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A 'new' version of iTunes brings back apps and ringtones
Still need a way to manage your applications and ringtones in addition to your music, movies and other media on your iPhone? Well, there's an app for that. Following iTunes' massive overhaul (version 12.7 if you're keeping track at home), the company has since released a version of the software that will let you continue to download and install apps to your handset via a desktop computer.
iTunes 11.1 will have new iOS app organizer
Last night Apple seeded the eighth Developer Preview of the upcoming OS X 10.9 Mavericks. While there were no significant changes since the last build, this release does include the next version of iTunes, as images by Filipe Espósito shows. The app screen organizer in iTunes has received frequent criticism since its inception, and iTunes 11.1 features a revamped iOS app organizer with a more logical home screen page layout, so users don't have to drag apps via a vertical layout anymore. Instead, home screen pages will appear side by side. While iTunes 11.1 is certain to show up in the final shipping release of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, presumably in October, it's possible we may see a version of it released on Wednesday to support the release of iOS 7.
Downgrade iTunes 11 on your Mac to version 10.7
iTunes 11 has some cool features and a fresh UI, but not everyone is fond of the changes Apple made to its media manager. Those unhappy folks who regret upgrading to iTunes 11 can now return to its predecessor, iTunes 10.7, by following this quick tutorial from Jacqui Cheng of Ars Technica. Cheng's step-by-step process will help you completely remove iTunes 11 from your computer and replace it with iTunes 10.7. Follow her instructions, and you will also be able to keep your music library and playlists intact. If you aren't ready for such a drastic step, you can follow our steps for restoring the sidebar and status bar to give iTunes 11 a 10.7 look and feel. We also have a set of tips that'll help you find some of the items, such as the download indicator, that have been moved around in iTunes 11.
iTunes 11.0.1 fixes AirPlay, brings back duplicate detection
A minor update for the newly released iTunes 11 has just dropped, and -- along with providing a couple of important fixes -- it brings back a familiar feature that had been curiously missing from the initial release: duplication detection. The update reads as follows: "This update to the new iTunes addresses an issue where new purchases in iCloud may not appear in your library if iTunes Match is turned on, makes iTunes more responsive when searching a large library, fixes a problem where the AirPlay button may not appear as expected, and adds the ability to display duplicate items within your library. This update also includes other important stability and performance improvements."
iTunes 11 for the change-averse: Where did all that stuff go?
Is the new iTunes 11 interface making you a little hot under the collar? Reader response was so strong and so warm to our first iTunes 11 "where did it go?" post, we decided to follow it up with a handful of additional tips. Here are five things you might be looking for and struggling to find in the new iTunes 11 interface. 1. Where did those downloads go? Like Safari, iTunes 11 has adopted the philosophy of "we won't show you the downloads window unless you're actually downloading something." You'll find the downloads activity indicator at the top-right of your window, to the right of the search field. A pulsing bar tells you iTunes is in the middle of downloading items. Click the indicator to open the downloads window. Here, you'll discover the items currently downloading or waiting to start downloading. 2. Mini Player volume control Frustrated with the mini player and its apparent lack of volume control? Don't be. You can use Command-up arrow and Command-down arrow to adjust the volume, or you can click the AirPlay button and adjust the master volume slider. 3. Genius iTunes 11 now offers Genius playlist building from several places. Most easily, you can build a Genius playlist from the current-playing item by right-clicking the title bar at the top of the window. Choose "Start Genius." Sadly, iTunes 11 doesn't provide any coherent feedback after you do so, but if you check the Up Next list (it looks like a three-item bullet list at the right side of the current-playing box), it tells you "Up Next: From Genius", so you know it "took." Another way to begin a Genius playlist is from the track listings. Right-click any track, and again, choose Start Genius to begin. 4. Loop and randomize In iTunes 11, loop and randomize have hopped up to the top current-playing box. Looping can be found to the left of the track scrubber, with randomize (that "x"-shaped thing) to its right. They work just like they used to in iTunes 10. They do not, however, appear when playing Genius mixes. So if they disappear? Clear the Genius list from the Up Next pop-up. 5. Restoring "missing" movies, TV shows, music Apple, bless its oddly thoughtful little heart, now offers media streaming from the cloud. A little cloud icon indicates items stored off your computer at Apple's data centers. What you might not realize is that iTunes 11 allows you to hide these items. So if you're looking for something in your library and it doesn't seem to be there, you may want to check the View menu. Choose Show XXX in the Cloud -- whether movies, music, TV shows, etc, and restore their listings to your iTunes 11 categories. Note: Original headline changed.
