Apple has hired a former marketing executive from Microsoft to help promote the App Store and iTunes in Europe, MCV reports. Robin Burrowes, former head of Xbox LIVE marketing in the EMEA region for Microsoft, joined Apple in January according to his LinkedIn profile. His formal duties at Apple remain unclear — Burrowes’s profile only states that his role involves “App Store Marketing” — but the executive’s background suggests gaming will be a strong focus. Apple has hired a number of executives with experience in the gaming market recently, including Nintendo’s former head of public relations Robert Saunders and former Activision, EA and Xbox PR head Nick Grange. The video game industry finds itself among a number of businesses that have been disrupted by Apple’s iOS lineup, and the company’s recent hires suggest that Apple intends to continue pushing the gaming capabilities of its mobile device lineup.

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Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard’s head of emerging payments, sat down with Austin Carr of Fast Company to discuss the future of credit cards. “We’re rapidly moving to a world beyond plastic,” said McLaughlin. “In many ways, plastic is just convenient packaging.” The future of on-the-go payments may lie in the hands of near-field communication but unfortunately, adoption and availability have been extremely slow and limited. While NFC technology has been featured in a number of Android devices, MasterCard seems to think it won’t go mainstream until an iPhone is equipped with the mobile payment solution. Read on for more.

“The timeline is always as rapid as it makes sense for consumers,” McLaughlin said. “That’s a combination of having a critical mass of the merchants, which is what you’re seeing right now, and getting devices into the hands of consumers. I don’t know of a handset manufacturer that isn’t in process of making sure their stuff is PayPass ready.” When asked specifically if Apple was one of these manufacturers, McLaughlin stuttered. “Um, there are…like I say, [I don't know of] any handset maker out there,” he said. “Now, when we have discussions with our partners, and they ask us not to disclose them, we don’t.”

Apple has repeatedly shown that it is one of the few consumer electronics companies right now with the ability to transform and create entire industries. Prior to iTunes and the iPod, virtually no one paid for digital music, and media tablets were a non-factor until the iPad. Does the mobile payment industry need Apple to become a mainstream phenomenon? “Well, anytime someone with a major base moves forward, it advances what you’re doing. So of course,” McLaughlin said. “I think as merchants provide these better interfaces for consumers–a better way of transacting–I think any consumer-focused technology provider would want to take advantage of it.”

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Apple on Thursday released an updated version of its iTunes software following a series of announcements made during the company’s press conference in New York City. The Cupertino, California-based firm unveiled its new interactive iPad textbook product alongside iBooks 2 Thursday morning, and it also took the wraps off of an updated iTunes U service that includes new tools for teachers and a new iPad app. To accommodate Apple’s new features, the company also pushed out iTunes 10.5.3, which is available for download immediately. Apple’s official change log follows below.

What’s new in iTunes 10.5.3

iTunes 10.5.3 allows you to sync interactive iBooks textbooks to your iPad. These Multi-Touch textbooks are available for purchase from the iTunes Store on your Mac or from the iBookstore included with iBooks 2 on your iPad.

iBooks textbooks are created with iBooks Author — now available as a free download on the Mac App Store

For information on the security content of this update, please visit:support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Album sales in the United States jumped 3% during 2011 according to one report. That may seem like minor growth, but it is actually the first time album sales have increased since 2004. Nielsen SoundScan said Adele’s album “21″ sold 5.8 million copies, and total sales came in at 458 million albums for the year. Make no mistake, however, CD sales are still on the decline. Sales of full digital albums climbed 20% to 103 million units but CD sales dropped 6% to 225 million units. Nielsen’s senior vice president of analytics Dave Bakula said the addition of Google’s music store in the Android Market also helped serve as a catalyst for digital music sales growth. ”It shows there’s still a lot of growth potential in digital,” Bakula said. “That’s something I don’t see falling down.”

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Apple’s design boss Jonathan Ive is reportedly hard at work on two models of Apple’s upcoming “iTV,” a new report claimed on Wednesday. Earlier rumors suggested that Apple is preparing to launch 32 and 37-inch HDTVs this summer, but USA Today cites an anonymous former Apple employee in stating Apple is prepping a 42-inch model and a 50-inch model. The report also reaffirms a number of previously reported iTV features such as Siri-powered controls, iOS app support, AirPlay, iCloud support and deep iTunes integration. USA Today also notes that stalled negotiations with content providers within the TV industry are a “major roadblock” for Apple. A la carte availability of top-tier TV shows is said to be a key to the success of Apple’s HDTV, but Apple has reportedly been unable to secure the licensing agreements it would need to offer content using its desired distribution model. ”I do expect Apple to make an attempt, since I expect the living room to remain a center for family entertainment, and that touches on all areas of consumer products that Apple is already making,” Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told USA Today.

