As of September 30, Apple will deactivate its unpopular Ping social network for music. According to a message found within iTunes, “Ping will no longer be available as of September 30.
Thank you for your interest in Ping. We are no longer accepting new members.”
The move was previously indicated by Apple, and the service’s lack of traction was openly conceded by executives some time ago.
In addition to integrating some support for social networks such as Twitter and Facebook within iTunes, separate reports have suggested that Apple is working on a music streaming service similar to Pandora, which might offer new opportunities for users to discuss and share their favorite songs.