Daily Update for December 5, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Is iTunes Plus gone? iTunes 11 offers DRM-free audio re-downloads
I am not now, nor have I ever been an iTunes Match customer. But last night, I was able to download DRM-free copies of music I purchased from iTunes in the days before iTunes Plus via iTunes 11. I also determined that some of my iTunes content that I thought was securely tucked away on my hard drive had in fact made a retreat into the cloud. Update: A search of my iTunes library shows the following trick worked for 290 of my m4p tracks, about half or maybe a bit more. How iTunes 11 handles cloud re-downloads Last night, I was updating several applications and, to pass the time, I decided to watch one of my iTunes purchased movies. Only one problem: they had apparently disappeared from my computer. Everything except my self-recorded "Mockingbird Lane" (fabulous pilot!) had disappeared. This made me cranky. A quick scan of my Time Machine backups revealed that the last time those files were on my system was in July 2012. My 2012-07-17-011958 backup had all my movies. My 2012-07-24-001934 did not. Curious. So I stopped my app updates (there were dozens, including a rather obnoxious 1.3 GB TomTom update), quit and restarted iTunes. I discovered that although my movie files were gone, their iTunes listings had reappeared. Stopping the app updates allowed iTunes enough breathing space to call back home and provide a list of streamable, downloadable items such as this one: The reason I hadn't seen this was that iTunes couldn't get enough bandwidth to grab the listings while I was doing my massive download updates. See the cloud-download icon? My movies were now in the cloud. So my purchases were still there, just off my computer. Honestly, I'm not happy about this -- I don't like data disappearing without my consent. (Imagine if I had discovered this while on an airplane.) But the bigger revelation was yet to come. The case of the disappearing iTunes Plus Listed in my Songs section were a badjillion purchased items (mostly free songs of the week) that I had long since deleted from my computer. Much like the old 256 kbps purchases which you could re-download, I was being offered to opportunity to re-download my ancient m4p items. So I tried it and sure enough, it worked. More interestingly, the copy that downloaded was an m4a file, not an m4p file. Specifically, it was no longer DRM encrypted. I decided to manually delete some of my m4p files from iTunes (not from my computer) and see if the trick worked for them too. It did. My Little Mermaid album folder now contained two files for each track. The new downloads all were unprotected files. I did not purchase iTunes Plus for these items, I am not a member of iTunes Match and I did not do anything special. This did not, however, work universally. Apparently iTunes doesn't like Swedes Norwegians. (Update: A little more than half of my m4p tracks converted successfully, 290 tracks in total.) This is the first I have heard about re-downloads being available as a courtesy for non-256K tracks, although I probably missed the news about it at some point. Meanwhile last week, TUAW reader Christopher Chapin noticed that after iTunes 11 debuted, the link from the iTunes Store to iTunes Plus was gone. A subsequent check of an iTunes Plus support document showed that the direct link was dead. Is iTunes Plus finally dead? It's looking that way. How to replace DRM tracks with DRM-free ones A final tip: To find all the protected media in your iTunes library, you'll want to add the Kind label to your Songs listings. Right-click the columns header and enable Kind, then use that to sort your music. All your protected tracks will group together. Sign into iTunes, delete the songs (but not the files), and hopefully download them again via iCloud. Good luck.
iPad Remote could offer sneak peek at future Music app
A shot of the album view in Remote app on an iPad connected to an existing iTunes library (top) and album view in the Music app on iOS 6 (above). Those who are using the updated Remote app to connect to an existing iTunes library via an iPad are noticing that the experience is a bit different from using the Music app. As shown above, Remote looks more like iTunes 11 than its iOS siblings. There's some hope that this is the future of the Music app on iOS, and it makes sense for Apple to streamline the way the apps behave. As Dave Caolo noted, the Up Next feature in iTunes 11 has made its way to Remote, as well as an improved search. If the Remote experience is a glimpse of the future, it's not a bad one. I like seeing quickly which of my albums haven't been downloaded onto a particular device yet in Remote. To do the same on iOS 6, I have to go through the iTunes store. I'm not a huge fan of the faded album art when one is selected, but I like the black player with white text in Remote a lot better than grey on grey in Music.app.
Apple revamps Apple TV firmware, iOS Remote app to play nicely in an iTunes 11 world
If you're the early adopting type living in an Apple ecosystem, you probably upgraded to iTunes 11 almost as soon as the bits reached the servers. You might not have noticed that Apple gave its iOS Remote app and Apple TV firmware shots in the arm to match. Of the two, Remote 3.0 is the larger update and brings a simpler UI that also takes advantage of iTunes' new Up Next feature to add or prune out songs in ongoing playlists on a host computer. iPad owners reap the most rewards -- the album view now expands in place to quickly drill down to a specific track. Apple TV viewers aren't quite so coddled, although they too get Up Next support for iTunes 11 (and iTunes Match) as well as the usual rounds of speed-ups and bug fixes; we imagine a solution to some of the troubles with 5.1 is part of the package. No matter which update fits into your vision of musical harmony, you'll find details at the source links.
