Apple could be creating a standalone social networking application that will connect to multiple Web sites and share music listening habits with friends, according to a new rumor.
Following up on a report from last week, The Boy Genius Report shared more information Tuesday from their inside source, expanding upon the purported social media integration perhaps coming in iTunes 9. However, now it is said that the feature will not be a part of iTunes, but instead a separate application developed by Apple.
"The social networking integration that we reported iTunes 9 would have seems to be part of a bigger social networking push by Apple," the report states. "We’ve been informed that Apple has plans to tie iTunes 9 into a "Social" application that they plan to release in the future. It was said that the application (separate from iTunes) will be similar to Yahoo’s OneConnect offering and consolidate all your social networking services. (iPhone application? Desktop app? Wasn’t clarified to us)."
The report goes on to say that the new application would allow users to share their listening habits with friends on social networks, send music to friends, and update statuses on numerous Web sites at the same time. iTunes 9 will reportedly also have the ability to broadcast music statuses, separate from the alleged social media application.
The source also expanded on the previously-reported application organization feature, which is said to allow users the ability to reorganize the order of their App Store software from within iTunes. The source states that users in iTunes 9 will be able to sort applications alphabetically, by genre, date added, or in a custom order.
The Boy Genius Report also shares some skepticism, stating that some of the details seem "a little far fetched." However, in their original report, the Web site called the tipster " a pretty reliable source." The yet-unannounced iTunes 9 could be announced at Apple's annual iPod event in September.
Last week's rumors also corroborate with a report from AppleInsider, suggesting official Blu-ray support could be coming soon to the Mac. Sources cryptically suggested that two compelling new features would come with Apple's newest iMacs. One of those features is said to have long been on the wish-lists of many Mac users while the other is expected to cater to the semi-professional audio/video crowd.