Category > iTunes

September 15, 2006

iTunes 7 - It Lives!

In my mind, the best part of this week's announcements from Apple has been a chunky upgrade to the iTunes application. New features include:

I've been using the new iTunes version 7 for a couple of days now and I couldn't be happier. It feels like a well-rounded and capable piece of software. As I use it, no longer do I lament what is missing. In fact, some of the (long overdue) improvements - gapless playback and automated cover art fetching/display - make you wonder how you ever lived without them. iTunes has finally hit its stride with the version 7 release and I'm curious, and excited, to see how Apple will improve on this.

Related
- Use iTunes Better: iPoditude.com’s guide for getting the most out of iTunes
- Use multiple windows in iTunes
- New iTunes 6 is announced, details

Category: News, Software, iTunes | Comments (0)

January 13, 2006

Use iTunes Better: iPoditude.com’s guide for getting the most out of iTunes

- Always listen to a song all the way through: Don't be tempted to skip the end. I know your fast-forward finger starts to twitch during that long fadeout, or that last couple of seconds of silence. but just be patient. The reason is that this allows the play count to update (in both iTunes and your iPod). Not only does this let itunes know which songs you like, but it also keeps your playlists that depend on 'play count' or 'last played' criteria accurate.

Continue reading "Use iTunes Better: iPoditude.com’s guide for getting the most out of iTunes"

Category: How-To, Music, Resources, iTunes | Comments (11)

October 12, 2005

New iTunes 6 is announced, details

"iTunes 6 lets fans purchase and download over 2,000 music videos and six short films from Academy-Award winning Pixar Animation Studios for just $1.99 each." Apple's new iTunes web page says, "Buy it, watch it, bring it" and shows images of iTunes, an iMac, and an iPod.

In a deal with Disney, iTunes will offer for download episodes of "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Night Stalker," and the two most popular shows from Disney Channel, "That's So Raven" and "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody." These programs will be available after the day they air on television and will cost $1.99 each.

Steve Jobs is quoted as saying, "We're doing for video what we've done for music -- we're making it easy and affordable to purchase and download, play on your computer, and take with you on your iPod..."

Click through for more info.

Continue reading "New iTunes 6 is announced, details"

Category: News, iTunes | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

iTunes v5: …and another thing!

A few more new things I learned about iTunes v5 today:

- You can permanently display the new Search Bar by going to the Edit menu (both Mac and PC) and selecting 'Show Search Bar'.

- There are new options in the Get Info window for each track.

Located in the Get Info window, Options tab, there are new check boxes for options "Remember playback position", aka 'make bookmarkable' and for "Skip when shuffling." The bookmarkable option in particular is very nice to have.

Also in the Get Info window of each track there is a new Lyrics tab which allows you to add text. I wonder if new music from the iTMS will feature lyrics already embedded? I know some artists don't like to publish their lyrics so we'll have to see how frequently this feature is used.

Thanks to Doug's Applescripts for the last tip.

Category: iTunes | Comments (8)

September 08, 2005

iTunes v5: First impressions

I've been using Mac and PC versions of the new iTunes v5 for just about a day now. Overall, I think this would have made a great "dot release" or a version 4.9.5 (since they were already at 4.9), but it's not really all that impressive when you consider that it's a full version release. But don't get me wrong, there are some very nice improvements to iTunes in this version 5. My thoughts:

- Folders in Source pane: Very nice. Adding folders to organize playlists is a great feature. I get a little OCD organizing my playlists - and don't even get me started on my ID3 tags - so it's nice to be able to sort and arrange them so nicely. I would still like to be able to drag the folders to the order that I choose instead of having them sit in alphabetical order only. And for the love of God, Apple, please pop up a warning before letting me delete a folder and all of the playlists inside! Don't try that at home.

- The new look: I love it. Beautiful. The bonus is that it's a more efficient use of pixel space. Will all the iLife apps look like this in the future?

Click through, I've got lots more to say.

Continue reading "iTunes v5: First impressions"

Category: iTunes | Comments (0)

September 07, 2005

Apple releases iTunes version 5

Apple is hitting us with a barrage of exciting new products today like only Apple can do. They've released a new version of iTunes that incorporates a number of enhancements:

- New Look: Streamlined design makes iTunes even easier to use.
- Search Bar: Find stuff fast and refine your search with the handy new Search Bar.
- Smart Shuffle: Adjust random playback to hear what you want.
- Sync from Outlook: iTunes now supports iPod syncing for Outlook and Outlook Express on Windows PCs.
- Playlist Folders: Organize all your playlists into folders.
- Parental Controls: Limit kids’ access to the iTunes Music Store and sharing features.
- Album Reviews: Browse over 1,000 album reviews.
- The Complete Harry Potter: Download all six audiobooks or the Digital Box Set and add the collector’s iPod with Hogwarts crest.
- iTunes for Your Mobile Phone: Sync music to the Motorola ROKR E1.

From reading the specs, it sounds like a nice incremental update, but nothing monumental. No mention on whether they've made improvements to the Smart Playlist choosing criteria so I'll have to take a look at that. The Smart Shuffle feature could be nice. Download it here.

Category: News, iTunes | Comments (0)

July 11, 2005

Use multiple windows in iTunes

Did you know that you can have multiple windows open in the iTunes application? This is a great feature, and one I've heard very little about. It's useful, can save you time, and it works on both Mac and Windows versions of the application.

When I use my computer(s), I like to have a lot of things going on at the same time. Usually, I've got at least 4 or 5 applications running and doing different things. With Firefox, I've always got 5 or more tabbed windows open at any time. I'm just that way.

Click through and I'll show you how to do open multiple iTunes windows (it's really easy) and I'll tell you how I put it to use.

Continue reading "Use multiple windows in iTunes"

Category: How-To, iTunes | Comments (0)

July 05, 2005

iTunes countdown to half a billion songs giveaways

Apple announced today that they've started a giveaway to celebrate the impending milestone of 500 million songs sold. They will give away an iPod mini and a 50-song iTunes gift card to each person who buys a song at 100,000 increments. The lucky dog that purchases the 500 millionth song wins 10 iPods of their choice, an iTunes gift card for 10,000 songs (oh, baby), and an all-expenses paid trip for four to see Coldplay on their world tour.

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June 28, 2005

iTunes v4.9 is here: The Podcast revolution officially starts… NOW

This morning, Apple Computer said, "iTunes 4.9 with Podcasting is here" and have released iTunes v4.9 with automated Podcast support. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying, "Podcasting is the next generation of radio, and users can now subscribe to over 3,000 free Podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their computer and iPod."

Apple has made available podcasts for such well known sources as Adam Curry, BBC, The Dawn and Drew Show, ESPN, Newsweek, and select NPR member stations. There is also a new link in the iTunes store to upload your own podcast. iTunes v4.9 is available for both Mac and Windows and the download is free. Get it via the Software Update function in Mac OS X or at apple.com/itunes.

Category: News, iTunes | Comments (1)

June 20, 2005

AppleInsider: all about iTunes v4.9

AppleInsider has a juicy article (iTunes 4.9 ahead of schedule, major launch planned) all about iTunes v4.9. According to the article, the new version of iTunes will be released with a lot of hubbub and is smartly ahead of schedule. This article then goes on to illustrate the "three-tier approach" Apple is taking to simplify podcast technology. Lots of detail and it is a must-read if you're interested at all.

I'm glad to hear that Apple may promote iTunes as a separate entity. Too often, it is easy to overlook iTunes as just a tool to get music onto your iPod. What I tell people is that iTunes is a great application, whether you have an iPod or not. Plus, it's free. Smart playlists, excellent ID3 tag management, shared libraries (although hobbled now), and it's cross-platform. It's not perfect, but it's way better than the competition.

Category: iTunes | Comments (0)

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