Theworld-class media application from Apple, the iTunes has evolved all these years, but it remained predominantly stagnant for the past 2 years. Arrival of new iTunes 11 marks major revamp in the interface, features, and underlying code.
iTunes 11 player has got the new uber-cool look and even program’s icon is redesigned. The new version includes more iCloud features with iMac and iOS cloud syncing service.
Installing the iTunes 11
iTunes can be installed onWindows XP, Windows 7 Vista, or Windows 8 platforms, apart from the regular iTunes for Macintosh OS X. It is an 83MB download file in Windows and the file size is little larger than the version 10.
On the other hand,Windows Media Player weighs just 12MB, whereas WinAmp is around 11 MB. Installer makes iTunes your default music player, so you should uncheck the option to make iTunes your default player during the installation process, if you want to use any other alternatives such as WinAmp or Windows Media Player.
Interface
Interface for new iTunes seems to be more trimmed when compared with the previous version. It certainly looks great on the whole, and you can even see the standard app in the newWindows version,replacing square icon at the top left. New AirPlay button is here too, and you can throw whatever you want to play at the home entertainment system, attached to Apple TV or any other system that wires AirPlay natively.
You can also do a few basic things such asplay/pause, reverse controls, and fast-forward, and also volume slider, and search box at the top of the program window.
Switching among the movies, Music, and TV shows has become faster with the help of a button present on the top left.
If you want new classical choice in music view, you can move into Preferences dialog’s Views section and check the first option called “composers”. Switching between iTunes Store and library is possible seamlessly with the help of a button present on the right.
Major Pros
• Sleek design.
• Largest video and musiccatalogue.
• More user friendly with new mini-player.
• iCloud integration makes your music available more easily.
• Supports 1080p high definition TV shows and movies
• Wi-Fi syncing for tablets and mobiles
• Huge store for video for rent and media for sale.
• iPad app and iPhone organization
The Downsides
• You might require large disk space for media player.
• Limit on the Device Authorization can be an issue for those who use many devices.
The Bottom-Line
iTunes is the evergreen media software from Apple, and the latest version is the cleaner and faster than ever, and it alsostrongly integrates all other cloud services too.
So, go ahead and give it a try to iTunes 11, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with any of its features to say the least.