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Roundup of the other new iTunes 7 features
We've given you a walkthrough of the heavy hitting new features in the just-released iTunes 7. We've shown you the new backup feature, as well as the slick new reverse syncing, and we've even explored how the new iTunes 7 UI could hint at an Aqua renaissance in the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Now, we'd like to round up all the other little changes in this new version. You know, the missing and relocated buttons, the new preferences, the tiny quirks and the new whathaveyou's. Here is a list of what else we've found in the new iTunes 7, compiled from tips, our own tinkering and comments on our previous posts.The browser button (which also doubled as the Burn button) has been moved from the top right, next to the search box, to the bottom right corner of the window. It is also an intelligent button, for example: if you have set your burning preferences to Data Disc, as I have, the button will change to display "Burn Data Disc." Nice.
How To: Back up your music using iTunes 7
iTunes 7 has really breathed some new life into that venerable jukebox software. One of the most useful new features is 'Back Up to Disc,' which is located under the 'File' menu of iTunes. This feature allows you to back up all your tracks to either CD or DVD.Sounds great, right? But is it easy? Yes, yes it is. Read on for a detailed step by step tutorial.
Aqua is dead, long live Aqua!
Apple seems to use iTunes as a test-bed for new user interface design styles, and iTunes 7 brings with it an almost complete overhaul the Aqua look we have all grown to love/hate/tolerate. While on the surface, the iTunes 7 interface may seem very similar to that of previous versions, there are a few very distinct differences that I think forebode greater system wide changes to come in 10.5 Leopard. Since the initial version 10.0, OS X has gone through a variety of system-wide interface changes while still keeping some very important aspects of the original Aqua UI. First we lost the pinstripes, then we got brushed metal, and most recently, we see the move with most applications to a "unified" interface. With iTunes 7, Aqua is gone for good. Glossy radio buttons, scroll bars, control buttons and track information windows are all gone; replaced by sleek utilitarian sand-blasted metal. I think this is the first significant peek we've had into the rumored complete redesign of the OS X UI for Leopard. I, for one, welcome this change. While the glossy days of old were an exciting way to draw new users–indeed, it was part of way I switched– it quickly became an eyesore for many; designers in particular. The introduction of the Graphite visual style fixed a lot of issues graphics professionals had with the bright colors of the interface clashing with their work, but everything was still not dandy. For pro and power users their Mac is not only a computer, it is the tool of their trade, and something they use day in and day out to get things done, and while no one wants to work in a badly designed, ugly UI, minimalist utilitarianism is sometimes the key to reducing distraction. Of course, much of this is personal opinion, but it is an opinion I know is shared by at least a small core group of Mac die hards. What's your take on the new interface? Is it just a fluke, or a hint at things to come?
CoverFlow: I knew that looked familiar
When we first looked at CoverFlow a little more than a year ago, we were impressed: "It really is nice to look at, I have to say, and flipping through albums is fun...I'm certainly eager to watch this application develop." It seems that Cupertino was also smitten, as the message on CoverFlow's (former) home page explains:"We are pleased to announce that all CoverFlow technology and intellectual property was recently sold to Apple. It has been incorporated into the latest version of iTunes."Let that be a lesson to you, kids. Work hard, and you, too, can be consumed by a corporate giant. Seriously, though, congratulations to the authors of CoverFlow. Well done indeed.
Walkthrough: iTunes 7's big new features
In case you missed it, one of the big announcements of today's It's Showtime events was iTunes 7, a major update that brought changes on nearly every front. Organizing, shopping, syncing - everything got a lot of attention from Apple's software engineers and, as you'll see throughout this walkthrough, a lot of polish has been applied to make this one of the most significant updates in recent iTunes history. First up are some of the basics: there has been a simple change to the iTunes Music Store's name; that's right, 'Music' has been dropped from the name, as the introduction today of movies (which we all knew were coming; more on those later), in addition to carrying TV shows for a year now, kind of begged the name change. As you can see, iTunes has also received a new, blue-ified icon. It has now gone from purple to green and now blue which, if you'd like a little bit of design trivia, is the human brain's favorite color to look at.This should offer a good overview of just how much the iTunes UI has been updated and polished, though impressively without any major or unsettling changes. Dan Lurie noted that it all has a very 'web 2.0-ish' feel, and I tend to agree. Since the iPod was a major player in today's events as well, I figure changes to the iTunes + iPod relationship are as good a place to start as any.
Apple announces iTunes 7
Scott nailed it right on the head ladies and gents: one of the big announcements of today's event was a much-updated iTunes version 7, bringing a slew of new shopping, organizing and playing options to Apple's media software. As of this writing, Apple hasn't made the new software available yet, so we're going to recap the announcement to help you stay on top of the essentials. Here's a rundown of what's new: The iTunes Music Store is now, simply, the iTunes Store. While removing 'Music' from the title certainly helps move the store's branding into the multi-media monster it has become, it sounds like they're stuck with the 'iTunes' (music related) branding Album & Cover Flow views - you can now view your library by album art covers, or use a snazzy 3D 'cover flow' (you mean, like CoverFlow?) to really show off New Source organization - each media type gets its own library and source, offering much easier access and organization Gapless playback - MP3, AAC and Apple Lossless files that are one cohesive album can now sound like one 640 x 480 video resolution for TV and - as everyone predicted - movie downloads from the likes of Disney, Pixar, Touchstone, Miramax. Movies adopt the same usage rights as TV shows (i.e. - no burning) Integrated iPod management - you can adjust what media is synced to your iPod from within iTunes, instead of having to clunk around in the preferences. We haven't seen what this looks like yet, but it sounds like a much better idea for obvious reasons Transfer purchases via iPod - now when Engadget and MacRumors reported this, it sounded like the entire library was transferable between registered computers. This feature, taken from the actual keynote slide, makes it sound like this will work only for iTS purchases Download manager - begin listening to and watching your media while it finishes downloading There's the wrap of what we heard so far. keep an eye out for a walkthrough as soon as we can get our hands on a copy of iTunes 7.
Will we see iTunes 7 tomorrow?
The rumors are swirling, as they always do before his Steveness mounts a stage. Tomorrow, in case you aren't completely Apple obsessed, Apple is hosting a special event titled "Showtime" in San Francisco. The media has been invited, the rumormills are churning, and the Apple faithful are in a tizzy.We've heard a lot about movies in iTunes, and other rumors, but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is the possibility of iTunes 7. Apple launched iTunes 6 almost 11 months ago to the day of this event. Remember what the big feature of iTunes 6 was? That's right, TV shows in the iTunes Music Store.If I were a betting man I would put money on iTunes 7 making a debut tomorrow. Please note that I have no insider information, I'm just looking at the available facts and building a theory.So, if this does come to pass what features would you like to see in iTunes 7? I, personally, don't need any whizbang features, I would just like video playback to be improved.
