Spotify finally comes to the iPad

After many, many requests, popular music streaming service Spotify finally introduced its iPad app Wednesday. The new app, free during a trial period and $10 thereafter for a premium subscription, offers more features than its iPhone counterpart, including a newly created “Now Playing” full-screen viewing option. Not surprisingly, the app was optimized for the iPad’s Retina display, so in addition to 320 kilobits-per-second streaming, you also get big, beautiful hi-definition cover art. It also has a gapless playback feature, which lets users listen to successive songs sans interruption, and AirPlay integration, which allows for streaming songs on iOS-compatible devices and speakers like Jawbone’s Jambox. Also useful is the crossfade feature, so you can designate the number of seconds in between tracks. Running vertically along the left side of the app is the search bar, a What’s New tab (which houses new releases, top tracks and trending playlists), an in-box, playlists, and a People tab. The company has also put together a video that shows the app in action.