Everything You need to know about iTunes.
- iTunes allows you to add to, organize, and play digital media on your computer.
- It can also sync to a portable device.
- It can be used on both a Mac and Windows computer.
- The main difference between iTunes and other media players is its built-in iTunes Store.
- This allows you to download podcasts, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch apps, music videos, movies, audiobooks, and TV shows.
Do you remember when Microsoft was the villain and Apple the underdog? It's amazing how one brilliant idea can make everything better. The raging success and popularity of the iPhone, iTunes, and iPod line of products have led to almost as many people ranting against Apple as about Microsoft. One person may see the best combination of electronics since TiVo and the TV, while another sees world dominance. It's all about control.
This article will explain what makes iTunes the most widely used jukebox software worldwide, discuss some of its advanced functions, and explore the integrated iTunes Store. We'll also show you why it has sparked some hacking attacks and lawsuits. Let's start with the basics.
A portable media player isn't the only way you can enjoy iTunes content. First, you have your Mac OS X (or Windows computer) -- if you have a sound card or speakers, you can use iTunes. Apple's most popular entry in the smartphone market is the iPhone. You can also access your iTunes library using one of the few Apple-approved phones, such as the Motorola ROKR E1. At the same time, some hackers have created apps that allow you to sync non-Apple products with iTunes (but these aren't supported by Apple) and may not work in every version of iTunes. AirPort Express, Apple's wireless networking hub, lets you wirelessly stream iTunes music to your home-theater speakers via Bluetooth. This setup allows you to control the playback of your iTunes music using your computer, iPhone, or iPad, as well as an iPod touch.
iTunes Compatibility
iTunes compatibility with portable players can be a problem. This is why some people avoid iTunes. The iTunes Mac software can be used with, for example, a Creative Nomad MP3 Player. iTunes for Windows supports only the iPhone, iPad, and iPod series. If you connect a Creative Nomad with a Windows machine that runs iTunes, it will not recognize it. There is no iTunes for the Linux version. There are ways around this -- Google a search for "iPod Linux Hacks" Apple has stopped updating its compatible players' list. This could indicate that iTunes will not support non-Apple devices moving forward.
Apple has stopped providing iTunes support for new iPhones made by other manufacturers since the iPhone's introduction. Apple's strategy is for consumers to buy Apple products and then use them with Apple services. Apple doesn't make it easy to use iTunes on any non-Apple device. Palm and other companies tried to circumvent Apple's closed system but were shut down by subsequent iTunes updates.
iTunes, or at least the Mac version of iTunes, supports other players than the iPod. It gets more complicated: Any older music that you have downloaded from iTunes Store is protected under the Apple FairPlay digital right management (DRM). This is a protected AAC file format that Apple does not license to anyone. Only devices with the ability to decrypt Apple DRM can play these files. This includes any computer that runs iTunes, an iPod or an iPad, as well as an iPhone, iPad, and an iTunes phone. Roku's SoundBridge cannot play those files because Apple has licensed Roku the iTunes software without the DRM encryption.
You must first burn iTunes Store files to a CD/DVD as MP3 files to be able to play them on a portable device other than an iPod. DRM encryption doesn't make it onto the disc. You then rip the now-unprotected files back into your iTunes library and download them to the player. Alternatively, you can repurchase songs at a reduced price to get the version without Fairplay. You won't need to do this step if you buy songs from iTunes Plus.
Now we know which devices work with iTunes. Next, we will find out how the software works with certain hardware (or with the wrong hardware).
iTunes Software
You can still use the basic functions of iTunes even if you don't make any purchases from the iTunes Store. iTunes has all the features you'd expect from a top-level media player.
- Audio-file playback iTunes supports AAC and AIFF, Apple Lossless MP3, WAV, WAV, and Audible. com's.aa format, and unprotected WMA audio formats.
- Streaming Music Simply enters the URL in the dialog box "Open Stream" to open a stream in iTunes.
- Internet radio: Presets Internet Radio can be set.
- Graphics View audio-coordinated graphics and print jewel-case artwork for burned CDs.
- CD track information. iTunes displays all CD information automatically when you insert a CD into the drive. If the information is incorrect or incomplete, you can edit it.
- Management tools and organization: iTunes offers manual and automatic management options for your library.
- File type conversion: iTunes converts your AAC or AIFF files to Apple Lossless or MP3 or WAV formats.
- Playlist Creation
- Burning & Ripping CDs
- Downloading files onto a portable player
- Share Music via a network
Advanced Features in iTunes
iTunes has many advanced features that go beyond the jukebox functions.
Ping Ping is Apple's latest attempt to introduce a social networking component into iTunes. Ping allows you to follow your favorite artists, see their Music, and get first information about new albums, releases, and concerts. You can also be followed by your friends to learn more about the Music that you like. Apple provides links that make it easy to buy Music you find.
Auto syncing - iTunes will detect your iPod, iPhone, or iPad and will automatically download any content that you have added to iTunes since the last sync. You can also set it to manual mode to prevent iTunes from transferring everything. Your iPod will automatically upload to iTunes any song ratings or playlists that you have created on your iPod. However, it won't transfer any songs you've added to iTunes.
Smart Playlists With iTunes, you can set parameters to create a playlist using songs from your collection. Parameters could be the song's date of release, genre, rating, or other parameters. The software automatically adds a song to your Smart Playlist if it matches the parameters.
Genius The Genius function is one of the most recent features in iTunes. Genius creates playlists for your Music. Just pick a song, and Genius will make a playlist. The songs should complement each other. It will recommend apps and songs that you can purchase to expand your library.
Home sharing: You may have multiple music libraries if you have many computers. You can share Music between multiple computers in your home network using the Home Sharing feature. Home Sharing will only work if all computers are logged in to iTunes with the same iTunes account.
Videos Download videos, movies, and TV shows from iTunes to view them on iTunes. Then you can download them to your iPod video. You can also convert DVDs into iTunes video format with one of the many pieces of software that are available.
Audiobooks Through iTunes, you can listen to audiobooks in Audible.AA format.
Editing ID3 tag: ID3 tags can be bits of data that are attached to songs. They can include the artist's name, album title, and release date. iTunes allows you to edit and add tags to your songs.
iTunes Store, The iTunes Store, integrates with the software. To browse and purchase content online, click on the store icon within the iTunes interface. Or, click the icon next to any song, album, or artist in your library to go directly into the Music Store.
Buy Music on iTunes:
The iTunes Store has millions of songs, thousands and audiobooks, thousands and thousands of music videos, tens of thousands of podcasts, feature movies, TV shows, iPad, iPod, iPhone, and iPad applications, as well as CD album art. To access the iTunes Store, all you have to do is click the button on the main iTunes screen. The jukebox software acts as the store's user interface.
You can browse each content area and also do a search to see iTunes price. You can search the main store page by entering a keyword. iTunes will return all matches from the store. A "power search" can be performed by song, artist, or album as well as genre and composer. You can search for Adam Sandler songs and albums on iTunes by entering "Adam Sandler" into the "artist" field. You'll get fewer results if your mother has installed parental controls to restrict your access to explicit material.
All you need to do to make a purchase on the iTunes store is to click the "Buy" button next to the song or video. Apple will charge you, and your download will start. If your computer is not being used during the download, it will be charged, and the process will resume once you restart your computer and log in to iTunes. It is important to make a backup of all your iTunes library. You can only download songs, videos, and iPod games once per purchase. Apps can be downloaded again free of charge after you have purchased an app. Only the same iTunes account is required to download the app again.
