It’s Official: Apple Announces iTunes Radio at WWDC

The iTunes Radio (sure to be dubbed iRadio by fans), announced as a new feature in an update to its mobile iOS operating system, allows users to stream radio broadcasts through their iPhones. It’s built in to all Apple devices, plus iTunes on Windows. It includes a list of featured stations which show music that’s trending on Twitter. Users can also create stations based on their favorite artists, and share those stations with friends.

 

In addition, any song played through iTunes Radio can be purchased with a click, and the service works on iOS, Apple TV and Mac desktops.

 

The company also introduced what CEO Tim Cook called the “biggest change to the iOS since the introduction of the iPhone,” with Version 7 of the operating system. 

 

Both iTunes Radio and iOs 7 will be released in the fall, though the company did not announce a specific date.

 

iOS 7 adds a new control center, revamped notifications and multitasking. The biggest visual change is the adaption of a “flat” design language that is simpler and cleaner than previous versions. 

 

Noticeably dropped in the new version are skeuomorphic design elements –the little touches that mimicked real items like the faux-leather border on the calendar app or the faux-felt green background on the Game Center app.  

 

Senior vp industrial design Jony Ive, who has assumed a bigger role since founder Steve Jobs died in 2011, has been a critic of a skeuomorphic approach to design. 

 

The other big announcement was the introduction of a radically redesigned Mac Pro desktop tower computer, which had not seen an update in several years.

 

The internal specifics — a 12-core Xeon E5 processor and two internal graphic processing GPU chips — will appeal to users with high-end power computing needs.  

 

Everyone will be intrigued by the radical new cylindrical glossy black design. 

 

Notably, the machine can not be internally upgraded, but it features the new faster Thunderbolt 2 port, which allows users to plug in high-speed peripherals.