Apple on Thursday announced a new App Store feature called "Browse by Category" that allows users to navigate to different curated app collections without the need for drop-down menus.
Apple on Thursday said it has resolved an issue that caused some iTunes customers to see limited access to the online store for around three hours, though details of the downtime have yet to be revealed.
Amazon has continued to refuse sales of certain products in its efforts to gain leverage in negotiations with content providers, this time blocking preorders of physical copies of popular upcoming releases from Warner Home Video, including blockbuster hits "The Lego Movie" and "300: Rise of an Empire."
Live 24-hour streaming sports content from ESPN Radio, as well as local National Public Radio affiliates from around the U.S., are now available to hear on Apple's iTunes Radio service.
In the run up to the launch of OS X 10.10 Yosemite and iOS 8, Apple is now asking developers to make their apps available as part of Family Sharing, a new iTunes feature that allows family members to share purchased content.
Apple's mobile advertising efforts are expected to increase this year, when the company is reportedly planning to have locally targeted ads air on iTunes Radio, and will also begin promoting iTunes content through its own iAd network.
When recent reports suggested Apple was considering bringing iTunes to Android to help boost flagging music sales, skeptics scoffed at the thought of the iPhone maker supporting a competing platform. But with its $3 billion purchase of Beats, Apple has now revealed it plans to keep the Beats Music subscription apps alive not only on Google's Android, but also Microsoft's Windows Phone.
After Apple announced its purchase of Beats Electronics and Beats Music on Wednesday, iTunes chief Eddy Cue and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine have been scheduled to talk at Re/code's Code Conference later today.
While Beats may be best known for its headphones, Apple made it clear in announcing its $3 billion acquisition of the company on Wednesday that its real interest lies in the subscription Beats Music streaming service, which will complement Apple's existing iTunes offerings.
Apple on Wednesday pushed out a minor update for its iTunes media suite, fixing a podcast-related bug and various stability improvements. Developers were also provided with the first beta of OS X 10.9.4, arriving a few weeks after OS X 10.9.3 became available to the public.
As sales of of music and videos from the iTunes Store decline, Apple's App Store continues to grow, and is on pace to account for most of the company's online services revenue by the end of this year.
Apple on Friday released a minor version update to its iTunes content management software for Mac, bringing a fix for the recently discovered bug introduced in OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 that inadvertently hides the "/Users" folder.
Apple's iTunes media suite was updated on Thursday with improvements for browsing the Podcasts section of the software, allowing users to more quickly find episodes they haven't listened to [update: a corresponding update for the iOS Podcasts app is also available].
Apple on Tuesday made an iPad-friendly version of its latest iOS Human Interface Guidelines reference material available to the public as a free download through the iBookstore.
After a nearly two-and-a-half year wait, Apple's iTunes Match has hit the shores of Japan, bringing cloud-based library matching to one of the few countries where users can purchase music through iTunes but not sign up for the service.
Apple may be testing a rollout of iTunes Radio services in Latin America as reports on Monday note the feature is up and running in at least one country in the region.
Facing significant declines in digital music sales, Apple is reportedly plotting a potential overhaul of its iTunes Music Store, in addition to considering new revenue opportunities through on-demand streaming and even allegedly an iTunes for Android.
While Apple's iTunes Radio is set by default to block songs with explicit language from streaming, the current filters are far from perfect, with profane content slipping through the cracks to the surprise of some listeners.
As part of a settlement regarding overly lax in-app purchase limitations, Apple on Monday sent out to iTunes account holders what appears to be a mass email, asking those who were charged for unauthorized purchases by minors to fill out a refund form.
Live streaming news content is headed to iTunes Radio, with the first partner launching on Apple's service Monday: National Public Radio.
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AppleInsider Staff
Neil Hughes
Mikey Campbell