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Until recently, iTunes users were able to purchase episodes of television shows a-la-carte or buy a whole season outright. The problem was, however, a user still had to pay full price for a television season even if he or she already owned a few individual episodes. Apple has reportedly fixed that problem by adding a “Complete my season” button that functions just like the “Complete my album” button in the iTunes Music Store. That means, for example, if you’ve purchased nine episodes of Family Guy and want to own the entire first season, you can buy it at a discounted rate that takes your previous purchases into consideration. The feature should be live now, according to MacRumors.

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Apple on Monday released a new update for its iTunes software. ITunes 10.5.2 adds a number of enhancements for iTunes Match, and it includes several additional updates and bug fixes. “iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs,” Apple said in a note with the update. Users can update their iTunes software by downloading version 10.5.2 from Apple’s website or by using the integrated software update tool. Apple’s full release notes follow below.

What’s new in iTunes 10.5.2

iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.

iTunes 10.5.1 also included:

• iTunes Match. Store your entire music library in iCloud, including music you’ve imported from CDs, and enjoy your collection anywhere, anytime, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer, or Apple TV.
• iTunes in the Cloud. iTunes now stores your music and TV purchases in iCloud and makes them available on your devices anywhere, any time, at no additional cost.
• Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices.
• Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music, TV, app, and book purchases again, at no additional cost. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.
• Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.
• Wi-Fi Syncing. Automatically sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes any time they’re both on the same Wi-Fi network.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

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Apple has finally released iTunes 10.5.1 to the public after months of internal and developer testing. Besides bug fixes, the big change that iTunes 10.5.1 brings is support for iTunes Match, Apple’s cloud-based music storage service that will allow your entire music library, purchased from Apple or not, to be accessible from all your computers and iOS devices for a yearly fee. There’s a good chance that after missing the October launch time frame, Apple will make iTunes Match available today.

UPDATE: Yep, iTunes Match is now available.

Battery life with iOS 5 eating away at you? Apple’s software update, and the first update since iOS 5 was released, is finally out. Changes include improved battery performance on iOS devices, other bug fixes and changes like the return  of multitasking gestures for the original iPad, improved voice recognition, and more.

iOS 5.0.1 Software Update

This update contains improvements and other bug fixes including:

• Fixes bugs affecting battery life
• Adds Multitasking Gestures for original iPad
• Resolves bugs with Documents in the Cloud
• Improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 2
• iPad
• iPod touch (4th generation)
• iPod touch (3rd generation)

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

It’s available at the moment as an update in iTunes, it will also be available as an over-the-air update right from your device, no cables required, within a few minutes.

Apple’s iTunes Match service was supposed to be released to the public by the end of October and while we’re still not sure why the service has been delayed, Apple just released a new beta build of iTunes that allows developers to continue testing the service. Apple’s release notes are as follows:

iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2 is now available and includes a number of important stability and performance improvements. iTunes Match is also now available for testing on Apple TV.

iTunes Match stores your music library in iCloud and allows you to enjoy your collection from anywhere, any time, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer and now your Apple TV.

The new build, iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2, is available for download immediately from within Apple’s developer portal. Once released, iTunes Match will allow users to mirror their iTunes libraries in iCloud for $25 per year.

Apple has failed to make good on its promise to deploy its iTunes Match service by the “end of October.” A beta version of the service, which allows users to access their entire music library in iCloud from any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or computer, originally became available in late August and it was first included in early builds of iTunes 10.5. The service was supported in the latest iTunes 10.5.1 developer build, too, but that version expired on Tuesday. It remains unclear when Apple will officially launch iTunes Match or what is causing the delay. iTunes Match typically wipes a developer’s library before a new version launches, and the last wipe occurred on Thursday. That suggests either a final build or a new developer build of iTunes 10.5 will be rolled out shortly.

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Apple on Tuesday released the latest version of its iTunes software to the general public. ITunes 10.5 brings with it several anticipated new features including support for Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud service, and it will be required for users who wish to update an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to iOS 5 following its release on Wednesday. Apple’s change log for iTunes 10.5 is as follows:

What’s new in iTunes 10.5

• iTunes in the Cloud. iTunes now stores your music and TV purchases in iCloud and makes them available on your devices anywhere, any time, at no additional cost.
• Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices.
• Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music, TV, app, and book purchases again, at no additional cost. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.
• Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.
• Wi-Fi Syncing. Automatically sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes any time they’re both on the same Wi-Fi network.

ITunes 10.5 and iOS 5 will also finally enable Wi-Fi synchronization for iOS device users, allowing users to sync devices with iTunes without having to connect to a computer via USB.

