At long last, iTunes 11 is finally available for download.
Apple was originally supposed to release iTunes 11 â€" a total revamp of the longstanding music and apps manager in October. The launch was then delayed because of “engineering difficulties.â€
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Apple would release iTunes 11 within its promised November timeframe.
Since its debut in 2001, iTunes has morphed from a standard music player into something larger and more complex. It’s no longer just a music player, it’s also an App store, a music and movies store and a way to manage iPod, iPhone and iPad devices. In other words, iTunes has become a bloated, slow, unwieldily mess .
Whether or not iTunes 11 can solve all these problems is unclear. We’ll report back later with a full hands-on review. In the meantime, Mac users can grab the update from Software Update and on Windows by having iTunes “Check for Updates.â€
The software is also available for download directly [1] from Apple â€" though the download links may take a few minutes to propagate.
Do you still use iTunes? Let us know in the comments
All New Library
Your music library is going to see a redesign in iTunes 11. Browsing is much more intuitive, and can be sorted more carefully based on what you’re looking for in your collection.
Expanded View
When you select an album in iTunes 11 that album will expand in place. Say, for instance, you click on Maroon 5’s ‘Overexposed.†Clicking on the cover art for the album will open a drop-down viewable display of the entire album complete with star ratings, pricing, and play time for each track.
Updated MiniPlayer
The MiniPlayer in iTunes is seeing an upgrade. Now you can see what songs are coming next in your playlist by tapping on an icon on the miniature window, as well as search your music collection for new tracks.
Better Recommendations
Need helping finding out abut new music? Now selecting an album, genre, or artist you like will bring up suggestions on music that Apple thinks you might also be excited about.
Preview History
Preview a new awesome song yesterday, but don’t remember what it was today? A new Preview History feature in iTunes lets you see what you’ve checked out on your computer as well as your mobile device while you’re out on the town. Preview History is synced across devices using iCloud, so if you listen to a tune on your phone you can buy it later on your home computer or vice versa.
More Social
Facebook integration lets you keep on top of what apps your friends like in the App Store.
More iCloud Features
iCloud will make purchases available instantly across all of your devices, and will allow you to do things such as start a movie on your iPad and pick up where you left off on your computer when you get home.
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