Should they have waited until March? Submitting your iTunes 11 bugs
For all of you working with iTunes 11 and exploring its delightful and quirky feature set, it's likely you'll run across one or more of the bugs the new software has to offer. For example, I clicked on the iTunes Tutorials button to watch one of those great new video overviews -- and got a "page not found" in iTunes. (Screen shot above.) I also encountered issues showing and hiding sidebars and toggling between genres. Jeff Lamarche reports that iTunes 11 reverted all his content to new and unwatched. (*kof*) https://twitter.com/designiac/status/274228458211655680/photo/1 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A83ss6WCYAAzb6e.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85PPb3CYAE2i9N.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85hrNECMAA4Vqj.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A84-_2CCAAI7eYE.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85eAg1CQAEF7kL.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85okaQCcAAOHP4.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85pMlyCUAEE8J6.png (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85o2EmCYAAsw1Q.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85iu9DCUAA3cQs.png (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85bnoMCcAAa8Ox.jpg (via) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A85bi5aCMAA3gdf.jpg (via) http://cl.ly/image/0x2D1w1D1u0m If you're experiencing these early bugs, there is something you can do. Hop over to Apple's iTunes feedback page and let Apple know. Submitting bug reports isn't about criticizing or demeaning Apple. It's about pitching in to help produce better apps and voting for enhancements that you'd like to see Apple include.
iTunes 11 MiniPlayer provides control over multiple AirPlay devices
Here's a neat tweak we've found while fiddling around with iTunes 11: Its AirPlay popup panel lets you easily select and control the volume of multiple AirPlay devices at once (a feature introduced in iTunes 10), without having to bother with individual settings windows, and it's now accessible from the MiniPlayer. This way, you can pipe audio to, say, a stereo hooked up to your AirPort Express in one room and an Apple TV in another, controlling the volume on both independently from a window that looks like this: The AirPlay button used to be tucked away in the lower-right corner of iTunes, next to the Genius button (no longer on the chrome of iTunes 11), and the iTunes sidebar (which appears to be MIA). Now that AirPlay has taken root across Apple's systems and is popping up in ever more hardware accessories, it's good that the tech is taking a more prominent space on Apple's default music player. Have you found any other handy new functionality in iTunes 11? Let us know in the comments!
Daily Update for November 29, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Features of the new iTunes 11 MiniPlayer
As you start playing around with iTunes 11, don't forget that it ships with a completely updated MiniPlayer. Here's a quick guide to this great little tool. Moving to and from the MiniPlayer Look at the top-right corner of your iTunes browsing window. There you'll find the familiar full-screen toggle. Just to its left is a small rectangle-in-rectangle icon. Click this to transform the full iTunes window to the MiniPlayer version. Once minimized, you can return to the full-sized browser by clicking the small rectangle under the X at the top-left corner. Click "X" to close the browser without opening a new window. Prefer to use the keyboard? Apple offers not one, but two keyboard shortcuts: Command-Option-M toggles between full and minibrowser windows Command-Option-3 opens and closes the minibrowser without affecting the main screen Use the latter to open a new MiniPlayer without closing the main window. Album Art Click the album art to open the image in a separate window. The art offers full playback controls. Playback Controls Hover your mouse over the MiniPlayer to switch from the information view to playback controls. You'll find play/pause/track skip and AirPlay buttons. Click on the circled chevron for more playback options, including the ability to rate a song or add it to your Up Next list. Searching Click on the magnifying glass to access the MiniPlayer search options. Results appear in the same window, so you can easily click the song you want to hear next. Up Next iTunes' Up Next feature is also baked into the MiniPlayer. Click the list icon to the left of the search button. You'll see the next few tracks listed. Click the time icon to see what you've already listened to (handy for answering "what was that song?" questions). Click clear to empty that history or remove items from your upcoming queue. This allows you to finish playback after the current song finishes. The MiniPlayer's a great new window with a great set of features. Found something we missed? Drop a note in the comments and share!