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Apple released iTunes 10.5 beta 9 to developers on Friday. Apple said the new release includes a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements. The update is required for developers currently testing Apple’s iTunes Match beta. Additionally, Apple reiterated that iCloud libraries will be deleted at the end of the beta period. Apple said known issues include:

• The scan & match feature is not yet complete. Some songs may not match (even if they is available in the iTunes Store) and will be uploaded to iCloud. Other songs may match to a different version of the same song on the iTunes Store.
• You can only add music to iCloud from one computer at a time.
• After updating to iOS 5 beta 7, your music may fail to play. If this happens, turn off iTunes Match in Settings > Music, then turn it back on.

Read on for the full release notes from Apple.

iTunes 10.5 Beta 9 Release Notes

iTunes 10.5 beta 9 includes several performance enhancements and bug fixes, and is a required update for all subscribers to iTunes Match beta.
Your iCloud libraries will be deleted at the end of this beta.

Backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer. Apple may periodically delete all iCloud libraries during the beta period. This will require you to scan, match, and upload songs again. Also note that some of the features and optimizations of iTunes Match may not be available during this beta.

About Subscribing
iTunes Match beta is available to iOSdevelopers in the United States.
•    iTunes Match beta is available as an automatically renewing subscription for $24.99 per year. You may cancel at any time from your Account settings.
•    You can subscribe to iTunes Match using iTunes 10.5 beta 9 on your Mac. iTunes Match is not available with iTunes for Windows at this time. You cannot subscribe to iTunes Match from your iOS device.

•    You can access your iCloud library on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch with iOS 5 beta, or your other computers with iTunes 10.5 beta 9.
•    Once subscribed, you can add up to 25,000 songs to iCloud, and iTunes purchases do not count against this limit. iTunes Match will not add your apps, books, movies, TV shows, ringtones, and audiobooks to your iCloud library. These items can continue to be synced to your iOS device with iTunes. iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras are also unsupported.

•    iTunes Match includes limits to how you may access your iCloud library:
-    You can use iTunes Match on up to 10 computers and iOS devices, up to five of which can be computers authorized with your Apple ID.
-    You can only associate computers and devices with a different Apple ID once every 90 days.

Getting Started
To subscribe to iTunes Match:
Install iTunes 10.5 beta 9 on your Mac Open iTunes and choose Turn On iTunes Match from the Store menu Click the Subscribe for $24.99 button and follow the onscreen instructions. Once complete, your Music library will include songs on your computer and in iCloud.

Once iTunes has completed matching your music with the iTunes Store, you may begin accessing your iCloud library:

• From your iOS device:
• 1.    Tap Settings > Music > turn iTunes Match ON. This will disable syncing music with iTunes.
• 2.    Press the Home button and tap Music.

• From your other computers:
• 1.    Install iTunes 10.5 beta 9 on your other Macs
•  2.    Open iTunes and choose Store > Sign In. Sign in using the same Apple ID you used to subscribe to iTunes Match.
• 3.    Choose Store > Turn On iTunes Match
• 4.    Click the Add This Computer button 5. Once complete, your Music library will include songs on your computer and in iCloud.

Known Issues

• The scan & match feature is not yet complete. Some songs may not match (even if they is available in the iTunes Store) and will be uploaded to iCloud. Other songs may match to a different version of the same song on the iTunes Store.
• You can only add music to iCloud from one computer at a time.
• After updating to iOS 5 beta 7, your music may fail to play.    If this happens, turn off iTunes Match in Settings > Music, then turn it back on.

Thanks CDeeRON!

Freemium applications are driving in-app purchases according to a new report from Distimo, which was completed for the Verizon Developer Community. It is like getting a free ice cream sample at Baskin-Robbins: give a consumer a taste of something for free and then let them come back for more. Just 4% of all iPhone applications feature in-app purchases but, among the 200 highest-grossing applications in the iTunes App Store, 72% of the application revenue came from those with in-app purchases. That figure is up from just 28% last year. The revenue landscape is similar in the Android Market. 68% of the 25 top-grossing apps in the Android Market offer in-app purchases. Distimo also found that the average application in the iTunes App Store costs $3.84 while the average Android application costs $3.30.

[Via MacStories]

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Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley recently said her iTunes account was compromised by identity thieves and that she will press Apple for answers. It is unclear how the thieves gained access to Coakley’s account, perhaps through an application, but the hackers stole credit card information and made fraudulent purchases, ThreatPost said. Coakley brought up the attack during a speech for the launch of the Massachusetts Advanced Cyber Security Center. She noted that Dell blocked her credit card when the hackers tried to purchase a computer, believing the purchase to be fraudulent. Apple, however, did not. Coakley said she would reach out to the iPhone maker and demand information. ThreatPost argued that Coakley might have been speaking so strongly in an effort to build support for Massachusetts’ state data privacy, data protection and data breach notification laws. Coakley believes companies such as Apple should be held liable when in violation of the aforementioned laws. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office said any company that has had a breach which “creates a substantial risk of identity theft or fraud against a resident of the commonwealth,” should publicly disclose the attack.

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