As expected, Apple has just released an update to iTunes. The latest version, 7.3 is needed for activating and syncing your iPhone, but it also offers a surprise benefit to Apple TV users.

It was already known that the iPhone would require version 7.3 of iTunes, so this is no surprise, however, many were expecting ringtones to make an appearance in this version, which turned out not to be the case. Despite showing screen shots with a Ringtones tab in iTunes, both during the iPhone keynote and later on their website, it looks like Apple has decided not to offer this feature yet. Despite not making into this version, it seems unlikely that Ringtones will not make their way into iTunes sooner or later.

From the update notes, iTunes 7.3 for Mac lets users:
￭ Activate their iPhone service
￭ Sync iPhone with their music, movies, TV shows, and more
￭ Wirelessly share digital photos from any computer in their home with Apple TV

While the iPhone related features were to be expected and are nothing spectacular, Apple TV users got a little surprise in the form of the photo streaming. With nearly all Apple news in the past week being iPhone related, other Apple products, especially the lower profile Apple TV have been all but forgotten.
The photo handling of the Apple TV left quite a lot to be desired previously as images had to be uploaded on the device before they could be displayed. Streaming now makes photos as easy to enjoy as music and videos, with minimal hassle.

iTunes 7.3 is available via Software Update and also as a standalone installer. For users with iPhones, Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later will be required. Those not using it to sync with iPhone will be able to use older versions.