iTunes 8 offers collective Genius for playlists, HD TV, visual browser
At its "Let's Rock" iPod event today, Apple announced iTunes 8.0, the first new reference release of the company's music and video player and media store in two years.
The primary new feature in iTunes 8 is its new Genius feature, which lets users automatically create playlists from their music library that "go great together?with just one click," according to Apple. Genius is intended to help music fans rediscover favorites in their existing music library and find related music in the iTunes Store they might want to buy.
iTunes 8 also features new icon-based views of music and video libraries, new 3D music visualizers, and adds high definition TV programing to the iTunes Store, including new HD content from NBC Universal networks. All NBC content has been missing for a year from iTunes following disputes over content merchandizing.
The new release also adds VoiceOver screen reader support in Mac OS X Leopard (and Window-Eyes for Windows XP and Windows Vista), making the purchase or download of content from the iTunes Store and iTunes U more accessible to blind users.
iTunes 8 also supports a new way to combine symphonies, concertos, operas, or oratorios to play properly together with Grouping, as well as a new feature that lets users properly categorize tracks imported from a CD as being of a specific media kind, such as an audiobook.
The simplicity of Genius
Apple says using the new Genius feature is easy: select any song, click the Genius button, and iTunes will instantly create a playlist of songs that go great together from the music library. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs, and save a Genius playlist as a permanent playlist collection.
The Genius sidebar in iTunes also recommends music from the iTunes Store, based on the songs a users selects. With the new iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone, users can also now create Genius playlists on-the-go.
iTunes 8?s new Genius feature anonymously sends information about users' music libraries to the iTunes Store, where it is combined with the anonymously-gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results, specifically tailored to each user's personal music library, are then used to enable users to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes and on an iPod, even when not connected to the Internet.
New visual browser
Apple said a new visual browsing interface in iTunes 8 displays music and video libraries using album and video covers and "provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks."
The new display arranges music by album covers (below top), podcasts by artwork with an indication badge for new episodes (below middle), and audio books by cover (below bottom).
iTunes media store increases its lead
The iTunes Store is the world?s most popular online TV store, with a selection of more than 30,000 TV episodes from ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA.
With iTunes 8, TV fans can now watch their favorite shows from ABC, NBC and Showtime in HD for $2.99 per episode, viewable on both the Mac or a PC running iTunes, or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.
The iTunes Store is also the world?s most popular online music and movie store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs and over 2,500 films, including 600 in HD, as well as 65 million account holders. Apple calls the iTunes Store is "the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online."
iTunes 8 is available for download now, and requires QuickTime 7.5.5.
The primary new feature in iTunes 8 is its new Genius feature, which lets users automatically create playlists from their music library that "go great together?with just one click," according to Apple. Genius is intended to help music fans rediscover favorites in their existing music library and find related music in the iTunes Store they might want to buy.
iTunes 8 also features new icon-based views of music and video libraries, new 3D music visualizers, and adds high definition TV programing to the iTunes Store, including new HD content from NBC Universal networks. All NBC content has been missing for a year from iTunes following disputes over content merchandizing.
The new release also adds VoiceOver screen reader support in Mac OS X Leopard (and Window-Eyes for Windows XP and Windows Vista), making the purchase or download of content from the iTunes Store and iTunes U more accessible to blind users.
iTunes 8 also supports a new way to combine symphonies, concertos, operas, or oratorios to play properly together with Grouping, as well as a new feature that lets users properly categorize tracks imported from a CD as being of a specific media kind, such as an audiobook.
The simplicity of Genius
Apple says using the new Genius feature is easy: select any song, click the Genius button, and iTunes will instantly create a playlist of songs that go great together from the music library. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs, and save a Genius playlist as a permanent playlist collection.
The Genius sidebar in iTunes also recommends music from the iTunes Store, based on the songs a users selects. With the new iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone, users can also now create Genius playlists on-the-go.
iTunes 8?s new Genius feature anonymously sends information about users' music libraries to the iTunes Store, where it is combined with the anonymously-gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results, specifically tailored to each user's personal music library, are then used to enable users to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes and on an iPod, even when not connected to the Internet.
New visual browser
Apple said a new visual browsing interface in iTunes 8 displays music and video libraries using album and video covers and "provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks."
The new display arranges music by album covers (below top), podcasts by artwork with an indication badge for new episodes (below middle), and audio books by cover (below bottom).
iTunes media store increases its lead
The iTunes Store is the world?s most popular online TV store, with a selection of more than 30,000 TV episodes from ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA.
With iTunes 8, TV fans can now watch their favorite shows from ABC, NBC and Showtime in HD for $2.99 per episode, viewable on both the Mac or a PC running iTunes, or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.
The iTunes Store is also the world?s most popular online music and movie store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs and over 2,500 films, including 600 in HD, as well as 65 million account holders. Apple calls the iTunes Store is "the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online."
iTunes 8 is available for download now, and requires QuickTime 7.5.5.
