Apple iTunes 7

An enhanced interface highlights the updates in Apple's iTunes 7, which remains the epicenter of the iPod ecosystem. The popular Windows and Mac jukebox application has undergone a major face-lift with the addition of eye-popping visual features such as the album-centric Cover Flow and a reorganised Source list, while its integrated iTunes Store has added a games section -- but no movie downloads for Australian users (or anyone outside the US). iTunes 7 does require more processor muscle than its predecessor, and many users, particularly on the Windows side, have experienced significant early bugs (we haven't). But the essence of iTunes remains: it is an intuitive and (mostly) all-inclusive refueling point for iPods as well as a media platform that aims to be part of your living room.

In this review, we'll take a closer look at iTunes 7's new features. For some background on the preexisting interface and feature set, check out the review of iTunes 6.

iTunes 7's enhanced interface
Like most iTunes updates, version 7.0 is a quick and easy install (you can download it for Windows or Mac), and your media library and settings will remain unaffected. Immediately, you'll notice that the iTunes logo is now blue (from green), and the iTunes Music Store has been renamed to simply iTunes Store. Upon initial start-up, the program will automatically analyse and optimise your song library for its new gapless playback feature.

The interface is noticeably different due to the updated Source window, though the program's overall character (the sophisticated silver skin, the understated buttons, and the legible track listings) remains the same. Of the many jukeboxes available, iTunes is still the most approachable. When you dig a little deeper, you'll notice some radical graphical updates that put more emphasis on album art. While there's nothing original about the new design tweaks, it is Apple's implementation that keeps us interested (and occasionally amazed). Here's a breakdown of the new stuff.

Reorganised Source pane
This is the main navigation area in the left-hand column where, in iTunes 6, content genres and playlists spilled down in a semiorganised fashion. Now it's organised into distinct sections, such as Library (Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Radio), Store (iTunes Store, Purchased), Devices (your iPods or other portable devices; the pink Nano will show up as a pink Nano), Shared and Playlists. It feels scientific and logical, though experienced iTunes 6 users will need to adjust to the reorg (for me, it's the updated locations of Purchased music and Playlists). Better organisation, yes, but you'll have to scroll down further, as the headers add several lines to the list.

The Source pane has been reorganised.

New content-view options
This one is rad. In addition to the plain-vanilla listing of your tracks and movies, you get two additional views. First new option: A simple list grouped with large album art; I've seen this before in Windows Media Player, so it's not original; it's definitely an improvement but will largely be ignored. The second new option, dubbed Cover Flow, displays a big resizable window for a virtual shelf of album art or movie covers, which reflect elegantly against the black background. You can scroll through and watch the graphics whiz by, or you can point and click one. Content associated with an album or a movie cover spills down below. As a new song plays, the appropriate cover will flip into place. Owners of slower systems will notice processor lags, though I think the benefits of Cover Flow are worth it because the realistic graphics give music an additional dimension. Of course, the key to Cover Flow is filling in the missing art, which hasn't worked as well as advertised (more later). Nevertheless, album art is back with a vengeance! Very useful, very cool, and very Apple.

Cover Flow is processor intensive and is more effective when your cover art collection is complete, but the feature adds a lot to the user experience.

Integrated device management
Now you can manage your iPod settings within the iTunes interface rather than opening up a new preferences window to do the same. The main landing page displays a graphic and vital stats of your iPod and allows you to check off universal settings such as "Manually manage music and videos" and "Only sync checked items." Additionally, you can Update or Restore your iPod from this Summary page. Content is managed by clicking tabs for specific types such as Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Contacts. Finally, at the bottom of this window is a colour-coded capacity meter that visually breaks down Audio, Video, Photo, Other, and Free Space. Again, it's not like I haven't seen integrated management in Windows Media Player, but the use of a nested window rather than a new one helps. One more related feature: You're now allowed to move songs off the iPod as long as the recipient computer is authorised to listen to or view the content. So now you can transfer your purchased music (no MP3s) from your work computer to your home computer using the iPod. Simply authorise a new computer using the new Store/Authorize Computer option. This stuff just rings with user-friendliness.

Manage your iPod sync settings and more using the integrated device manager option.

Download Manager
This is a Source pane option that appears when you purchase content. Basically, it lists your selections along with a progress meter, and it's very useful if you want to reorder the queue to get the song or movie you want quicker. You can also pause a single download or pause all downloads, and it's a great way to keep track of interrupted downloads. I've seen this kind of thing before, of course, in everything from Windows Media Player to LimeWire. So Apple's caught up in this respect.

The Download Manager in iTunes 7 allows you to monitor your download queue; you can even pause a download or move selections up to the top of the queue.

iTunes Store
The newly renamed iTunes Store's heavy use of all-capped headers doesn't feel very Apple. iPod Games have been added, but Movies are only available in the US so far. The album pages have been retooled for consistency, and album art reflects off the area below it. Personally, I think the new store is more difficult to navigate than in the past, but that'll probably change with more use.

