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Hidden Buttons in iOS 6.1 Lend Weight to Apple Radio Service Rumors

Tuesday February 5, 2013 7:04 am PST by Ben Lovejoy
9to5Mac reports finding files for radio buttons in the iPad Music app in iOS 6.1 that could lend weight to last year's rumors that Apple plans to launch a Pandora-style service, providing streaming access to music which could then be purchased if desired.

ipad-radio
The files, first found by iAust1n, include a series of eight "radio" buttons, several of which have the word 'buy' in the filenames, suggesting plans to allow the purchase of music tracks from within the app. Interestingly, the piece notes that the files are found only on the iPad, not the iPhone.
The files are called some variation of “radio button” with an icon that looks similar to the radio icon that used to be in iTunes for Mac (it was traded for a more prominent top location in iTunes 11 without the antena tower). The iPad music app currently doesn’t have any radio functionality so our first thought was that Apple would be adding an iTunes-like ‘traditional’ streaming radio to the iPad.

More interestingly, the name of these button files and are labelled with ‘buy’ in the filename which could imply exciting new functionality.
Bloomberg had suggested a Q1 2013 launch date for the service, although follow-up reports had indicated that negotiations with record labels were moving slowly. With files perhaps related to such a service now apparently in place in iOS 6.1, Apple may be laying the groundwork for a launch once it is able to strike content deals.
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InuNacho
48 months ago
Instead of some internet radio they could just stick a normal radio in them like every other smartphone in the world.
Rating: 20 Votes
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bwolfcale
48 months ago
Eiffel Tower?
Rating: 8 Votes
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lostngone
48 months ago

Eiffel Tower?


Yes, only French radio stations will be available via this service. :D
Rating: 8 Votes
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testcard
48 months ago

Radio tower?


Ostrich foot?
Rating: 7 Votes
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decimortis
48 months ago

Eiffel Tower?


That's clearly a giraffe.

D.
Rating: 6 Votes
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macintel4me
48 months ago
That's an ugly icon, IMO. Not very Apple-like.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Jetson
48 months ago

Do you have evidence to suggest "chances are"? You may be right, but modern cellular networks are more sophisticated and multi-layered (LTE, 3G, 2G) than FM/AM radio. You're not wrong, it would be nice to have both, but I don't think anyone is betting that we'll get absolutely no service.

"Survival Radio: What Will Work


In any type of disaster (Hurricane, Earthquake, Economic Collapse, Nuclear War, EMP Blast/Solar Event, etc) your typical means of communications (Mobile Phones, Land Lines, Internet) will most likely be severed or severely impaired.

I know from reading about past disasters and being in the middle of 9/11 myself that when disaster strikes, using your mobile phone (which we are all so heavily dependent on) can be a frustrating experience to say the least. If you have ever tried to dial out and received the message “All Circuits Are Busy” then you know what I am talking about.

Aside from smoke signals, there are modern options to consider... The three most readily available are GMRS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMRS) or FRS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service) radios, CB radios (http://www.blogger.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB_radio), and Ham radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_radio)."

My point is that the iPad/iPod/iPhone are already all in one devices. But not having an AM/FM/Shortwave receiver is a dreadful shortcoming. In an emergency the device would become a doorstop when it could be a lifeline. It was a purposeful decision by Apple to leave out REAL radio - not internet "radio", which should be changed.
Rating: 5 Votes
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drlunanerd
48 months ago
Hope they're also going to redesign the iPad Music app as it's awful :(
Rating: 3 Votes
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justperry
48 months ago

Just to be clear, are you talking about FM radio? Because every iDevice out there has radios in them, otherwise you wouldn't get WiFi or cellular.

Anyway, even with "hidden" FM radios there isn't much reason for them to enable them without antennas to make them work. You can't have a radio work without an antenna, so the additional cost of that (not to mention the space it takes up) basically means it isn't really worth it. It always amazes me how people forget about this. I guess people are used to ignoring how things work because it's all hidden to the user.

Internet radio (Spotify, Rdio, Pandora) is the future anyway, it is where the real money is going, and Apple is not stupid to ignore that.


Don't be a smartass here, you know exactly what I meant, if I say the word radio amongst people how many people will talk about anything other than the radio (FM/AM) we had for what, 100 years!
I also said:

REAL Radio


Cost, LOL, the radio is on the chip, the amplifier is already there and a short antenna wire costs cents, if an extra antenna IS needed and I am not sure if it really is, most likely not since the headset cable provides this.

Radio over the air costs nothing, well battery but less than being on internet radio.
Internet radio will eat your Data plan, Radio over the air costs nothing again.

Apple, just built in the damn Radio.(FM/AM)
Rating: 2 Votes
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kdarling
48 months ago

Ummm...what phones are talking about? With the exception of the Galaxy S3 (non-US-spec) very FEW smartphones released recently have an FM radio in it. Many handset makers are dropping the functionality.


There's like 50+ phones in the US alone with an FM Radio, and the NAB is pushing for all to include it for "national emergencies". A lot of the cheaper phones outside the US still come with one.

As for just smartphones, a search for FM Radio on PhoneScoop (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder.php) found these supposedly currently available models:

Rating: 2 Votes

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