14 DAY TRIAL // In a non-typical move on behalf of Cupertino, the company behind the Mac operating system has made an early confirmation regarding the existence of a software update. iTunes 9.2, the upcoming version of Apple’s proprietary digital media player application used for playing and organizing digital music and video files, is likely to be released this summer, just before the public launch of iPhone OS 4.0.
Yesterday, at an iPhone-focused event hosted at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple unveiled iPhone OS 4.0 to developers and select members of the media. The next-generation iPhone software packs an additional 100 new features building on top of the enhancements delivered in iPhone OS 3.0 last year. Imminent, new functions like multitasking are finally making their way into the software, as well as surprising, new additions like Game Center and iAd are now part of the latest iPhone software. But, besides multitasking, there’s another exciting, new feature that’s headed to iPhones and iPod touches this summer – Folders.
“Folders help users better organize and quickly access their apps,” Apple explains. “Simply drag one app icon onto another, and a new folder is automatically created. The folder is automatically given a name based on the App Store category of that app, such as ‘Games,’ which the user can easily rename. Using folders, users can now organize and access over 2,000 apps on their iPhone,” the company reveals. Then, out of the blue, Apple concludes the “Folders” description with the following last sentence (emphasis ours): “Users can also create and manage iPhone folders on their Mac or PC using iTunes 9.2.”
The Mac maker omits to mention when exactly this iTunes 9.2 will be available, but if previous updates are any indication, Apple is likely to roll out the goods one or two days preceding the iPhone OS 4.0 public launch. Apple needs to update iTunes around then particularly because of the new way users will start to organize their iPhone apps and folders on their computers, using the rather new organizing feature originally introduced with iTunes 9.1.