Apple announces new features in iTunes 8.1

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Apple announces new features in iTunes 8.1

Noted in conjunction with the announcement of the third-generation iPod shuffle, Apple has updated its iTunes “What’s New” page with information about the impending release of iTunes 8.1. According to the page, the new version will offer performance boosts when loading large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, and syncing devices. It will also offer expanded Genius functionality, showing the Genius recommendations sidebar for both movies and TV shows. Finally, the page explains that the software will now automatically import CDs as 256-Kbps iTunes Plus files, although it is unclear how this differs from the current version of iTunes’ 256 AAC encoding option; it may become the default setting so as to create files that are playable on the iPod and iPhone, but not certain other devices.

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Comments

1

Hopefully syncing my iPhone will no longer take several hours.

Posted by Galley in Greenville, SC on March 11, 2009 at 10:12 AM (PDT)

2

dude if it takes several hours to sync your iphone, you’re doing it wrong. what do you do, restore the phone every time or something?

Posted by chris on March 11, 2009 at 11:46 AM (PDT)

3

If you iphone is taking several hours, then you probably have a bad USB port that reverted to USB 1.0. Syncing gigabytes of video should only take minutes over USB 2.0.

Posted by Erv on March 11, 2009 at 12:18 PM (PDT)

4

With the change in default CD import to 256kbps and the increasing availability of iTunes+ tracks Apple is going to have to change their marketing.

Even with this new Shuffle they say it can hold 1000 songs in your pocket with an asterisk to note this is at 128kbps (which was the former default file size on iTunes) and only 500 songs when at 256kbps. Improving sound quality is going to make their capacity estimates look worse in ads!

Posted by TosaDeac on March 11, 2009 at 1:09 PM (PDT)

5

Autofill any iPod, not just a Shuffle. It’s about time!

Posted by doog on March 11, 2009 at 2:34 PM (PDT)

6

when will they reinstate smart shuffle options? i’m stuck with my itunes 7 settings!

Posted by ben on March 11, 2009 at 5:22 PM (PDT)

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