Back in 1970, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak put together a company that was simply called Apple. The two dedicated their efforts in developing products and software which ensured the best technology experience for their customers. Last week, Jobs unveiled iTunes version 9, putting the competition many steps behind and showing them how music is meant to be enjoyed, stored and shared.

I remember the time Winamp was the only decent MP3 player around. But those were the early days. Soon, Widows Media Player started playing MP3 and other music formats; and Apple jumped in with iTunes. However, with the release of the iPod, iTunes not only expanded its reach, but also came to be accepted as the ultimate in music management. The version 9 is set to change this, again.
The new iTunes has a brilliant new feature called iTunes LP, but I will skip this as it is not available in India. Along with the better speed, improved software and syncing capabilities, it has two great new features-Home Sharing and Genius Mixes.

HOME SHARING
With our wired/networked homes housing more than one PC, gone are the days when we had to share files using pen drives or shared folders. There is nothing wrong in sticking to this option, but when you have to entire music libraries from one PC to another, Home Sharing breaks all barriers. iTunes 8 allowed you to play music from a remote PC which has shared its library with you. But with Home Sharing you can setup up to five iTunes libraries on your home network can see only the portion of these libraries that you don't have-common files are not displayed. You can also import content to your library and automatically add content into their library-however, the automatic feature is available only for iTunes store purchases, which, sadly, is not possible in India. The good part is that it also shares videos, audiobooks and even iPhone Apps.

... contd.