Apple's Ping hits one million users in 48 hrs

Could this rapid growth signal a shift in the balance of social media power?

It shouldn't come as a surprise that in less than two days, Apple's new music-based social network, Ping, attracted one million new users. 

Apple's iTunes service has 160 million users, after all.

The service, which launched last Wednesday as part of the new iTunes10, is an opt-in service, which means that users chose not only to upgrade their iTunes account, but to actively register for the Ping service.

Ping, which is a music-based hybrid between Twitter and Facebook, allows users to follow their friends and favorite artists, as well as letting you voice your own thoughts about music and pop culture. It also makes song recommendations based on what the people in your friends list are listening to. Concert information is also available via the Ping site, with results based on your local area and shows your friends are set to attend.

As it turns out, this one-million mark is only the tip of the potential iceberg, with only a portion of the users who chose to upgrade signing up for Ping. “One-third of the people who have downloaded iTunes 10 have joined Ping,“ said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services said in the official release, “As many more people download iTunes 10 in the coming weeks, we expect the Ping community to continue growing.“

If, when the upgrade is complete and Apples estimated 160 million iTunes users all sign up for the site, it will still be a long way to go to the top spot in the world of social media. Facebook, the current largest network, boasts more than 500 million active users. Though Ping may not be trying to compete with Facebook, given that it is appealing to a niche. Even if that niche is known for having some seriously devoted fans.

These number were, of course, announced late on September 3rd, and once the holiday weekend is over the results may have changed markedly.

A mobile version of Ping is also avaliable for iPhone and iPad users with their operating system upgrade.

Apple was not avaliable for immediate comment.