GigaOM Pro

Ping is making many wonder if Apple can build a viable social network, but the real question is whether or not the folks in Cupertino even want to.

Or maybe the question is, “Does Apple want to build a real social network?” Last week, at its usual September iPod product refresh, Apple rolled out Ping, a collection of social networking services tied to the iTunes Store. Much was written about how Ping did or didn’t integrate Facebook. The term “walled garden” came up. As it stands now, Ping is explicitly about selling music on the iTunes store. Om thinks it foreshadows the future of [...]