applications. Where that changes IMO is the fact that 'app' has become a word in it's own right. We might all know it's just the latest way of saying application, but to many app is just the name for the software they install. In that context, an apostrophe is definitely possessive.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: death of app's [sic]

            @Anonymous Coward 17:32

            Since you seem to have rigid rules for EVERYTHING perhaps you can enlighten the class what the longer form of "won't" must be? Sometimes natural language sets it's own direction and the pedants are powerless to stop the growth.

            1. Studley

              Re: death of app's [sic]

              "natural language sets it's own direction"

              I hope that was irony. I fear that it wasn't / was not.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    When has this ever happened?

    Point out when Apple has ADDED a new built in app and got rid of all the competing apps in the app store? They have a built in weather app, but I can use the Weather Channel app. They have the search bar built in, but I can use the Google Search app. You can use other apps for email, calendar, alarm, and so on.

    They don't let you replace functionality INSIDE THE OS, like replacing the keyboard that all apps use, but that's a different thing since the music streaming isn't an OS service like the keyboard.

    But please, don't let facts get in the way of your hate.

  3. Khaptain Silver badge

    Interesting

    Radio is by definition free, Ok some of you have to pay a Television Licence or Tax which allows you to listen 24h per day.

    Apple I presume will probably sell advertising space. I can't see how they will turn a profit otherwise..

    To be followed.

    PS : I would like to see them kick the RIAAs ass and find a method by which the poorer artists can collect a little more...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    Really?

    Steve Jobs and company are widely credited with having transformed the entire music industry once already.

    It was Napster that changed the music industry. Jobs just figured out a way of making money from Napster's idea.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It was Napster that changed the music industry. Jobs just figured out a way of making money from Napster's idea.

    I think you'll find Napster set the music industry back 10 years....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      I think you'll find Napster set the music industry back 10 years....

      The music industry can do that quite well without any outside help.

  6. SpitefulGOD

    Poo

    Streaming radio services are crap, at least with zunepass and Spotify you can download and keep your music as long as you're subscribed.

  7. Chris 171

    Not true Radio....

    Streaming is great when there are DJs in control of the content.

    I can see apples version playing U2 on loop....

    No thanks

    1. David 45

      Re: Not true Radio....

      "apples version"......."Apple's version". There - fixed it for you (whilst some of us seem to be in punctuation, grammar and spelling correction mode!).

      1. Chris 171
        Devil

        Re: Not true Radio....

        I never capitalise the word apple, I do it on purpose to annoy fanbois.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Craigness

      Re: Not true Radio....

      If you like curated music get the 8Tracks app (or visit the website).

  8. The Original Steve

    Zune

    As someone who has an Xbox360, WP Handset and a media centre PC I find Zune at 8.99 a month to be good value for money.

  9. SpitefulGOD

    I have Zune on two WP7 devices (using the same account when setup) my fathers media centre, my PC and Xbox... Great for £8.99 especially when you can download all you want... My only issue is that ministry of sound albums still have to be bought

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
      Devil

      Quote:

      "My only issue is that ministry of sound albums still have to be bought"

      There is a god out there :)

      As an old dinosaur, good music pretty well ceased to be created after 1982.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Please let me destroy the web.

    Good old Apple,

    where everyone else is selling their wares on the open web Apple appears with yet another proprietary gadget service. I'll eat my hat if it is an ubiquitous service like the rivals.

    Dig you own hole and buy Apple!

  11. Magani
    Thumb Down

    If their streaming service...

    ...involves having to install iTunes, I'll stay with Pandora.

  12. mickey mouse the fith

    Wonder how long before an Apple lawyer presents himself at the patent office with a radical new concept.....

    "method of streaming music over the internet to a portable device"

    Shoutcast ftw as far as streaming radio goes. Tens of thousands of genre based stations, all free.

    They had better not try fucking with that or Il be quite pissed.

    1. Ben Tasker
      Joke

      "method of streaming music over the internet to a portable device"

      Too obvious, not thinking patenty enough, it'll be more like

      "method of encoding and transmitting audiological content over locally and globally distributed wired and radio networks for decoding and processing by a client device without waiting for the entirety of the transmission to be received."

  13. SpitefulGOD

    Forgot to mention

    My speech enabled media centre is.... Awesome!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=UtRdwPuw1lk

  14. pctechxp

    apple buys up all tier one connectivity providers

    Prevents none Apple devices from connecting unless hefty royalties are paid, renames it the AppleCore

    Not a reality now but I bet that's what they;d love to do.

  15. christian baier

    "more than 400 million accounts in the iTunes Store, all of them backed by credit cards"

    is that really true? my itunes account is only backed by vouchers, and i know a lot of others that don't want apple to have their cc info...

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