Apple appears busy at leveraging the popularity of the iTunes Music Store to expand its reach further.
As previously reported, Apple has been bundling music videos with certain album sales and may plan to expand to sell individual music videos separately. Most recently offered is the Bonus Video Version of a 50 Cent album.
Also new is a partnership with Ticketmaster for pre-ticket sales. Depeche Mode's album Playing The Angel (also bundled with a video) is offered as a pre-order from the iTunes Music Store. Pre-ordering the album enters you into Ticketmaster's pre-sale for the 2005-2006 North American Depeche Mode tour. This entry does not guarantee a ticket sale, but does offer some interesting new potential income streams for Apple.
Meanwhile, the first Video Podcasts appear to be making their appearance in the iTunes Music Store. It's long been known that Apple's interface/intrastructure would allow for distribution of video podcasts, but the first actual Video podcasts are now becoming available. Choices are rather limited at the moment, but Video appears to be a direction that Apple is actively pursuing. (City Magazine TV Video Podcast). Apple also recently filed for trademark protection on the term "iPodcast".
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
April and May have been relatively slow months for Apple this year, but there is a lot to look forward to heading into WWDC 2026 and beyond.
Apple is expected to release at least 15 more products later this year, with some of them held up until the more personalized version of Siri launches.
Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple Watches in September, Apple's all-new smart...
May has been a quiet stretch in terms of new Apple products, but the company did release two accessories on its online store this month.
First up was a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. U.S. pricing is set at $49.
The band is part of Apple's 2026 Pride Collection, which also includes a new Pride...