The Long Awaited Sirius XM iPhone Application Finally Hits the App Store
You have waited patiently for 11 long months, been forced to read countless articles about it’s release, and even watched a home grown Sirius XM app that was ready to go 5 months ago get squashed like a bug but, all of that is over now… the official Sirius XM iPhone is actually available today, for the first time, via the iPhone App Store.
At first glance there is a lot we can learn from the new SiriusXM.com iPhone information page, most importantly that they are offering a free 7 day trial for all new listeners and that the application itself is FREE, something we all knew would be important from the get go. That being said, there are quite a few things that I don’t think a lot of people we necessarily expecting.
The first thing that should jump out at readers is that the new iPhone application is only available in the United States. One would have to assume that this is because of royalty fees and regulations at this point, similar to those that have plagued the international availability of other Internet Radio companies but, it will no doubt be disappointing to those people outside of the country who have been so eagerly awaiting the release.
The most shocking thing about the new iPhone may not be the 120 available channels but instead, the channels which are NOT available. The list astonishingly includes MLB® Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, SIRIUS NASCAR® Radio, and Howard Stern! How could the person who Sirius XM cites as being responsible for bringing in more subscriptions then anyone else not be part of this application? As we sit and wait for more news this is certainly something that will have both investors and subscribers alike scratching their heads disbelief.
Update: The reviews are already flowing into the iPhone app page dedicated to Sirius XM on iTunes and it has not gone without notice that Howard Stern is not available. People are, shall we say, less then pleased. A quick search of twitter for the terms “Sirius Howard iPhone” should give you an idea of the tone being used in the emails which are already flooding into my inbox.
For more information readers can visit siriusxm.com which has apparently, for the time being, been transformed into a stand alone promotional website for the iPhone application
It doesn’t work on the original ipod touch sadly. So I can’t say if it’s any good.
I’m installing it on my iphone right now. I love the shopping list feature for the iTunes music store! I can tag songs and download them when I have money in my bank account. Awesome.
is it just the trial version possibly that does not carry Stern?
HOWARD STERN IS MISSING FROM THIS APP!!! No wonder the stock is 30 cents!!! I can’t believe it! This is potentially the biggest app of the year and they leave their homerun hitter in the dugout those idiots!!!
Wow,
The one advantage over all the other apps is not being exploited. WTF Content is king. Stern, NFL, and NASCAR would have been a huge draw. Summer is the best time for Sirius XM to earn it’s keep. Road trips, lake trips etc. The entire staff in charge of Marketing should be fired. They should have Hyped this up with everything they had.
Is it because they needed to renegotiate contracts to make it available?
Could be – it does say they included all channels for which they have online distribution rights.
Instructions here allow install on 1st generation : http://forums.macrumors.com/sh.....p?t=632637
Testing now …
Seems to work well on 1st generation ipod touch after modifying the .ipa file 🙂
WHOO-HOO!! That worked! Funny, though, the app already HAD the required “1” line…maybe SIRIUS XM changed it already?
It looks like they did fix it.
Charles,
I remember when Howard Stern started at Sirius, his show was not immediately available thru internet streaming. And, if I’m remembering correctly, I think it was because Sirius’ IT Dept. had to reinforce their servers for the potential onslaught of online users. This might be the reason Stern is not yet available for streaming via the iphone. ATT may wish to avoid a meltdown.
Just a theory.
good theory, ill take anything i can get about it.
I mentioned on Sirius Yahoo board awhile back with the question…
Will Stern’s obcene show meet standards to be allowed on app?
Jackie Jokeman mentioned awhile ago Apple initially rejected his own app because they said his joke hunt show was too vulgar-so what would they think of Howard’s show then?
Unless something extraordinary is going on behind the scenes, a total bummer if Stern is blacklisted by Apple..
.
Playboy, the virus, and rawdog are on the application. I don’t think Apple asked for Howard 100 and 101 to be removed.
