Posted Thursday, April 29, 2004

More Tips: An iTunes 4.5 Grab Bag

Are we having fun yet? Sure we are. To keep the party going, here are a few more notes and tidbits regarding iTunes 4.5. (My original report is below.)

Option-click the link arrows. Those commerce-oriented link arrows that now appear for all songs in your library? Option-click on one, iTunes switches into browse mode and displays relevant songs in your library. This isn't a secret, but it's nice!

Yes, kids, sharing has changed. On Macintouch, a college student complains that shared libraries appear grey. There's a reason for that. Solution: Upgrade everyone to 4.5. But note that certain music pilfering utilities will no longer work.

The Library changes. iTunes 4.5 updates your iTunes Music Library file, renaming the original to "iTunes 4 Music Library (Old)". Apple documents this in a tech note.

Snap Me Back. In iTunes 4.5, the LCD -- which is what Apple officially calls that long, round-cornered area in the top center of the iTunes window -- has a new control, a small, curved arrow that appears when you're playing a song. It's called the SnapBack arrow, and clicking it has the same effect as choosing File > Show Current Song always has: it selects the song you're listening to. Use it (or the Command-L keyboard shortcut) after you've been pawing through your library and you want to get back to the song you're hearing so you can add it to a playlist. More from Apple.

Linking to an iMix. Want to email an iMix link to a friend or publish it on your Web site? Control-click on the icon for your iMix, then choose Copy iTunes Music Store URL from the shortcut menu. Paste that link into an email or the Web tool of your choice.

Rate my iMix. I've been so busy writing about iTunes 4.5, I've had time to publish only one iMix. But check it out and rate it! Be gentle.

Heid on "Your Mac Life" again. Last night, I spent a fun 20 minutes talking about iTunes 4.5 on Shawn King's terrific "Your Mac Life" radio show. To listen to the archive, paste the following link into your QuickTime Player's Open URL dialog box: rtsp://qt.yourmaclife.com/yml/YML040428s.mov. To skip to my segment, drag the slider until the time read-out says roughly 01:34:30.

More shameless me-commerce. Everything you've read here in the last two days -- and a whole lot more -- is in The Macintosh iLife '04, the new edition of my book and two-hour instructional DVD combo. The book ships to the printer this week, and you can pre-order your copy now for the next-to-free price of $20.99.