The Wall Street Journal tonight is reporting that Apple may indeed be looking to launch its own streaming radio service, much like the one offered by Pandora.
Such a service would represent a major strategic shift for Apple, branching out beyond its hardware market to expand its stake in the online music-listening game.
Pandora creates virtual radio “stations” based upon a users choice in songs and/or artists. Apple currently has its “Genius” feature in iTunes, which tries to predict what you might like to listen to next based on what you listen to already. It’s like shuffle, but with a little bit of algorithm logic behind it.
https://gizmodo.com/itunes-8-is-here-bringing-genius-playlists-and-more-5046934
With a Pandora competitor, Apple would seem to be targeting a whole new audience, rather than simply offering another listening option for its current iTunes customers. [WSJ]
