iTunes 11: What’s new?

 

The latest version of Apple Inc.’s iTunes was available for download yesterday, and its new features are sleeker, faster and easier to use. Here’s the low-down on what’s new with iTunes 11.

1) Redesigned music library

The music library has transformed into something a lot more organised and intuitive. You’ll be able to view your music, movies and TV shows in a much larger format, making it much easier to find exactly what you need. The recommendations that the new iTunes provides based on your library are much better suited to you, so expanding your music is much, much simpler!

2) Easily-available information

From the music library, you’ll be able to click on the cover art of each album, which opens a drop-down display with information about the album – you’ll be able to see the name, rating, duration and price, all at your fingertips.

3) Updated MiniPlayer

When you want to focus on other things, you can switch to the newly refurbished Miniplayer which allows you to see which songs you have coming up. It also lets you search your entire music collection for any new tracks.

4) Preview history

One of the coolest new features of iTunes 11 is the Preview History. Now, if you listen to a preview of a track, it will automatically be stored on iTunes for you to refer back to (and download, if you enjoyed it) at a later date. The feaure is synced across devices with iCloud, so any previews you listen to on your mobile device will be stored, too.

5) Facebook integration

You can now keep up to date with which apps your friends are using in the App Store with Facebook integration. You’ll also be able to see which products your friends have ‘liked’, and share your purchases on Facebook and Twitter. This is a complete revamp from Ping, the failed social network Apple attempted to launch to share recommendations. people are much more comfortable using social networks they have existing membership to, rather than having to create a completely new account.

This is certainly the best version of iTunes yet. Critics have suggested that the fact that it is unable to access streaming music online will harm its chances against Spotify and Pandora, but we feel that die-hard Apple fans will remain loyal. What do you think of the latest iTunes? Let us know in the comments!