<s>
iTunes	B-Operating_System
Ping	I-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
simply	O
Ping	B-Protocol
,	O
was	O
a	O
software-based	O
,	O
music-oriented	O
social	O
networking	O
and	O
recommender	B-Application
system	I-Application
service	O
developed	O
and	O
operated	O
by	O
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
announced	O
and	O
launched	O
on	O
September	O
1	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
tenth	O
major	O
release	O
of	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ping	B-Protocol
was	O
also	O
accessible	O
via	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
for	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
officially	O
closed	O
the	O
service	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
replaced	O
it	O
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
integration	O
in	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Ping	B-Protocol
's	O
official	O
announcement	O
on	O
September	O
1	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Karsten	O
Manufacturing	O
,	O
the	O
parent	O
company	O
of	O
PING	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
golfing	O
equipment	O
manufacturer	O
,	O
released	O
a	O
statement	O
regarding	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
social	O
network	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
Karsten	O
Manufacturing	O
had	O
entered	O
into	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
Apple	O
under	O
which	O
Apple	O
will	O
use	O
the	O
"	O
Ping	B-Protocol
"	O
trademark	O
in	O
connection	O
with	O
its	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
has	O
also	O
caused	O
minor	O
confusion	O
as	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
to	O
ping	B-Protocol
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
being	O
used	O
by	O
users	O
of	O
Ping	B-Protocol
,	O
is	O
already	O
a	O
commonly	O
used	O
but	O
unrelated	O
computer	O
term	O
used	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
Ping	B-Protocol
networking	I-Protocol
utility	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ping	B-Protocol
was	O
announced	O
by	O
Apple	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
as	O
being	O
"	O
sort	O
of	O
like	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
meet	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
,	O
"	O
but	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Ping	B-Protocol
is	O
not	O
Facebook	B-Application
"	O
and	O
"	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
"	O
instead	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
something	O
else	O
...	O
all	O
about	O
music.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
have	O
speculated	O
that	O
Ping	B-Protocol
was	O
meant	O
to	O
compete	O
directly	O
with	O
the	O
declining	O
MySpace	B-Application
,	O
which	O
is	O
still	O
holding	O
on	O
to	O
its	O
existence	O
through	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
Apple	O
's	O
announcement	O
of	O
Ping	B-Protocol
,	O
chief	O
executive	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
gave	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
in	O
which	O
he	O
demonstrated	O
the	O
basic	O
functionality	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
including	O
Facebook	B-Application
integration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
Ping	B-Protocol
was	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
,	O
users	O
began	O
to	O
report	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
social	O
integration	O
had	O
been	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kara	O
Swisher	O
,	O
technology	O
columnist	O
for	O
the	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
,	O
reported	O
that	O
after	O
speaking	O
to	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
regarding	O
the	O
matter	O
,	O
he	O
had	O
revealed	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Apple	O
had	O
failed	O
to	O
reach	O
an	O
agreement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jobs	O
further	O
reported	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
wanted	O
"	O
onerous	O
terms	O
that	O
 [ Apple ] 	O
could	O
not	O
agree	O
to.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Apple	O
launched	O
Ping	B-Protocol
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
integration	O
without	O
authorization	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
subsequently	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
implemented	O
a	O
block	O
,	O
denying	O
Ping	B-Protocol
access	O
to	O
the	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
API	B-Application
)	O
,	O
necessary	O
in	O
"	O
linking	O
"	O
Facebook	B-Application
with	O
Ping	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
result	O
was	O
the	O
inability	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
an	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
user	O
's	O
friends	O
on	O
Facebook	B-Application
who	O
were	O
also	O
connected	O
to	O
Ping	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
provide	O
Facebook	B-Application
integration	O
in	O
Ping	B-Protocol
,	O
Apple	O
had	O
to	O
retrieve	O
users	O
 '	O
information	O
using	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
API	B-Application
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
provides	O
its	O
APIs	B-Application
for	O
third	O
parties	O
to	O
use	O
for	O
free	O
,	O
but	O
"	O
high-volume	O
