iTunes 10 with Ping social network - our first review

What is it?
The latest version of the iTunes software plus a new social network.

What's new?
Apple has redesigned the iTunes logo so that it no longer has a CD in the background. It's made small design tweaks to the layout of the iTunes store and how lists look in the library. But the major addition to iTunes 10 is that it has Ping built-in.

Ping is Apple's first venture into social networking and Jobs describes it as "Facebook meets Twitter meets music".

Ping revolves around your musical interests and tastes and is a good way of discovering what music your friends are into or what your favourite artists are up to. For example, when a friend buys a song it will appear in a news feed or when an artist posts a new music video you can click and watch it from your feed.

You can also see forthcoming concert details and share them with your Ping friends. Ping can also be accessed through iPod Touch and iPhones.

What colours does it come in?
N/A

How much is it?
iTunes 10 is available as a free download. Ping is free, too. Music and movie prices vary.

When is it available?
Both are available as downloads from iTunes now. 

Web User's first impressions: 
There isn't anything of great note regarding the changes made to iTunes 10. The dropping of the CD from the logo has some significance to the industry and how people buy music but the overall layout is the same.

It looks slightly sleeker with less empty space, but works and feels very much like it always has done - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But the introduction of Ping is a big step for Apple. The fact it's built into iTunes is a big plus, meaning you don't need another separate login or account.

There are lots of similarities to other social networks, which some people may find makes it less unique, but it also makes Ping very easy to use. It feels like you already know how to use it (as Apple is keen to say about its iPad!).

But the concept doesn't have much mass appeal and its echoing of elements of MySpace might not necessarily be a good thing, considering the drop in MySpace users recently.