Apple’s iTunes To Incorporate Podcasting Features
By Richard TafoyaMay 24, 2005 01:47 PM
Months after the ubiquitous iPod portable media player and its companion software iTunes enabled a phenomenon known as podcasting, Apple Computer has decided to formally embrace the podcasting world in a new version of its platform.
In a presentation at the Wall Street Journal’s technology conference this week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed an upcoming version of iTunes that will serve as an aggregator and distributor of podcasts. iTunes users will be able to download Apple-approved podcasts through the iTunes service for free and then sync them to their iPods for portable playback.
Up to now, podcast listeners had to either manually download MP3 links of their chosen programs and manually add them to their iTunes playlists or use third-party software, such as iPodder, to grab the files from RSS feeds and import them into their iTunes or Windows Media playlists.
The new iTunes functionality will allow users to select and download podcasts for free from the iTunes music store, according to press reports. Apple’s iTunes group will allow podcasters to submit specific programs for potential inclusion, and Apple staffers will determine which programs make the cut.
The process differs significantly from third-party software accessories that, once installed on a user’s machine, allow them to browse a large catalog of known podcast creators and subscribe to a podcast. From there, the software can be set to periodically check for new podcast downloads from the podcast creator and import them into the user’s playback software and build playlists to catalog the new files.
Apple expects to release its podcast-compatible version of iTunes within the next two months, according to a company announcement.