That is right! The Apple (AAPL) Sirius XM (SIRI) iPhone app is Finally Here! (Of course, SatWaves was one of the first to announce the launch date).
Here are my first impressions with the application:
The application is free to download from iTunes. Unfortunately, this means that they will not be able to charge subscription fees through iTunes. Instead, you will have to either fill out the web app online or on the phone. Unfortunately, I could not take any screen shots since it was from my iPhone, but there was an interesting line in the registration form for new users that said: “Continental U.S. Only – for international registrations, call (toll): 469-221-5200″ This could be an amazing development, as this allows Sirius XM to expand globally off of the back of the iPhone.
The sound quality is actually surprisingly good on a 3g network. I have yet to try it on the go, but so far so good. Even better is the 3.0 feature that allows for Stereo BlueTooth capabilities. The sound quality over bluetooth is amazing.
Another aspect that many investors and listeners alike will find attractive is the “Buy it from iTunes” button. Sirius XM is now a true music discovery tool. How many times have you been listening to a song and thought “I need to remember to buy that when I get home” only to forget all about it 30 seconds later? Not any longer.
The final thing that I found very intuitive was the channel selection. Even as an XM subscriber, I do not really know what channels are where. On the iPhone app, no longer do you have to run all the way though the channel line up. Instead, channels are listed by category. Country? Comedy? Rock? Talk? Now they are all very easy to find.
I did have a few issues with the app as well. I could not connect to some of the channels because I would get an error message “Could not Connect”. I don’t know if it was from all of the people online trying this thing out or not, but I found it curious and a bit frustrating. Also, if you buy a song online, your streaming radio stops in order to download the song via iTunes. You would think they could do this seemlessly, but apparently not.
There are also a number of online channels that are not available on the iPhone app, most notably Howard Stern. There are many people who would have subscribed strictly for Howard Stern, so I don’t know exactly what the reasoning is behind this decision. Perhaps an independant app, available as an add on?
The app definately has a lot of potential. Will Sirius take advantage of it? Time will only tell.
- David “Newman” Phillips
Disclosure: LONG SIRI, no position AAPL
Contact the author at Newman@satwaves.com
FINALLY!!!!!!
Howard already told us. It’s the Blackberry, it’s all about the f#$%&g
blackberry.
no stern wtf my only hope is that 3gs has no adult restrictions but to have playboy on there they are dirtyer than stern……im confused
Overall, I am quite pleased with this first app offering from Sirius XM. Yes, the Stern channels not being on the service is a little annoying, but when Howard first came to Sirius, his channels weren’t part of the Internet lineup. Soon, however, they were added. I hope – and suspect – that in time, his channels will be added.
The sound of the music and talk stations are quite good, even when switching from 3G to WiFi and back. There is a noticeable jump down in sound at the 3G level as compared to WiFi, but overall, the sound is pretty good.
The iTunes tagging worked flawlessly for me this morning.
I’ve read comments on other blogs about this app and was surprised that people expected play-by-play from this app. All it was ever going to be is an Internet premium app, nothing more. The company doesn’t have the rights to stream play-by-play on the Internet. Maybe in time, they can come to some agreement with the rights’ holders, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
It is a good first app from Sirius XM.
Newman, as an FYI, you take screenshots from the iPhone by holding the top reset/power button and pressing the home key once. You should see your screen flicker/fade once and come back to your app. Once this is done you should be able to view the screenshots in your camera roll.
Newman,
Nice article…..especially the part about international registrations….which I think is the real news here.
Is Howards new love, th blackberry the reason??
since its connected to a free trial stern might bring in a lawsuit from parents just a guess
From the FAQs on the website: SIRIUS XM streams all channels for which it has “mobile rights” So it looks like the guy making $100M/year wants more $$$ to go to mobile: Dumb move Howard – iPhone could be a big audience for you…
This is a great app, Everyone is so quick to bash howard but then if he isnt on this app thats all you hear about.
Its a double edge sword and its garbage.