To follow in line with what we read yesterday, iRadio’s public release is rumored to be slated for September/October along with iOS 7 and the next generation iPhone. It’s been speculated – and almost confirmed – that WWDC’s opening keynote will feature the announcement of Apple’s upcoming Spotify-killing streaming service.
Today’s report comes via BusinessWeek and states that we can expect iRadio to launch publicly in Q3. It’s unclear whether or not early beta testers of iOS 7 will get access before hand. Developers will more than likely get to try out iOS 7 not long after it’s been announced at WWDC 2013.
Allegedly, Apple is planning on using iAds to support iRadio, and offer up free listening to its users. It’s something of a surprise to me, since iAd has hardly been a roaring success since it was launched a couple of years back. Although, moving to support an app that everyone will use is a smart move, and could create a potentially very lucrative new revenue stream for Cupertino.
With all the rumors from a variety of sources (most normally very reliable) pointing to iRadio happening this year, and record labels almost all being on board, it seems inevitable that we will see it. The exact details on prices and features are yet to be confirmed, but, we only have 6 days to wait.
