14 DAY TRIAL // iTunes is the popular media-player application developed by Apple for Mac and Windows users. Besides its ability to play back audio and video, iTunes serves as a platform for purchasing various kinds of content for your Apple iPod, iPhone, AppleTV, as well as stuff that is best played on a computer.
The company headquartered at One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, has released iTunes 9.0.3, which provides a number of important bug fixes. For those upgrading from iTunes 8, there are quite a few new features and improvements to be had, all of which Apple lists on the Downloads section of its website. But first, let’s see what those fixes are for.
According to Apple, iTunes no longer ignores your "Remember password for purchases" setting. The new software addresses problems with syncing some Smart Playlists and Podcasts with the iPod, as well as a problem recognizing when the iPod is connected. Finally, iTunes 9.0.3 addresses issues that affect stability and performance, according to the Mac maker.
On the Mac side, iTunes 9 requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) and up, while Windows users can run the software on any version of Microsoft’s OS, starting with XP. Both 32- and 64-bit versions of the software are available. Using the links at the bottom of this article, readers can update to the latest one in minutes.
As mentioned above, Apple reminds those who haven’t updated in a while that iTunes 9 comes with many new features and improvements. According to the company, those include an improved look and feel for the media-player side of the application, and also for the iTunes Store, which now boasts an improved navigation for quick and easy exploration.
Other new additions include iTunes LP and iTunes Extras, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes, more advanced iPod and iPhone syncing, a better organized iTunes U, HE-AAC encoding and playback, more flexibility with Smart Playlists rules, a simpler organization of media files inside an iTunes Media folder, and more.