The Album page has been streamlined; maybe it's just me, but the page with its all-capped headers has lost some character.

iTunes 7's cool new features

Automatic album art retrieval
Though I've already seen utilities that can do this, iTunes will now add album art from its iTunes Store catalog to tracks you've added to your collection without album art. In other words, your artless MP3s will have album art once they've gone through the iTunes ringer, and that will make your music collection feel complete. That is, in theory.

This user-initiated feature (under Advanced/Get Album Artwork), just isn't working too great for most users. It is supposed to help both Apple (makes iTunes more attractive) and users (makes iTunes more useful and attractive), but if the "service" doesn't work well, why bother? Apparently, Apple is continuing to tweak some algorithms and back-end stuff to make this work properly, and I believe it. It's possible that you could use Get Album Artwork twice within 10 minutes and get different results. Basically, iTunes scans for Gracenote serial numbers and existing metatag data, so if you have a bunch of P2P-based MP3s (don't we all?), you'll definitely have some gaps in cover art, which you can still apply manually. Album art is based on what's in iTunes Store's existing library, though art for Nirvana's Nevermind and Elton John's Madman Across the Water was M.I.A in our testing.

Click Get Album Artwork to start the cover art fill-in feature, which doesn't work flawlessly yet.

Gapless playback
Yippee! Many music fanatics, especially those who like dance music, now can enjoy their music without annoying gaps. I think this is a valuable feature that should be implemented more throughout the MP3 world (the current Archos 04 series also does pure gapless playback). Only the new iPods (the updated iPod, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle) can apply the gapless playback settings that need to be manually stitched to each track in iTunes.

When you first install and run iTunes 7, the app automatically analyses your tracks for gapless playback. It's not actually seamlessly bridging gaps as I'd thought; rather, it is figuring it out based on format and bit rate, the best method for ungapping songs. If you turn Cross Fade off, all tracks will be played gaplessly. If not, you'll have to multiselect all tracks in a gapless album, Get Info, then indicate that you want the selection to be part of a gapless album. So far, gapless playback works very well on both iTunes and the iPod Nano. Nothing is more annoying than encountering gaps in "seamless" mixes. Now that Apple's in the gapless game, it's a must feature for the competition.

You must manually tag tracks and albums in iTunes to apply gapless playback on the iPod. In iTunes, all tracks will play in gapless mode if Cross Fade is turned off.

Wish list
Despite boasting many useful features in an idiot-proof interface, iTunes still lacks some functions that keep it from being a truly all-inclusive media jukebox. For example, the radio section could use some development. While you can find a lot of good stations in a variety of genres (I listen to a lot of Groove Salad), these are all simply links to existing streaming stations. Most other jukebox services offer more advanced features such as customisation, the ability to purchase a streamed track, and features like skipping and pausing songs. I'd also love to see a built-in line-in recording and/or voice recording feature. You can always accomplish this task in GarageBand (or other preinstalled apps in Windows), but a jukebox should be able to record.

Games
You'll notice that the iTunes Store now sells games for AU$7.49 -- these are definitely better than the old stock games, and they work only on the iPod (not the Nano).

Problems
So far, I've heard of some nasty problems with Windows versions (such as crashing, some audio sounding choppy, and refusal to recognise the new iPod Nano), but I've had mostly excellent results on both platforms (a tired old PowerBook G4 and a Dell XPS P4 desktop). System requirements have increased from the last version, including a 500MHz Pentium class processor with 256MB of RAM -- we recommend more for both platforms -- for Windows XP/2000, and a 500MHz G3 processor and 256MB RAM for Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. Like we said, performance is slightly sluggish, particularly when flipping through Cover Flow albums. Video playback (the most processor-intensive activity) is smooth. While I didn't experience the multiple forum user claims of tinny and choppy audio, system crashes, and "breaking" prior relationships with devices and features such as podcasts, I hope Apple has an update that addresses these issues soon.

Editor's note: Apple has quietly made available an update to iTunes 7. Version 7.0.1 "addresses stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more." Hopefully, the "and more" part deals with the many issues that a horde of iTunes 7 users have been complaining about since its initial launch on September 12. Though I haven't personally experienced major issues, I have witnessed iTunes 7's bugginess on Jasmine France's PC and have read many testy comments on Apple's crowded forums. We'll update our review if we notice any improvements in performance or stability. (Updated September 27, 2006)

• E-mail this
• Share this...
  • del.icio.us
  • digg this
  • Reddit
  • Slashdot
  • StumbleUpon
• Print this
• beam_from:CNET beam_text:Apple iTunes 7 http://m.cnet.com.au/339270997.htm beam_tags:CNETAU beam_label:Send to mobile beam_icon:12 beamad_category:20 beamad_placement:2181