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.

iTunes 7 handles video better - a lot better. Starting a video is much snapper, and so is overall responsiveness and performance. I finally feel like I'm using a competent video player - and check out that popup controller! Gone is the piddly little controller bar from iTunes 6 - now is the time of the sexy controller overlay, a la QuickTime 7! Out of sight when you don't need it, but appearing at the snap of a finger (or more accurately: a mouseover) for your beckoning call. Perfect.

The new, dedicated download manager is really, really handy. It appears to allow a non-customizable concurrent download limit of 3 files at a time, but the kicker is that the order in which files download is up to you. Users can drag and drop this list of files to their heart's content, dictating whether that latest podcast episode or the hot new single they just bought is snagged first. I personally haven't purchased anything yet, but we've heard that the 'start playing before finishing the download' feature works like a charm.

Others new features

The new 'multiple libraries' feature was slightly misleading; it's actually not much more than the fact that Apple drew some lines between the types of files iTunes handles, and separated them out into their own sections at the top of the media list (making the browsing bar introduced in iTunes 6 an obsolete feature). This is also customizable from iTunes' General preferences pane; you can toggle the display of these sections at will, and even add Audiobooks and iPod Games (for all the good they'll do you; they aren't playable in iTunes) to round up the new family
New metadata criteria includes recording skip count and date/time when items are skipped, specifying videos as TV/music video/episodes/season, etc.
Missing buttons such as EQ, the mini-store (if you were really missing it), the Visualizer, etc. seem to have been relegated up to menus like View. Best ye be learnin' some keyboard shortcuts, wethinks
For clarification: the new 'reverse syncing' option that Scott covered only allows for syncing iTS purchased content; not all those other albums you *ahem* ripped yourself. If you're still looking for the feature, it's towards the bottom of the File menu

This should round it up for now. Thanks to everyone for their insightful sleuthing, tips and comments. Keep the new finds coming in, and we'll be sure to keep the rest of the class on top of things if we uncover even more secrets of one of the largest updates to iTunes of the last few years.

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Source: http://apple.com/itunes

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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...

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MacWhisperer

My favorite new feature is:

Soundcheck now works on CD's you burn from iTunes. That was my single biggest beef, one song so quiet you have to turn it up to ten to hear it, then the next one so loud it sends you scrambling for the volume, especially not good when playing CDs at work!!!!!

October 18 2006 at 11:44 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

pbatt

I live in Taiwan, where I'm sure I've heard some of my students say that they use the iTunes store, but right now it won't let me sign up. I want to download cover art, but Taiwan is not listed. Suffice it to say, I'm not as happy as I might be.

September 24 2006 at 11:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Barney Rubble

Sound from my left speaker also cuts out after a while. This is a show stopper for me. What really sucks is that you can't easily go back to iTunes version 6, because iTunes 7 converts your library into an incompatible format. So what I had to do was to export my library and playlists as xml files with iTunes 7, then I could import them back into iTunes 6.

No more iTunes 7 for me!

September 21 2006 at 3:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Rob

I am running iTunes 7 (WinXP) and noticed mention of the ability to create multiple libraries on the main iTunes page on the apple.com site. Now, there isn't any mention of this feature in the documentation, but after some digging around it turns out that if you hold down the Shift key when starting iTunes, you get the option to select an existing library or ... gasp ... create a new one! Fantastic. Well, it would be if it wasn't completely useless. Why? Well, it seems that the "iTunes music folder location" setting is shared between all the libraries! WTF?

For example, I have all my music stored on a separate hard disk with a selection of my fave tunes on my laptop hard disk. So, I thought I'd create a new "master" library by doing the following:

1. Hold down shift and start iTunes.
2. Created a new library in my F:My Music folder (where my entire music collection is stored).
3. iTunes started and then I went into Edit|Preferences|Advanced and changed the "iTunes music folder location" to "F:My Music".
4. I then shut down iTunes.
5. Hold down shift, started iTunes again and this time selected my original (drive C) library file location in C:Document and Settings...My MusiciTunes. Up comes my laptop collection.
6. Select Edit|Preferences|Advanced again and the music folder is STILL set to F:My Music! And of course, if changed, other libraries pick up the setting.

Basically this means I CAN create multiple libraries, but they all have to point to the SAME music folder, rendering this potentially useful new feature completely useless.

Is it meant to work like this, or is this a bug?

September 17 2006 at 12:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Ioannus de Verani

I think that the new non-aqua ui is ugly. I miss my pretty blueaqualicious scrollbars!

September 16 2006 at 7:07 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

ganzhimself

iTunes 7 killed my 20GB 4th Gen iPod (Photo). Anyone else have a problem with their 4th Gen Photo and iTunes 7???? I am irate.

September 16 2006 at 2:44 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

dan.hutch

Loooove the gapless playback feature, busy importing all my DJ mix albums. Coverflow integration and artwork downloading are also fantastic. Shame about the nasty new UI colours - please bring back Aqua blue Apple!

September 14 2006 at 4:55 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

dan.hutch

September 14 2006 at 4:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Ryan Biesemeyer

CMD-1 and CMD-2 are missing - two keystrokes that I use dozens of times a day.

it is cool and all, but removing keystrokes is a waste of my time.

September 14 2006 at 1:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Speed42

Dunno why, but after updating to iTunes 7, my click wheel iPod now has rejuvenated battey life! Seriously. It had deteriorated to the point I was only getting about 7 hours of play from it, but yesterday it lasted about 8 hours and had half a battery left!

Very happy so far with iTunes 7.

September 14 2006 at 9:15 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply