Software Review: iTunes 11, What's New?
iTunes has undergone a major facelift and I think, it's about time. And unlike most of Apple's product debuts, this one came with no fanfare. So, what's new with iTunes 11? Is it worth the upgrade? Definitely! Moreover, it's free. Join me as I break down to you the changes that iTunes 11 has brought to the table.
So what is iTunes? For those who do not know, iTunes is a free app that lets you organize and play digital music and
video on your computer. It’s also a store that has everything you need
to be entertained. That makes it the perfect place to listen, watch,
read, play, explore, and shop.
The iTunes player keeps all your music, movies, and TV shows all in one
place. Instead of going through stacks and stacks of CDs, you can import
them into iTunes and quickly browse your whole collection. Organize it
any way you want.
So what things have changed in iTunes 11? Well, first, the player has been redesigned. iTunes now features simplified views of exactly what you want. Looking
for an album? Click Music and that’s all you’ll see. Do the same for
movies, TV shows, apps, and everything else. It’s browsing made more
intuitive.
The iTunes player now features an Expanded View. Select one of your albums and now it will expand in place. That means
you can see all the songs on the album, click Play, and keep right on
browsing without having to click back to your library. You’ll also see
In the Store recommendations for similar albums you’ll want to check
out.
Then we have the iTunes MiniPlayer, which I think has a pretty useful interface. Apple has managed to squeezed more features into an even smaller MiniPlayer. Now you can
click the Up Next button to see which songs are playing next. And if
what you see isn’t what you’re in the mood for, you can search your
collection and choose a different song without having to
open your library.
Then you'll also get some bonus features. Good recommendations are easy to come by, thanks to In the Store picks.
Just select an album, artist, or genre you like, and iTunes will suggest
similar music you might never have found on your own. Already know what
you want to hear? The new Up Next feature in iTunes lets you select a
song and easily queue it to play next. Or last.
It wasn't only the iTunes player that has been redesigned, the same goes for the iTunes Store. It has been redesigned for your Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, and
iPod touch, so it looks and works the same wherever you shop.
Easy-to-browse shelves serve up popular music, movies, TV shows, and
more. And all the features you know and love are even easier to get to.
And now, iCloud does even more! With iCloud, you can access your content on all your devices. And now,
when you buy an album, song, movie, or TV show on any device, it’s
instantly accessible in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC. Just
double‑click to play. Or if you’re going offline say, taking your
notebook on a plane, click the new Download button and bring a copy
with you.
iTunes Match is also here to stay. It still lets you store your entire music collection, even songs
you’ve imported from CDs, in iCloud. From there, you can access your
music from any of your devices and listen to your entire library,
wherever you are. All for just $24.99 a year.
iTunes 11 is also compatible with the Apple TV. Apple TV lets you choose from thousands of current and classic movies and TV
shows from iTunes, many in stunning 1080p HD, on your widescreen TV.
You can play your music collection, view your photos, and listen to
podcasts right from the big screen, too. And if you’re an iTunes Match
subscriber, just click Music to play your favorite tracks.
And yes, there are the gift cards. iTunes Gift Cards let them choose anything on the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store. They are perfect for gifting this holiday season.
iTunes is compatible with both Mac and Windows-powered devices. You may download them
here.
Images and most of the text above taken from Apple's
website unless stated otherwise.
Til then...
xoxo Nash
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