Comments
There used to be a preference where you could turn them off, but that seems to be missing...
Okay, how do you turn off the links to the iTunes store which now show up every time you select a track in list view?
There used to be a preference where you could turn them off, but that seems to be missing...
He means quicklinks, not the Genius Sidebar
He means quicklinks, not the Genius Sidebar
There is a command line toggle if you search for it.
There is a command line toggle if you search for it.
That's all well and good, but there used to be a setting in the GUI.
Anyone know if it's Carbon or Cocoa? Not really bothered, just wondering.
Just downloaded and installed iTunes 8. The new views look nice, but for the rest not much changed. But I'm not going to turn the genius bar on, because the thing sends information to Apple. Just want to keep my privacy.
/Dimitri
Did you read the agreement stating what content is sent for this feature to work?
And it looks like they may have fixed the issue with an erroneous Applications update in the sidebar.
There is a command line toggle if you search for it.
Great. I don't suppose you'd bother actually sharing this information with the rest of the class, huh?
For those who'd like to know, the command is: defaults write com.apple.iTunes show-store-arrow-links -bool FALSE
Anyone know if it's Carbon or Cocoa? Not really bothered, just wondering.
For what it's worth, the UI seems to Cocoa. Try dragging the window below the Dock - it allows you to do it. Now try the same with a Carbon app - the window stops just above the top of the Dock. I'm sure there's still plenty of Carbon in there though..
Edit - bring up the iTunes preferences window and try dragging that below the Dock. Bingo! It stays above the top of it.
Great. I don't suppose you'd bother actually sharing this information with the rest of the class, huh?
For those who'd like to know, the command is: defaults write com.apple.iTunes show-store-arrow-links -bool FALSE
For what it's worth, the UI seems to Cocoa. Try dragging the window below the Dock - it allows you to do it. Now try the same with a Carbon app - the window stops just above the top of the Dock. I'm sure there's still plenty of Carbon in there though..
Edit - bring up the iTunes preferences window and try dragging that below the Dock. Bingo! It stays above the top of it.
So we reckon it's partly Cocoa then?
Okay, how do you turn off the links to the iTunes store which now show up every time you select a track in list view?
There used to be a preference where you could turn them off, but that seems to be missing...
Looks like they have greatly simplified the Preferences window.
I don't see it available any more.
I already had it turned off and iTunes 8 carried over that pref, so I don't see them.
Also the eye is gone from the lower toolbar and replaced with the genius icon.
I think the list view now defaults to browse mode, just as we had hoped.
I like the new default visualizer.
Overall iTunes 8 feels pretty solid and "snappy".
My backup library on iTunes 7.7.1 shows 334 artists, but iTunes 8.0 only shows 182 artists. "Compilations" has mysteriously appeared at the top of the "Artists" column.
Time to go log a bug report
Also the eye is gone from the lower toolbar and replaced with the genius icon.
I think the list view now defaults to browse mode, just as we had hoped.
That may make some people happy.
I don't see the option to disable to "Genre" column anymore. Used to be in Preferences.
They really did hide a lot of the preferences this time around. Thankfully, you can still make the change via the Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.itunes show-genre-when-browsing -bool FALSE
For those who'd like to know, the command is: defaults write com.apple.iTunes show-store-arrow-links -bool FALSE
Thank you. I did file a bug report too, for what it's worth.
/Adrian
My observations are such on Genius:
Playlist
• It seems to pick songs from the same genre
• It seems to pick songs with the same beat per minute rate
• It seems to pick music that I listen to somewhat often, and throw in a few obscure tunes that fit the profile.
• Picks music from the same time period. If you pick a song from the 80's... almost all of them will be 80's tunes.
• Seems to work pretty damn good. Been enjoying the different playlists.
I give apple a 9.5/10 on this. It's pretty cool, especially for someone with a huge music collection like I have.
Genius Recommendations
• Absolute worst recommendations i've ever seen.
• Repetitive worst recommendations i've ever seen.
• Complete crap, couldn't be further away from anything i'd ever listen to.
I have 2 old Pet Shop Boys albums and a Madonna album, and for some reason it decided to pick these albums which i never listen to, to form the recommendations??? Recommendations like more Pet Shop Boys and Madonna and Queer as Folk, Coldplay...
Seriously... Genius Recommendations is trying to turn me homo or something
Needless to say, they won't be making much money off this with absurd recommendations like that. However the service is new and probably doesn't have a good data base built up yet.
But be warned... if you have old skeletons in your music collection, be prepared to laugh or be embarrassed by the results of the store recommendations.
******************
Update
Ok... that recommendations thing was a one hit wonder. Discovered that once you select a track, the recommendations in the iTunes Store changes to things that make sense.
Just the very first time opening it, it picked some random crap.
Service might be pretty cool yet.