• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, June 28, 2012

With its music-sharing service Ping reportedly doomed, Apple’s social future has been in doubt. Now, however, sources are suggesting that the company sees big social promise in iTunes.
 
I“Apple plans an overhaul of iTunes that would mark one of the largest changes to the world’s biggest music store since its 2003 debut,” reports Bloomberg, citing sources.
 
Along with greater reliance on its iCloud file-storage service, sources say that Apple is planning new features for sharing music. One source tells Bloomberg that Apple has been in talks with record labels to let users send each other songs and listen to them for free.
 
“The sharing will most likely happen through Twitter and Facebook, both of which Apple has partnered with for sharing in iOS 6 and Mountain Lion,” suggests 9to5Mac.
 
“Given the success of social music streaming services like Spotify, it's not surprising that Apple would want to make iTunes a little more social as well,” writes Business Insider.  “Regardless of what materializes in the release, it sounds like Apple is hoping to target the likes of Spotify more directly than in the past,” seconds Gizmodo.
 
“Apple has tried its hand at social music networking before with Ping, with mixed results,” CNet notes. As such, “The music-centric social network within iTunes 10 … is expected to get the ax in the next version of iOS.”
 
“With Ping failing to gain user traction, Apple is searching for more ways to get iTunes users interacting with exclusive multimedia content from bands and artists,” writes AppleInsider.
 
Regarding the new iTunes, Business Insider adds: “Hopefully this effort turns out better than Ping.”