Apple launches iTunes 8, NBC comes back, TV shows at $1.99, Genius in the house

Just in time for couch season, Apple has busted out iTunes 8 with a slew of new features, like the Genius sidebar. Also, NBC is back on board with its lineup of TV shows. According to Jobs, "The Office is coming back, Monk, Battlestar Galactica, 30 Rock... and they're coming back in HD." HD versions of shows will run you $2.99 while SD versions run a reasonable $1.99 (when compared to, say, a full month's cable access). Meanwhile, "Genius" is a new feature that Apple says will change the way you browse your media. "Old browsing wasn't efficient," said Jobs. "in iTunes 8 you can look by album cover, and this new bar at the top let's you look at anything graphically in little tiles." Basically, Genius is a contextual iTunes store recommendation tool that will, in essence, make it easier for you to spend money. It also makes custom playlists on the fly based on your habits, and shares them (anonymously, they promise) with other users. So what's missing so far? None of the rumored subscription services, for one, and any mention of new hardware or iPhone functions, like, say disk mode. We'll keep wishing. Apple says it is making iTunes 8 available immediately (which, to them, may mean "some time later"), so let the download races begin!

Update: We've got a gallery of iTunes 8 -- check it out below.

Gallery: iTunes 8 hands-on

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[nerdtalker @ Sep 9th 2008 1:10PM]

iTunes 8, hmmz... That's actually something worth getting a bit excited about.

[JAmerican @ Sep 9th 2008 1:13PM]

You @$$ kisser...

...BTW I was referring to you avatar.

[Sam @ Sep 9th 2008 1:42PM]

I'm sticking with iTunes 7.7 for a while.
Have you forgotten all the problems that happened to iTunes when version 7.0 was released??
I don't need a "genius" to patronise what i listen to!
New Nano looks ok though.

[Taff @ Sep 9th 2008 2:40PM]

Itunes 8 available for download now
https://swdlp.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SoftwareDownloadApp.woa/wa/getProductData?localang=en_us&grp_code=itunes&returnURL=http://www.apple.com/itunes/download&isMiniiFrameReq=N

[Nick Catalano @ Sep 9th 2008 3:16PM]

Is anyone else having the problem being unable to remove the arrows on songs that send you to the iTunes Music Store entry for the selected and playing items?

I cannot find a way to turn that off

[EmoChicksAreHot.....Seriously @ Sep 9th 2008 4:13PM]

Just to let ya know. the Apple store has been updated new iPods and all.

And iTunes 8 is up.

[Cmmndr312 @ Sep 9th 2008 4:35PM]

@ Nick

Yep. Looks like they removed the option to hide the links. The help file still tells you how to do it but the option is no where to be found. So this update we get two giant steps toward iTunes becoming a giant in your face marketing tool for the store... I guess in Apple's defense, you can at least hide the genius sidebar. But seriously, is it a genius for the user or for Apple's marketing and sales teams? I lean toward the latter.

iTunes 8 Help File:

To hide links to the iTunes Store:
Choose iTunes > Preferences.
Click General.
Deselect "Show links to the iTunes Store."

[cwm @ Sep 10th 2008 6:11PM]

There is a way to remove the arrows which link to the iTunes store.

Go into Edit/Preferences, then under the Parental Control tab, check "Disable iTunes store".

Dumb move, Apple. By changing iTunes to have annoying links to the store all over the screen, you're encouraging us to make it so we NEVER go to the iTunes store ever again.

[jakem @ Sep 9th 2008 1:13PM]

$1.99 isn't reasonable. I can get these shows free elsewhere with less hassle.

[eddy @ Sep 9th 2008 1:15PM]

Agreed, you might as well just buy a season set on DVD and rip the episodes from there. In many cases, it would be cheaper.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Sep 9th 2008 1:17PM]

If I was having friends over and we decided we wanted to see some random episode of some show, $2 is a pittance compared to the effort of finding and waiting for the torrent.

But I agree, if you're watching every episode on it, or trying to build an archive, $2 per episode is steeper than just buying and ripping the DVDs, or obtaining them via alternate methods.

[Tyson @ Sep 9th 2008 1:43PM]

I agree how is $2 an episode reasonable compared to having 24/7 new content with cable for like $50 a month

[Evan @ Sep 9th 2008 1:51PM]

I don't know about "less hassle".
- Free Bittorrent? Bittorrent is a hassle for those people who don't have a dedicated media server or HTPC configured for the task.
- Free OTA? Unless you want to schedule your life around the network's arbitrary broadcast schedule, you need a TiVo/PVR/DVD-Recorder etc and program it *before* the show airs (and how do you know if a new show is worth recording and watching until after it has aired and people start talking about it?).
Either way, it's not as convenient nor immediate as iTunes.

[Cagrino @ Sep 9th 2008 2:23PM]

@ Evan,

"how do you know if a new show is worth recording and watching until after it has aired and people start talking about it?"

