With the release of the iTunes 9.0.1 update last night, we downloaded it and proceeded to run some tests, and lo and behold, it seems that annoying out-of-order podcast bug is gone for us.

You remember the one, where you’d sync a number of episodes and instead of being sorted numerically, up or down, (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4) they were randomly assigned (i.e. 1, 4, 2, 3).

If you’ve installed iTunes 9.0.1, and tested out the sync sequencing, let us know if you’re back in order as well.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes 9.0.1 Fix the Out-of-Order Episodes Bug for You?

Apple today released iTunes 9.0.1, a minor point update to their iTunes 9 media hub and sync solution. Weighing in at 89.8MB, as befits its .0.1 nature, the changes read like a who’s who of bug fixes, including:

• Resolves issues browsing the iTunes Store.
• Addresses a performance issue where iTunes may become unresponsive.
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit.
• Fixes a problem syncing Podcasts in playlists to iPod or iPhone.
• Fixes a problem sorting albums with multiple discs.
• Addresses an issue with the Zoom button not switching to Mini Player.
• Improves application syncing for iPod touch and iPhone.
• Genius is now automatically updated to show Genius Mixes.

Hit up Apple Software Update to grab it and when you do, let us know if it fixes what’s been ailing you…

(And let’s hope iPhone 3.1.1 is on its way soon to do likewise!)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Releases iTunes 9.0.1 Update

Along with iPhone 3.1 and the new iPod nano, iTunes 9 was the big news at Apple’s It’s only rock and roll but I like it annual music event. And for iPhone and iPod touch users — our focus here at TiPb — a large part of that 3.1 update (see our iPhone 3.1 walkthrough) comes from iTunes 9.

Last things first, no, it wasn’t re-written as a 64-bit app, or in Cocoa for the Mac. (Get of our iLawn!) However, with iPhone and iPod touch users firmly in mind, let’s take a look at the new features we did get…

Improved Syncing and App Organization

Syncing is more robust in iTunes 9, with more panels and more options within each panel (especially Applications).

The Summary tab, if you’re syncing an iPhone 3GS, now includes a “configure for universal access” option, which pops up something very similar to iPhone 3.1’s universal access menu if home button triple-click is enabled.

The Applications tab received the most stupendous make-over. Instead of a raw list with check boxes, you’re presented with a more useful list view on the left, showing app icons, category and the file size. You can sort by name, category, or date of download, and there’s even a handy search box. On the right is a replica of your iPhone home screen, along with thumbnails of additional home screens along the right hand side. (iPhone 3.x allows 11 home screens).

You can still add apps to the sync list by checking or unchecking them, but you can now also add them by dragging the icon directly to the home screen — and exact position on the home screen — you want them. To delete them, just select the app on the home screen and click on the X, just like on the iPhone in “jiggly” mode. (And no, you still can’t delete Apple’s built-in apps, sorry!) Likewise, you can move icons around on — and between the different — home screen representations, making it much easier and faster to get the exact iPhone layout you want (when you apply your changes and sync them over). You can also drag iPhone home screen pages around to re-order them, much like PowerPoint slides in thumbnail view.

The Music tab (yes, we’re skipping Ringtones, it’s fairly pedestrian) gives you a bit more control, as now in addition to the previous ways you could sync music, you can also choose to move across entire artists and genres. You can also choose to have iTunes automatically fill up any space you may have remaining on your (now potentially beefier 32GB iPhone and 64GB(!) iPod touch) with music. (We didn’t test this, but presumably it doesn’t do Genius fills… yet!). No album art deco, here, however.

The Movies tab has been liberated from the generic iTunes 8 “videos” catch-all to get its own space, and it uses it well. Poster art is displayed, along with run time, file size, and age-rating. You can choose to automatically sync, or just check the ones you want.

The TV Shows tab, similarly liberated, now has a two column view showing artwork and, in the epic win category, a second column where you can choose exactly which episodes of a given show you want to sync over (no more generic “last 3…” whatever! — though you can still choose to automatically fill that way if you like.)

The Podcasts tab allows for the same episode-by-episode custom syncing options as TV Shows. Did I say epic win already?

