Genius Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Apple TV now offers Genius recommendations for movies, TV shows

by Chris Rawson (Feb 3rd, 2012)

A silent update to the backend has introduced Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows to the Apple TV. No user action is required to access the new feature, as it's not part of a device firmware update. Instead, Apple has updated its own servers to send this information to the Apple TV from ...

Apple TV 101: Create a genius playlist on Apple TV

by Matt Tinsley (Jul 22nd, 2011)

Of late, the Apple TV hasn't received all that much attention here at TUAW. We can only assume that's because it simply does what it says on the tin -- it just works! But the other day, I found myself trying to do something quite simple on my Apple TV, and it wasn't "just working!" Using ...

iTunes 101: Making the most of contextual menus

by Chris Ward (Apr 28th, 2011)

I love contextual menus. In Mac OS X, you find them when you right-click, two-finger-click (on a trackpad) or when you hold down the Control key and click. They're handy in scores of applications and in the Finder; if you're looking to supercharge your iTunes usage in particular, Macworld's ...

Mobile version of iTunes Store gets Genius recommendations

by Chris Rawson (Feb 6th, 2011)

The desktop version of the iTunes Store has had Genius recommendations for quite some time, but the feature has been missing from the iPhone/iPod touch version of the Store -- until now. Tapping on the "More" tab at the bottom of the iTunes Store app will reveal the usual options, with a new option ...

iPad app store gains genius section

by Keith M (Aug 6th, 2010)

Sometime early this morning, Apple quietly unleashed the genius section of the iPad app store, something that's been in the iPhone app store for quite some time. It's interesting how Apple is always "quietly" releasing new things, while making a big to-do about others. What's also interesting is how ...

Proximity sensor woes caused by reflective ear canal

by Aron Trimble (Jul 6th, 2010)

Following the recent release of iPhone 4 several of you reported an issue with the proximity sensor running amok during your calls. Our poll results were dead even with 50.1% of readers seeing issues and 49.9% having no problems. At the time I considered myself in the all-clear category, but ...

Two super simple DIY hacks for the iPhone

by Mike Schramm (Jan 14th, 2010)

I've been reading the Unplggd blog from Apartment Therapy a lot lately, because I recently moved into a new place and am trying to fill it up with cool stuff. And someone over there must be an iPhone fan, because I've seen not one but two great and simple tricks for the iPhone there recently. The ...

Moodagent: Going iTunes Playlists one better

by David Winograd (Dec 19th, 2009)

Moodagent [iTunes Link] (free for now) puts a new spin on the iTunes Genius Playlist system. Instead of leaving it up to Apple to give you category based Genius Playlists, Moodagent, gives you some control over what songs will appear in a 25 song customizable playlist of your music. You are given ...

If 30% is good enough for Apple in the App Store, it should be good enough for dropped calls on AT&T, right?

by Michael Rose (Sep 30th, 2009)

File this one under AYFKMWTS (are you freaking kidding me with this stuff?): a Gizmodo reader, aggravated with an unacceptably high rate of dropped calls on his iPhone, took it to a New York City Apple Store to have it checked for issues. The call dump statistics revealed a 22% drop rate on calls, ...

iPhone OS 3.1 adds new features and functionality

by Steven Sande (Sep 9th, 2009)

One of the first surprises out of today's Apple event, other than Steve Jobs appearing on stage again (!!!), was the announcement that iPhone OS 3.1 and iPod touch OS 3.1.1 were available. We're still waiting for the download to complete, so this won't be a hands-on review, but we do want you to ...

iTunes not quite as 'updated' as we thought

by Mel Martin (Mar 12th, 2009)

Yesterday we told you about iTunes being updated to version 8.1. We went over the features, and you dutifully downloaded it. Then we started hearing from readers (thanks, by the way) about some features missing from the update. What missing features you may ask? Oh, like the Genius suggestions for ...

Apple t-shirt quilt available on eBay

by Mike Schramm (Dec 13th, 2008)

I don't know how comfy a quilt made out of t-shirts would be, but maybe the fact that they're all Apple t-shirts will help. That's exactly what this quilt is made out of -- it's up over on eBay right now, and while the price is only around $36 at the time of this writing, it's probably gone up ...

Create a Genius playlist on the iPhone and iPod touch

by Dave Caolo (Sep 12th, 2008)

Love it or hate it, Genius is the marquee feature of iTunes 8. Basically, it creates playlists based upon a single song in your library. iPhone and iPod touch firmware 2.1 added it to those devices, and it has worked well in my experience. Here's how you can have your iPhone or iPod touch generate a ...

My iTunes Genius is a Moron

by Erica Sadun (Sep 9th, 2008)

Shh. Don't tell anyone. My iTunes Genius is tone deaf. When I selected "Man of Constant Sorrow" as my "seed" song, My Genius actually suggested "America, F**k [sic] Yeah" and "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)" at the store. The proper genre, or at least the genre I was looking for, was "Rockin' ...

TUAW Hands On: iTunes 8

by Robert Palmer (Sep 9th, 2008)

Released today, iTunes 8 is the most recent and advanced iteration of Apple's media management and playback software. iTunes 8 includes a new Genius recommendation engine, new visualizers, a new grid view, and new terms and conditions. The Genius engine recommends other songs you might enjoy, ...