Well they pay Stern too much money not to include him. They are not exactly sitting on a pile of cash where they can afford to further upset subscribers either.
Anyway I read on their site
“SIRIUS & XM offer all of the channels for which we have mobile performance rights. For that reason, certain channels which may be available on your satellite radio or online radio service may not be available on a mobile device like the iPhone.”
Not sure what that means but could be Apple, could be Stern needing more money, who knows.
Rawdog????
Euthanize that pittiful excuse of a comedy channel PLEEZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Either way, this is a complete failure without stern. Quite frankly, the content they are providing hardly sets it apart from pandora, and pandora’s free. I’ve waited a long time for this app, and really feel cheated.
Music discovery is better now, and integrated with the Istore. Sounds like some sort of partnership. This is looking even better than I thought. NASCAR and MLB not on their is not a surprise to you Tyler. If you know how promo subs are calcuated you shouldnt be surprised by this. Looks like a huge winner. Even better than expected. Howard has 3 million listeners. They will still get him. Howard says hes coming anyway. You can still get Howard from Ipockets.
Also on their website, under channel listings, it states;
Some select programming, including MLB® Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, SIRIUS NASCAR® Radio, and Howard Stern, will not be available on the iPhone and iPod touch. Listeners will continue to be able to access that programming through the platforms they are currently offered on.
So much for my theory above.
Jeff,
I think your initial thought might actually be correct.
This is starting to look like ATT didn’t want a bandwidth hog right off the bat.
They made a point of doing this with sling box.
Yet, another reason to tell Apple & ATT to go pee on a spark plug.
“The first thing that should jump out at readers is that the new iPhone application is only available in the United States.”
You can register seperately if you live outside the US. Not true Tyler. And Howard has stated he will be available on the Iphone app, but what would he know, its only his show right?
Seeking alpha is saying Tyler wrote this article. I knew it couldnt have been Tyler. I was very very confused, im going to go apologize right now to him.
Fooled me as well. Should’ve known it was Charles with his negative agenda.
Well, well, well..
After all the hype Sirius-XM brings out an App that is no more than a glorified Pandora or Slacker.
What a complete and utter waste of time and resources.
The ONLY Sirius-XM staffer that actually generates revenue, Howard Stern, is NOT included.
So much for this iPhone app being a game changer.
Mel, you should pack your desk now.
You are looking at the beginning of a renewed investor and subscriber revolt.
wow, what a completely wrong comment. Well well well, If you think for one second Howard isnt going to be on this app, then I dont know what to tell you. Dont take any wooden nickels?
If Howard Stern IS going to be included, why on God’s green earth would Sirius-XM management be so incredibly STUPID to leave him out of the initial release?
You ‘exuberance’ for all things Sirius is totally irrational.
Not a peep from Howard this morning.
Geez, I wonder why? [rolling eyes}
Screw this I’m cancelling all but one subscription I waited for months for stern and this backwards company gives zilch. Nickel and dime you to death, much like the stock price.
unbelievable , stern loves his audience and maybe willing to give us his show for another 100 million maybe ? money greedy a……s !!!
Not available in Canada….. I thought that might be the case.
What can I say? Hopefully in the future.
THE VIRUS IS ON THERE RON AND FEZ NOON TO 3
The “Terrestrial Radio Man” delivers again.
BahBah Booey, get a hobby!
What a tool.
I tell you the iPhone app will be a flop,Sirius-XM goes out of its way to prove I’m correct and I’m the bad guy.
PuhLeez!
Does anyone else think this could be a brilliant marketing stunt for SiriusXM?
They may have intentionally left out Stern b/c they knew it would cause an uproar and the media would pick up on it giving the company tens of millions of dollars worth of free advertising. A quick glance this morning has more and more media outlets talking about the absence of Stern and other content. Their intentions all along could be that SiriusXM will eventually include Stern on the iphone app as soon as they milk all the free publicity.
It would be brilliant, don’t you agree?
Yeah, It’s brilliant to alienate your customers and potential customers.
You can’t possibly believe that.
BBB,
I believe SiriusXM can’t offer MLB or NFL games anyway. I don’t think the professional leagues will allow them to be broadcast over any means except the satellite mode. But you’re not alienating Stern fans when you eventually give them the ability to stream them on the iphone.
Wow. That’s an interesting point but I doubt it’s true. I don’t think they are that smart over there since these are the same people that just started charging for online access for no apparent reason. IF (and that’s a big if) they did this on purpose it will be one of the smartest and dumbest ideas all at the same time.
I’m not sure they could piss off their customers anymore at this point so if they irritate us for a few more days to get a ton of free “advertising” (bad publicity is still publicity)and then add the Stern channels next week or something, I guess I can deal with it. Nothing they do these days surprises me anymore.
Sirius XM has so much potential but their window to make this company work is quickly closing.
The stock is already below 39 cents on the news of the lame iPhone App.
25 cents, here we come.
I just got off the phone with Sirius Customer Service. About a 10 minute wait to get through. I have 3 Sirius Accounts and have been a subscriber for almost 5 years now. The music is great, but I listen to the Stern show every day. In March, I updated one of my accounts to a lifetime subscription, which I thought at the time was giving me, not only Free Internet Streaming, but also Premium Online access. Apparently, it was just for the regular online. The guy on the phone was quick to point out that College Football and Howard Stern are not included. I asked him if that was going to change and he said no. He said Howard wanted a couple of million to be included in the App. I asked him if he thought that was worth it and he said we almost went bankrupt and its partly because of how much money we paid him. So I said, don’t you think that Howard is a big reason why people are listening to Sirius, to which he responded Yes, 70% of Sirius Subscribers listen to the 2 Stern Channels. As a subscriber and share holder, I am devastated by this news. You paid Howard once, and he brought you million of subscribers, pay him twice and he will do the same. Regardless, this app should have never come out if Stern was not included. For lack of a better example, imaging if the MLB app did not include the Yankees, or the Red Sox. Stupid decision here. I love the music and content on Sirius, but if I can get similar music on Pandora or Slacker, no need to pay $2.99 a month. I look for Stern to create his own App, which could potentially be the end for Stern on Sirius.
I have a lifetime subscription to XM with the Best of Sirius. I paid for the lifetime subscription in March to lock in free internet. If I get an Iphone, will I have to pay any more fees?
Where is Stern? Will he be added to the Iphone App later?
you cannot get the same music on pandora…everysingle day on hip hop nation and shade 45 i hear new music that just came out, practically just recorded that day, no way pissdora or anything else competes with sxm’s music selection.
I have a hard time believing that it is a “rights” issue with Stern, like it is with the NFL and MLB. He is available on the internet. If I pay for a wireless broadband service, I can plug it into my laptop computer and carry it around and get Stern. The iphone is just a small computer with a wireless broadband connection. Must be some other reason.
I think Sirius/XM will regret not offering Stern. Even if they are cornered to pass down the extra cost so be it, make it available. Investors and people don’t care, figure it out!
This is all smoke and mirrors to attract attention to stern.
(which, I never listen to.) The ONLY reason they want to do this is to bring attention to him, and it’s working. This is just a soft release.
Sorry, but you are dead wrong.
There is NOTHING to be gained by playing with the emotions of your existing customers and disappointing potential customers.
IF, and it’s a big IF, Sirius-XM ultimately makes Stern available on this app, it will be because the backlash against it is overwhelming.
This publicity has done nothing but drive down the stock price and tick people off.
If you have a lifetime subscriber, your $500 wasn’t good enough to run this app.
You also need to pay $2.99 per month to get Sirius on your iPhone or Touch, Stern or no Stern.
I guess it’s over to Pocket Tunes – until SiriusXM sues them to turn off their feed.