stores

As expected, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can now use their devices as remote controls for their iTunes libraries and Apple TV boxes.

The feature is now available as a download in the new iPhone applications store, which went live on Thursday morning. With the free, one-megabyte application installed, an iPod Touch or iPhone can use a Wi-Fi connection to control and search through an iTunes library remotely, flip around on an Apple TV, and control AirTunes speakers.

Most new Apple products already come with remote-control devices that perform the same functions, but using the iPhone download conveniently renders them … Read more

Apple has launched the latest version of its iTunes Store a day earlier than anticipated.

iTunes version 7.7, available now for Windows and Mac, includes the App Store, a method for delivering third-party iPhone applications.

The download appears to have some quirks: for this user, the version number remained at 7.6.2, and no direct link to the App Store was available, but it could still be reached by linking here.

The newest version of the iPhone is due out Friday. The App Store will be preinstalled on the new iPhone 3G, but it will also be available … Read more

Apple may be launching its iPhone App Store a day earlier than expected, because the sun never sets on the iPhone empire.

Forbes is reporting that Apple will launch the App Store--the delivery vehicle for third-party iPhone applications--at 9 a.m. PDT on Thursday, which happens to coincide with midnight New Zealand time Friday, where the iPhone 3G will make its worldwide debut. The App Store will be preinstalled on every iPhone 3G, but it will also be available as a download for owners of the current iPhone.

That means that some third-party iPhone applications could be ready … Read more

Apple has posted a new guided tour of the iPhone 3G that primarily rehashes previously announced features, but also fully demonstrates purchasing and downloading of applications from the App Store--a mechanism not seen in action heretofore.

The video shows an application being purchased via a "Buy Now" button in a fashion similar to the Wi-Fi music store. Once the application is purchased, the user is immediately returned to the home screen and an application icon with a progress bar appears. The user can (presumably) perform other actions while the application is being downloaded.

Posted from our sister site … Read more

It's some kind of weird contradiction, but for some reason I really loved Tower Records. I say that because I have a long standing thing about indie record shops, and I never bought much at Virgin or HMV, but when Tower opened its two Manhattan stores I became an even bigger vinyl junkie. I lived just a few blocks away from the uptown one and would spend many nights there just looking at music and talking with music buyers. The social scene was part of the trip.

Tower's two gigantic shops were initially filled with groovy records, and later in the 1980s the CDs started to eat away, aisle by aisle, at the vinyl paradises. It must have taken three or four years before CDs occupied most of the bins. Granted, vinyl's decline was mostly market driven, but remember CDs typically sold for double the price of LPs, so Tower, like most stores figured that even if the vinyl title was still available they'd rather you bought the CD. If the LP wasn't there you'd have to pony up the extra dough for the CD. During that time I'd get my vinyl from indie shops.

One rainy spring day walking through Central Park I was listening to a classical radio station when they played Aaron Copland's "Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp and Piano." It so perfectly framed the misty day and green grass I had to buy the music. I exited Central Park, walked a few blocks over to Broadway and bought the CD. That was twenty years ago and I still have the CD to trigger those memories.… Read more

Editor's note: Though this FAQ posted originally on June 11, we updated it on July 1 to reflect new information from AT&T.

Is your heart aflutter at the thought of buying an iPhone 3G? Are you counting the days until the July 11 release date? If this describes you, or even if you are just toying with the idea, there are a few things you'll need to know. The process for buying an iPhone 3G will be quite different from what it was last year for the original model. Fortunately, CNET is here to tell you … Read more

When Apple announced the iPhone apps store several months ago, it appeared to signal the end for the popular homebrew Installer.app by Nullriver. While the application has a few developer creations that cost money to use, most of the library is completely free, letting people load up on useful applications without spending a dime. The application became so popular it started coming with popular unlock and jailbreak utilities, including ZiPhone, which has had more than 3 million downloads of its latest version.

Apple's new system is a different story. It doesn't cost anything, but developers must go … Read more

Apple has moved to squash rumors that the iPhone's App Store could be coming sooner rather than later.

Earlier Wednesday, Apple's Australian Web site had a little note at the bottom of its page about the iPod Touch that said "Shop for hundreds of applications made for iPod Touch. Available June 27." On Monday, Apple announced that the App Store, which is part of the iPhone 2.0 software release, would arrive on July 11.

An Apple representative confirmed that July is still the plan, and the Aussies have since updated their page to point to … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--The blogosphere is likely exploding with feedback to Apple CEO Steve Jobs' Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address Monday, including his introduction of the new iPhone 3G with GPS and a low-end price of $199.

But we thought we'd go old-school and get some real-life response from real-life developers outside Moscone West, where the conference is taking place this week.

No one was surprised by Jobs' announcements, but they were plenty excited, especially about the lower iPhone pricing, which they say will help get the device into more consumers' hands. They were also excited about Apple's new iteration … Read more