And Let’s Not Forget iTunes, Too

  • Integration with iCloud
  • Claims of cleaner interface
  • New search feature

With all the hype surrounding the release of Apple’s iPhone 5 it’s easy to forget about other announcements the House that Steve Built made overnight – namely a new iTunes suite.

  • Integration with iCloud
  • Claims of cleaner interface
  • New search feature

With all the hype surrounding the release of Apple’s iPhone 5 it’s easy to forget about other announcements the House that Steve Built made overnight – namely a new iTunes suite.

Apple today announced the new iTunes for Mac and PC featuring a redesigned player, seamless integration with iCloud. The new iTunes is coming in October and will feature a simpler and cleaner interface that keeps your favorite iTunes content at the forefront. With iCloud integration, your music, movie and TV purchases made on any of your iOS devices or computers is displayed in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC. The redesigned iTunes Store, App Store and iBookstorehave been rethought to make buying your favourite content on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC simple, claims Apple.

The redesigned iTunes features a full-window interface, while the new library view makes it easier to view your music, TV shows and movies, allowing you to click on the category of content you want to browse and that’s all you will see. The expandable album view allows you to see track listings for an individual album, while letting you continue to browse your music library.

The new search feature searches across your iTunes library, including music, movies and TV shows. The re-imagined MiniPlayer makes it easy to control your music with a small tool bar, you can skip to the next song or search for something new to play—all without having to open your library. Up Next is a new way to see what songs are coming up and queue songs or albums you want to hear next.

With iCloud, all of your iTunes purchases are in the cloud and can be accessed from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC or Apple TV. The new iTunes features seamless integration with iCloud, which automatically puts all of your purchases into your library on your Mac or PC, regardless of which device you used to make the purchase. iCloud also remembers where you are in your favourite movies or TV shows no matter which device you’re viewing on.

The redesigned iTunes Store, App Store and iBookstore feature a design. Featured content is showcased at the top and easy-to-browse shelves serve up popular music, movies and TV show choices. You also have a preview history that shows you all of the music, movies and TV shows you’ve sampled. iCloud keeps your preview history across all of your devices. Additionally, users can preview 90 second clips of songs while continuing to browse the store.