Redeem iTunes gift cards with iTunes 11 and your Mac's camera
One of the coolest iTunes 11 features has got to be the new redemption system. It allows you to scan gift codes using your Mac's camera system. As the screen shot above shows, all you have to do is hold up your iTunes barcode and let your camera do the work. No more laborious typing of barcode-supported gift cards is needed any more. Click Use Camera and then use the interactive camera feed to hold up and scan your card. You can only redeem cards that have a box around the code letters, as you see in the screenshot above. Here is Steve Sande redeeming himself. He isn't actually a gift card, but he pretends to be one on alternative Sundays. TUAW first noticed Mountain Lion's Core Recognition framework early this year and suggested that it might be used for this kind of redemption through the "CRCodeRedeemer" class. We're gratified to learn we were right on the money. Mike Rose pointed out in his original write-up that there's even more this tech could be capable of. As he wrote back in Feburary, "This technology would be even more interesting if Apple's 2011 patent application for 'digital handshakes' ever sees daylight. With barcodes or data embeds printed on your devices with invisible ink, you could log into your Mac just by waving your iPhone at it -- which would require that your Mac have some barcode-reading savvy."
iTunes 11 for old fogies: goin' back to the way it was
So you just downloaded and installed iTunes 11. Now you're scratching your head and going, um...where did my iTunes go? This is the post for you. Here are a few things for you to do to get back to your normal iTunes setup before you branch out and explore new features. Do this: 1. Click Songs. 2. Click View > Show Sidebar (Command-Option-S) 3. Click View > Show Status Bar (Command-/) Presto. You're now ready to kick back with a fresh glass of prune juice and start using iTunes the way that's friendly and familiar.
iTunes 11 now available to download: fresh design, more iCloud features
Apple's thoroughly re-engineered iTunes is now ready for you to try. The desktop download includes a new MiniPlayer for playing tracks in a widget-sized window, an "Up Next" feature for cueing up songs and viewing what's next at a glance, and -- if you can't decide which tune to rack up -- Apple's software will now offer "instant recommendations" of its own. iTunes 11 will also endeavor to relocate your position within a song, movie or TV shows if your media consumption ever gets interrupted. Finally, iCloud integration will allow you to play back your library on any device, while an offline option should allow in-flight or underground listening sessions to continue without a hitch. Right now, iTunes 11 is mostly appearing as an option in Software Update for existing users, although it shouldn't be long before manual downloads are at hand. Jon Fingas contributed to this report.
Daily Update for November 26, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Ars Technica chronicles the history of iTunes
Provided that Apple doesn't decide to delay the release of iTunes 11 until December, the newest iteration of the music/video player/sync tool/store application should be popping out of Cupertino by Friday. iTunes has been around since January 2001, and Jacqui Cheng at Ars Technica has done a wonderful job of chronicling the history of the iTunes app since that time. Cheng notes that when iTunes 1.0 first hit Macs, Apple hadn't even released the first iPod. At the time, the app was used to rip CDs, let you create your own playlists, and then burn mix CDs of your own. Ten months after the first release of iTunes, version 2.0 shipped along with the iPod. It wasn't until iTunes 4.0 that we had our first chance at purchasing music with the app, and music videos didn't arrive on the scene until iTunes 6.0 in October of 2005. Movies showed up with 7.0, the iTunes Genius with 8.0, and home sharing with 9.0. Do any of us remember what the big marquee feature of iTunes 10.0 was? Ping, the social network that nobody used. Cheng finishes off her history of iTunes with a peek at what to expect this week (or next month) when iTunes 11 finally appears. "So what makes the next version of iTunes so great? For one, it has a revamped UI meant to provide a more themed experience when listening to albums. It also has better integration with iCloud, which now automatically downloads your iOS device purchases directly to your iTunes library on the computer. And finally, iTunes can pick up on a movie where you left off on your iPhone or iPad. Oh, and did we mention the redesigned Mini Player?" We'll let you know when iTunes 11 gets here, so visit TUAW frequently this week until you get the word.
iTunes 11 imminent according to German music distributor
Originally slated for October, the redesigned iTunes 11 saw its launch bumped into November with barely a day to spare. Now, as we near the end of its new release month, there are signs that it might actually arrive as re-promised. According to a user on the MacRumors forums by the name of stek, who provided the image seen above, German music distributor Feiyr has begun informing artists and labels that they need to prepare photos and artwork that comply with new iTunes 11 requirements. The email states that shoppers will be able to view photo galleries of artists and that said images need to be at least 1200 pixels wide or tall. iTunes 11 will introduce a complete visual refresh of the app's interface, deeper iCloud integration and bring the iTunes Store in line with the design seen by iPhone and iPad users for some time now.
iTunes 11 delayed until November
Apple has confirmed to CNET that the launch of iTunes 11 will be delayed just a bit. According to Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr: "The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November." iTunes 11 was originally announced at the iPhone 5 unveiling in September and promised by the end of October. The software will feature some of the most revamped UI elements the software has seen since its original launch. It's easy to jump to conclusions that the delay in iTunes 11 is due to Scott Forstall's departure, announced yesterday, however Forstall wasn't directly in charge of iTunes development.
