iTunes 9 with app management, LPs, more, unveiled by Apple
The latest version of iTunes brings improved syncing and application management, allows easier sharing of content, features a redesigned iTunes Store, and includes enhanced albums in the form of iTunes LPs.
The update to Apple's media player and online store is now available for download.
"iTunes 9 is a great iTunes release, with innovative features that make using iTunes better than ever and iTunes content richer than ever," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iTunes LP, for example, lets artists share more of their creativity with fans and gives music lovers the feeling of being immersed in an entire album with art, lyrics, liner notes, photos and videos."
A new Applications view allows users to view all of their iPod touch and iPhone home screens. The new feature will allow users to rearrange applications on the computer, designated which software goes where.
A redesigned iTunes store includes new artist, movie and TV pages, complete with improved navigation. The cleaner layout is designed to make it easier for customers to browse. The store also includes iTunes LPs, which will bring additional content, such as audio, video, pictures, liner notes and more, exclusively to full-album purchases. The enriched album format is designed to encourage purchases of full-length albums instead of singles. One example showed iTunes scrolling through lyrics as a song played.
iTunes LP debut albums include Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," The Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" and Dave Matthews Band's "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: iTunes Pass."
Similarly, DVD-like special features are coming for movie downloads. iTunes Extras provide documentaries, deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. The feature is available for select movies, including "Twilight," "Batman Begins," "WALL-E," "Iron Man" and "The Da Vinci Code."
Improved home sharing will let users copy songs, movies and TV shows among up to five authorized computers. Users are required to have an iTunes Music Store account. The new feature will allow content to be streamed, or included in a separate library with a local copy. In addition, a separate display allows users to see content that is not in their local library.
The rumored social media integration in iTunes 9 because official as well. Links to content can be share directly with Facebook and Twitter.
The Genius feature has also received an upgrade: Genius Mixes are created by using the results of over 27 million music libraries featuring more than 54 billion total songs submitted and analyzed by Genius. The new Genius Mixes can automatically generate up to 12 "endless mixes" of songs from an iTunes library.
The update to Apple's media player and online store is now available for download.
"iTunes 9 is a great iTunes release, with innovative features that make using iTunes better than ever and iTunes content richer than ever," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iTunes LP, for example, lets artists share more of their creativity with fans and gives music lovers the feeling of being immersed in an entire album with art, lyrics, liner notes, photos and videos."
A new Applications view allows users to view all of their iPod touch and iPhone home screens. The new feature will allow users to rearrange applications on the computer, designated which software goes where.
A redesigned iTunes store includes new artist, movie and TV pages, complete with improved navigation. The cleaner layout is designed to make it easier for customers to browse. The store also includes iTunes LPs, which will bring additional content, such as audio, video, pictures, liner notes and more, exclusively to full-album purchases. The enriched album format is designed to encourage purchases of full-length albums instead of singles. One example showed iTunes scrolling through lyrics as a song played.
iTunes LP debut albums include Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," The Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" and Dave Matthews Band's "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: iTunes Pass."
Similarly, DVD-like special features are coming for movie downloads. iTunes Extras provide documentaries, deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. The feature is available for select movies, including "Twilight," "Batman Begins," "WALL-E," "Iron Man" and "The Da Vinci Code."
Improved home sharing will let users copy songs, movies and TV shows among up to five authorized computers. Users are required to have an iTunes Music Store account. The new feature will allow content to be streamed, or included in a separate library with a local copy. In addition, a separate display allows users to see content that is not in their local library.
The rumored social media integration in iTunes 9 because official as well. Links to content can be share directly with Facebook and Twitter.
The Genius feature has also received an upgrade: Genius Mixes are created by using the results of over 27 million music libraries featuring more than 54 billion total songs submitted and analyzed by Genius. The new Genius Mixes can automatically generate up to 12 "endless mixes" of songs from an iTunes library.
Comments
Umm... Where is it?
INDEED
A new Applications view allows users to view all of their iPod touch and iPhone home screens. The new feature will allow users to rearrange applications on the computer, designated which software goes where.
Wow - a feature I might actually find useful.
OK everyone - install itunes 9 and tell me what's broken before I go home and install it myself. :-)
The rest of the new features of itunes 9 seem alright but I don't have a iphone/itouch so I can't really comment much about them.
Umm... Where is it?
Nice - just showed up on their site.
Hmm, nobody buys albums because there rarely are more than a couple of good songs on it. Record company's can't understand why people won't pay for things they don't want. So they decide to add liner notes, lyrics, and making of video's about the crappy song's nobody likes, charge a extra $5 for it and expect people to now buy the whole album.
The rest of the new features of itunes 9 seem alright but I don't have a iphone/itouch so I can't really comment much about them.
Maybe people should re-evaluate their musical choices... the bands I listen to don't put out albums with filler songs... but even this won't replace the experience of buying the cd... digital downloads are good for a la carte purchasing...
Can anyone confirm if iTunes 9 on Snow Leopard is now Cocoa / 64-bit ?
Does it seem more like the iTunes Store is a web page?
It always has been.
Will this apply to iPhone/Touch syncs? I'd love not to have to connect by wire to sync new Podcasts each night.
The iTunes store redesign was long overdue.
Can anyone confirm if iTunes 9 on Snow Leopard is now Cocoa / 64-bit ?
Guess not, they would've mentioned that...
Can anyone confirm if iTunes 9 on Snow Leopard is now Cocoa / 64-bit ?
It is NOT 64-bit.. What a shame!
Can't seem to be able to play music while this is going on.
I like the new Columns browser sidebar, now that's LONG overdue!
I have 917 artists, so it's been a real pain. This should help I hope.
Seems to have some graphic rendering issues, when scrolling through Coverflow, the EQ display stutters. Select a menu option the Gapless and EQ freeze up.
I got a 2 year old MacBook Pro, it should handle it fine.
iTMS now has menus under the cats, that's good.
Graphical issues disappeared now, so perhaps it was doing something in the background. It's smooth and responsive.
Darn, the Column Browser doesn't work in playlists.
Wow - a feature I might actually find useful.
Glad they listened to my suggestion.
So we've already got two separate libraries in this house, with only one iTunes account. This just makes it easy to see what's on one and not the other? And easier to copy from one to the other?
Making it easier is a big deal, because it is a huge PITA right now. This is almost exactly what I wanted. If I were to buy a song on my pc now, it would only be on my pc. If I bought it on my mac or my iphone, it would only be on my mac and iphone (my iphone syncs with my mac). Now I can have everything on all devices, that is perfect. I can also go to town ripping movies on my pc (which is much faster with more hard drive space) and add them to itunes there knowing that I can easily access and transfer the ones I want to my mbp when I need them.
It's a shame that it doesn't have the rumoured DVD ripping capabilities but hardly unexpected.
The verdict against REAL pretty much nailed that coffin shut...