According to industry analysts in the field of technology and consumer electronics, one of the major reasons why Apple’s reign in the gadget world continues is because of the veritable treasure trove of apps and media that it warehouses within its App Store. This collection of apps, music, videos, movies, podcasts, books, and more is the lifeline of mobile iOS-run products. According to researchers and market analysts, Apple could withstand a 5-year siege on their mobile and tablet throne from Android gadgetry thanks their sales and dominance through the iTunes store.
Facts About iTunes
As one of Apple’s most successful innovations, iTunes is among the most highly-downloaded media and software programs online. The program itself is free, downloadable from the Apple website. It is a media player and a media library at the same time, as well as a portal to the App store where users could buy songs, videos, books, apps, and more; all of which can be used exclusively on Apple products.
It was originally a Mac OS-9-only app, and when it moved to Mac OSX, iPod support was included. This began the series of developments that ultimately turned iTunes into something more than a media player: it organized the content in iPods, iPhones, and the laptop and desktop computers like the iMac and the Macbook Air.
The Big Redesign
iTunes has, like everything Apple has made, undergone some major redesigns and overhauls. But iTunes 11 is, according to casual users and veteran tech geeks, one of its biggest and most highly developed overhauls yet. Perhaps it’s the fact that Android is encroaching upon Apple’s territory that’s making them beef up the features in their trading hub; but whatever the reasons are, there are a lot of new things to look forward to in iTunes 11.
Noteworthy Features
- Interface design change: Those who have been using iTunes for a long time will be surprised at the amount of whitespace in the interface. The design focuses on minimalism and functions. Apple has cleared off the buttons and clutter, and kept everything compact and streamlined, focusing only on what you should be focused on and not all the other options and buttons.
- “Complete the album” feature: This option enables users to locate the album from which they got a particular song, if they wanted to hear what other songs the artist may have to offer. The store will also provide recommendations based on similar genres and styles.
- iCloud access: the past couple of iTunes incarnations have given users access to the iCloud, which is an online backup resource that allows users to store all their media purchases online instead on a physical drive. The integrated iCloud access in the new iTunes will give users even more control over their iCloud backups. The timeline synching will unify content across various iOS devices, and will also backup movies, podcasts, iTunes U, and other forms of media. Users might not even need to store physical data at all to back up or load everything into a new iOS device.
As iTunes continues to develop, Apple proves that its “closed” approach to media and content for their devices is being safeguarded by excellent and reliable software that is constantly evolving to improve the experience for their users.