Ping is dead, banished from iTunes after it updates

The Ping is dead -- long live Facebook and Twitter. Apple has given its doomed-from-the-start social network the Old Yeller treatment, replacing its features by integrating into iTunes services people actually use. iTuners will no longer be able to join the network from 30 September and it will be left out of the new iTunes software when it updates next month.

Speaking at a conference back in June, Apple head man Tim Cook acknowledged Ping's abject failure, saying, "We tried Ping, and I think the customer voted and said, 'This isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into.'"

What happens to your Ping playlists after this deadline? three people ask. Any playlists that have made within the music social network will be converted to iMixes, Apple's publishable playlist format, a company representative told our sister site CNET News.

Ping was launched way back in 2010. The service was designed to let you see what your buddies are listening to, making it easier and more convenient to throw money Apple's way. It was doomed from the start, mainly because, well, it was rubbish -- it was difficult to connect to people you knew, let alone share your music with them.

While Apple claimed last night at the launch of the iPhone 5 and new iPods that "music is in its DNA", it really has thrown in the towel on the social side.

With the new Facebook integration, however, also baked straight into iOS 6, music sharing is likely to get far easier. It mimicks Spotify's use of the Zuckerberg network and it will certainly be interesting to see how well it matches up to the streaming application.

What do you think? Do you care that Ping is dead? Or was it a let down for you too from the start? Let us know in the comments or on the Facebook Wall.