Wow, talk about living your life as a sheeple. You can't even decide what you want to watch on TV, that you need someone else to watch it first and then tell you to watch it?

[kal326 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:51PM]

I like free HD, OTA tuner and media center. No DRM to cut through to move the video to any device you want. Or for SD content just hook up to a VCR or cable box through S-Vid, either way its cheaper.

[ND @ Sep 9th 2008 4:18PM]

If you can stand the limited commercial interruption (in my experience, usually under a minute or a minute and a half per 22-26 minute episode), many of these shows can be found for free with services like hulu, which ARE less hassle.

[SKI @ Sep 9th 2008 9:46PM]

The big 4 all have their shows for free on their websites.

[koala72 @ Sep 10th 2008 1:44AM]

@UnixSystemsEngineer

Fuck man it is a REAL HASSLE...i mean i have to type in a website, search and download.

screw that, its just too difficult!
Instead i will pay to watch the show, with worse quality and i cant burn to a dvd or do anything with it.

I cant understand how you can defend paying for the show:S

[f1r3f1ght3r @ Sep 9th 2008 1:13PM]

ITunes 8... good start..... MORE

[michael.lerner @ Sep 9th 2008 1:15PM]

LAME.. where's the subscription plans?

[Wenke @ Sep 9th 2008 1:18PM]

Really? Will it let me copy mp3's from my device to my hard drive?

[Maxx @ Sep 9th 2008 1:18PM]

iTunes 8 isnt available via the Apple Software updater yet.

[Charlie @ Sep 9th 2008 1:18PM]

$2 tv shows on itunes are OMG BIG NEWS now? Isn't that what they always were?

[Viakenny @ Sep 9th 2008 9:22PM]

actually, it's the return of NBC content, and the launch of HD TV shows for $2.99.

[accounts @ Sep 9th 2008 1:20PM]

Browse is the new search.

[f1r3f1ght3r @ Sep 9th 2008 1:23PM]

"Apple says it is making iTunes 8 available immediately"... must not mean NOW.... still 7 @ apple

[kevin @ Sep 9th 2008 1:25PM]

still no new iTunes! immediately sure does take a LONG time!

[BigDog @ Sep 9th 2008 1:28PM]

Well, nothing is updated yet. Wait till Apple store returns and i think the new 8.0 will be out.

itunes.com/versions isn't updated either. yet !

[Kevin @ Sep 9th 2008 1:38PM]

The Apple store was never down.

[BigDog @ Sep 9th 2008 1:51PM]

Down as in they are updating it.

[Snowman @ Sep 9th 2008 1:39PM]

I want my 12 inch MacBook Pro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jeremy @ Sep 9th 2008 1:43PM]

The iTunes store has been down all day, no new releases are on there today... just waiting on iTunes 8...

[cmil1212 @ Sep 9th 2008 1:54PM]

another yawn

[VasiS @ Sep 9th 2008 1:55PM]

"iTunes 8 with a slew of new features, like the Genius sidebar"

What slew of new features? I dont see any new features other than genius sidebar

[nerdtalker @ Sep 9th 2008 2:31PM]

More bloat, slower loading times, more niche products that rely solely on iTunes to sync everything ever (did I mention it runs even slower now?)

[Matt @ Sep 9th 2008 2:17PM]

New releases are available if you manually search for them, but software update and the Apple site are still showing 7.7 is the latest. Also no NBC content available yet...

[thak @ Sep 9th 2008 2:29PM]

so is genius just apples integration of the music genome project into itunes ?

[slarity @ Sep 9th 2008 2:32PM]

Now give me an HDMI attachment for my iPhone and I may actually download HD content.

[vudean @ Sep 9th 2008 5:35PM]

you can get a component video cable attachment... and i bet you can't tell the difference between that and hdmi

[Steven @ Sep 9th 2008 2:34PM]

It has been released on d/l page!!!!

[Matt @ Sep 9th 2008 2:36PM]

Still waiting..

[jeff @ Sep 9th 2008 2:41PM]

Direct Link: http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4746.20080909.Detnz/iTunes8Setup.exe

[chris @ Sep 9th 2008 2:42PM]

its here http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

[mattyb123 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:45PM]

Got it! It's indexing all my album art for Genius right now! :)

[mattyb123 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:46PM]

All installed. It's indexing my library and sending it to Genius right now! :)

[telepheedian @ Sep 9th 2008 2:54PM]

I realize that this is a bit trollish, but i couldn't help but notice:

http://img66.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zunesoftnt9.jpg

[Hugo @ Sep 9th 2008 2:58PM]

The TV shows have always been $1.99. What is the big deal here?

[Zoit @ Sep 9th 2008 3:01PM]

If you try to download iTunes 7 it will now give you 8... at least for Windows...

[Joey @ Sep 9th 2008 3:04PM]

Let's 30 Rock!

[Tyler @ Sep 9th 2008 3:28PM]

I can confirm that Genius works with mp3s as well as iTunes purchased music.