Ever since it’s initial release on January 9, 2001, that was more than 9 years ago, iTunes has brought about a drastic change in our digital lives. The latest version of iTunes, version 9.1.1(stable) was released on the 27th of April,2010. Apple has brought about a handful of changes to its very own iTunes!

DESIGN

The look of iTunes 9 is a little more polished than that of previous versions of iTunes, but the basic layout is pretty much the same. Similar to the previous version, iTunes 9 has a source column running down the left side of the software UI, which eases access to the Media library, the iTunes store, the Genius and the playlists. Media Files and albums like in previous versions can be viewed in 3 different modes, namely the List, Grid and Cover Flow.

FEATURES

What started out as a basic multimedia program serving the purpose of just ripping, burning CDs and transferring music to your iPod has evolved over the years into a multimedia giant capable of handling everything from HD-movie rentals to syncing appointments with your iPhone and iPod. Despite clogging so many features into this app, at its core, iTunes still remains as a very good tool for managing your media collections. Several media features added to iTunes 9 are:

iTunes LP Media Format
Home Sharing
Genius Mixes
New Device Syncing-options

iTunes LP Media Format

As a change to the era when people purchased full length albums, the new LP format promises a wonderful experience to fans including features such as interactive menus, bonus videos, lyrics and an immersive album experience, filled with liner notes. The songs included with an iTunes LP are delivered as “DRM-free” AAC music files that can be transferred to any iPod, iPhone, or AAC-compatible device.

Genius Mixes

Apple’s Genius feature which was initially introduced in iTunes 8, helps the user by giving smart recommendations that may interest you based on the media you already have. The new feature introduced in version 9 of iTunes is called the Genius Mixes. Genius Mixes are automatic mixes of music from your library based on any particular genre. One can say that it reduces the time iTunes takes to launch and play great music.

Home Sharing

Up until now, multiple computers on a common network could use iTunes to stream content between computers, but were prevented from actually copying files back and forth.With the addition of this feature, you can now grant locally networked computers with Home Sharing privileges, allowing unrestricted access to their music, videos, podcasts, apps, and playlists, which can be copied between computers directly within iTunes. It’s a feature that could be very useful for families

VERDICT

So is an installation package of size 93.63 megabytes worth the download? No matter what happens, Apple will surely come out with some iPod or iPhone update!  Despite the bulky installation package which Apple hasn’t done much about, the download is hard to ignore. As iTunes 9 offers several impressive and eye-catching features, the download is totally worth your time. For downloading the latest version of iTunes, visit http://www.apple.com/itunes/

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