"	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Ping	B-Protocol
that	O
are	O
expected	O
to	O
make	O
more	O
than	O
100	O
million	O
information	O
requests	O
per	O
24-hour	O
period	O
,	O
are	O
required	O
to	O
negotiate	O
terms	O
of	O
use	O
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
in	O
accordance	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
Developer	O
Principles	O
and	O
Policies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Twenty-four	O
hours	O
after	O
Ping	B-Protocol
was	O
launched	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
,	O
reports	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
being	O
flooded	O
with	O
spam	O
were	O
published	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fraudsters	O
would	O
create	O
an	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
profile	O
and	O
post	O
links	O
to	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
online	O
scams	O
,	O
including	O
ones	O
that	O
promised	O
"	O
free	O
iPhones	B-Device
"	O
or	O
"	O
free	O
iPads	O
"	O
in	O
exchange	O
for	O
filling	O
out	O
online	O
surveys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
most	O
part	O
,	O
these	O
suspicious	O
links	O
were	O
being	O
posted	O
in	O
the	O
comments	O
sections	O
of	O
popular	O
artists	O
on	O
Ping	B-Protocol
,	O
such	O
as	O
Britney	O
Spears	O
,	O
Lady	O
Gaga	O
,	O
Katy	O
Perry	O
and	O
U2	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
whom	O
were	O
among	O
the	O
recommended	O
accounts	O
listed	O
on	O
the	O
Ping	B-Protocol
homepage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Security	O
vendor	O
Sophos	O
expressed	O
bemusement	O
that	O
Apple	O
had	O
allegedly	O
set	O
up	O
no	O
spam	O
or	O
URL	O
filtering	O
in	O
Ping	B-Protocol
,	O
leaving	O
the	O
service	O
open	O
to	O
spam	O
commenting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MacRumors	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
first	O
'	O
free	O
iPhone	B-Device
 '	O
spam	O
wave	O
remained	O
active	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
hours	O
before	O
being	O
disabled.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
2	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
singer-songwriter	O
Ben	O
Folds	O
reported	O
via	O
Twitter	B-Application
that	O
an	O
account	O
had	O
been	O
created	O
in	O
his	O
name	O
,	O
continuing	O
to	O
mention	O
that	O
he	O
is	O
unaware	O
as	O
to	O
who	O
had	O
created	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graham	O
Cluley	O
,	O
senior	O
technology	O
consultant	O
at	O
Sophos	O
,	O
said	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
used	O
to	O
...	O
scams	O
like	O
this	O
being	O
spread	O
far	O
and	O
wide	O
via	O
sites	O
like	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
but	O
clearly	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
filtering	O
on	O
Ping	B-Protocol
is	O
making	O
it	O
a	O
brand	O
new	O
playground	O
for	O
 [ scammers ] 	O
to	O
operate	O
in.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
initially	O
available	O
in	O
23	O
countries	O
where	O
users	O
have	O
full	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
Store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
users	O
in	O
countries	O
with	O
limited	O
or	O
no	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
Store	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Chile	O
,	O
the	O
Czech	O
Republic	O
,	O
Croatia	O
and	O
India	O
,	O
were	O
unable	O
to	O
access	O
Ping	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
closed	O
the	O
service	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
replaced	O
it	O
in	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
integration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ping	B-Protocol
failed	O
to	O
gain	O
much	O
traction	O
with	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
Ping	B-Protocol
were	O
able	O
to	O
view	O
what	O
music	O
their	O
friends	O
are	O
purchasing	O
and	O
reviewing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
also	O
received	O
a	O
personalized	O
"	O
charts	O
"	O
list	O
that	O
features	O
what	O
other	O
people	O
with	O
a	O
similar	O
taste	O
in	O
music	O
are	O
listening	O
to	O
through	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
of	O
Ping	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wired	O
gave	O
the	O
service	O
a	O
favorable	O
review	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Ping	B-Protocol
has	O
significant	O
advantages	O
against	O
other	O
music-oriented	O
social	O
networks.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GigaOM	O
wrote	O
that	O
it	O
foresees	O
Ping	B-Protocol
as	O
being	O
"	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
Social	O
Commerce.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
MacTech	O
listed	O
several	O
complaints	O
voiced	O
by	O
early	O
adopters	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Ping	B-Protocol
's	O
lack	O
of	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
and	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
app	O
integration	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
could	O
eventually	O
become	O
"	O
a	O
pretty	O
useful	O
social	O
network	O
for	O
music	O
junkies.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
CNN	B-Architecture
rated	O
Ping	B-Protocol
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
ten	O
biggest	O
tech	O
'	O
fails	O
 '	O
of	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
