Linux vs Windows vs Mac

The latest version of Apple’s iTunes free media player for Mac and Windows seems to be a genius player, according to the description on apple.com.

Using the Genius Playlist, you can create a playlist starting from one song. The Genius Playlist will automatically scan your music collection and find songs that are somehow related to what you are listening. Then, you can use the Genius Sidebar from iTunes 8 to add similar songs from the iTunes Store to your library. This sounds like the Moodbar for Amarok, only smarter.

iTunes 8 brings some improvements to the Albums viewer and in the accessibility area. Also you can show off in front of your friends with the new Visualizer.

Overall these new features in iTunes 8 are great and user will be very satisfied by this new version.

Good news for Apple fans, as is expected that the Mac will continue taking share from traditional PCs as users become more familiar with Apple products and enjoy the enhanced media capabilities.

With new products  for 2008, like the iPhone 3G, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iTunes Movie Rentals, and major software upgrade and developer platform for the iPhone 3G, Apple has a bright future. The new iPhone3G should drive increased share of the smartphone market.

TV show downloads comes in iTunes Australia with attractive pricing.

If you’ve had an Apple TV or a video-capable iPod at home since March 2007 and wanted to find genuine local content for it you’ll be happy to find out that Apple Australia introduced TV shows to the Australian iTunes store.

If you log on to iTunes you’ll notice a big yellow sign that says ‘TV Shows Just Added’. Clicking the link takes you to the new TV Shows section, where I found 29 different TV shows ranging from international hits like ‘Lost’ to popular local shows like ‘We Can Be Heroes’. Pricing for all TV Shows is $2.99 (compared to US$1.99) and seasons range in price from $65.78 for 22 episodes of ‘Scrubs, Season 6′ to $15.99 for 6 episodes of ‘Sleek Geeks, Season 1′. Also you get a slight discount when buying some season packs, but not on all.

Information about DRM restrictions on iTunes TV shows in Australia are still unknown (we’ve contacted Apple but haven’t had a response). However, if the restrictions are the same as the US store expect to be able to transfer your TV Show purchases to as many iPods or Apple TVs as you like, and like music, you can watch your TV Shows on up to five authorised computers. That means you can legally share your purchased content with up to five friends or family members who have iTunes, but you won’t be able to burn them to DVD. According to Apple, all TV shows are available in 640 x 480 resolution (VGA) — roughly DVD quality. You can preview them for free to see the quality of each series.

Except for iiNet (which offers uncapped iTunes downloads on all their plans) other ISPs include iTunes downloads in your data quota, so you need to be careful when downloading TV Shows. For example, with shows running around 500MB for an hour show, downloading fourteen episodes of Lost will cost you around 7GB of data - more then most basic plans offer.

TV Shows might just be the stimulation that Apple need to reduce local pricing on Apple TV - which is currently costs nearly $200 more in Australia than in the US.

If you’re interested in downloading TV shows from iTunes, now is definitely the time to stock up on iTunes credits. Apple is currently engaged in a price war with BigPond Music and is selling

Radiohead’s back catalogue has appeared on iTunes, making them one of the last high-profile bands to put their body of work on Apple’s leading download store.

The band’s first six studio albums are now available alongside their latest, In Rainbows, which appeared in January.

Radiohead’s former record company EMI has made the works available to buy as complete albums or single tracks.

The Beatles are now the only remaining major British band whose music is not on the service.

Solo work by all of the Fab Four is available, though, and a deal is thought to be only a matter of time.

Radiohead had held out because they wanted fans to buy their albums whole, whereas Apple insists artists allow fans to buy individual tracks.

But the band changed their minds when they moved labels and released In Rainbows on XL.

Garth Brooks, who is second to The Beatles in all-time US record sales - ahead of Elvis Presley - has also refused to join the iTunes revolution.

He wants fans to download only full albums because he says each album is a complete work and the songs are designed to be heard together

"We do albums, we have always done albums," he told the BBC News website.

Referring to songs from his 1990 album No Fences, he continued: "Friends in Low Places is not Friends in Low Places without Wolves or Wild Horses.

"And if people try to make it a money issue, I can get the full album to the consumer for much less than they can get it at 99 cents a song.

"There are a number of issues that need to be addressed in the digital downloading world before we introduce our music to it."

AC/DC have also stopped their material from appearing on iTunes, choosing instead to sign an exclusive deal for full album downloads with US mobile phone operator Verizon.

And Def Leppard’s latest album is on there, while the rest of their catalogue is not.

But the vast majority of other acts have now signed up to iTunes.

SOURCE: news.bbc.co.uk