The iTunes U tab, independent now from Podcasts, nevertheless gets the same new features.

The Photos tab, for iPhoto users on the Mac, is a much more significant update than it is for PC users. If you have iPhone 09, you can now sync based on folder, event, and faces (if you’ve gone through the facial recognition process and set some up). You can also choose to sync and videos in iPhone, such as those you took with your iPhone 3GS. Once synced across, they’ll appear in the photo galleries on the iPhone just as they did in the camera roll on the 3GS. Great addition.

Bottom line, the syncing really is much improved, especially for apps.

iTunes App

Subtle differences the gradients in the iTunes chrome aside, there are a few changes worth noting in the iTunes app itself. First, the sidebar has been tweaked, with iTunes U broken out and iTunes Genius Mixes added (though you need to update Genius first to get it to show — more on that later).

Music gets new column displays, and better options for organizing them.

Apps are now full citizens in the iTunes interface, with list, “album”, and CoverFlow views, to help better manage all of our growing app collections.

For Music, Movies, and TV Shows (but strangely now Applications, Ringtunes, or other purchasable content), if your library is empty, instead of showing you that emptiness, iTunes will show you how to go about filling it.

If you let iTunes automatically manage your folders, there’s a new, better organized way of doing it. If you’re upgrading to iTunes 9, however, you have to manually tell it you want to switch to the new format (File > Library > Organize Library). The new format stops dumping movies, TV shows, and other video at the same directory level as music artists, and now puts the alongside the top music folder proper (though the overall folder is still, strangely, still called iTunes Music). Regardless, a great change and about time.

Speaking of about time, one of the new folders is called Automatically Add to iTunes, and iTunes will watch this folder and automatically add any new, compatible content to the library. (Incompatible content is isolated and flagged as such). So, if you get your content from a service other than iTunes, you can have it download here and iTunes will still see it and add it. Longtime coming, this feature. And — pow! — take that faux-monopoly pundits.

Lastly, on the Mac, the green widow button at the top left no longer switches between the regular iTunes window and tiny player. It now uses default Mac behavior of switching between full size and user-defined size. To get to the tiny player, you can alt-click the green button or use the menu or keyboard shortcut (shift+cmd m).

Genius Mixes

Added to Genius Playlists are Genius Mixes, though in a very un-Apple-like way, it’s not immediately intuitive where to find them. That’s because you can’t find them until you go to the Store menu and choose Update Genius. (Tip of the hat to TUAW).

Once that’s done, Genius Mix will pop up in the sidebar beneath Genius Playlists and… create a few mixes you can’t view a list of or edit or alter in any way (you can only see 4 album covers stitched together to represent the mix). Apple made them sound like radio stations, which aside from calling in requests, you have zero control over anyway, but still, this feature feels a little incomplete right now.

iTunes will create up to 12 Genius Mixes depending on how much music it finds and can work with. I got 4. 2 of those were soundtrack mixes with similar soundtracks. Apple says you might discover music you forgot you had. I sure did. Deleted some of it…

Your results will hopefully be better, and if they are, you can sync the resulting Genius Mix Playlists over to your iPhone or iPod.

iTunes Home Sharing

No, it won’t let you elegantly sync your iPhone or iPod from different, authorized machines. Unfortunately, that holy-grain of functionality still eludes us. (Granted, it may be complicated to properly sync when, for example, you have a movie in your iTunes library on a large desktop drive, but don’t happen to have it on your smaller laptop library — but we know you can do it, Apple!)

Home Sharing is, however, an improvement on the plain vanilla streaming that was provided in previous versions of iTunes. Now, once you’ve properly authorized your computer for Home Sharing (and you’re limited to 5 authorizations, as before) using your iTunes username and password, you can not only see and play media on other machines, you can copy it from one machine to another. What’s more, you can set up iTunes to automatically copy any new media from one machine to another, allowing you to keep that home theater machine in sync with the home office machine and laptop, for example. However, iTunes will only automatically copy content your buy over the iTunes store. If you get your media from somewhere else, it’s up to you to copy it over, manual-style. Also, display of a shared library is limited to list view, which is odd considering Back to My Mac can display network folders in icon or CoverFlow view just fine. Perhaps Home Sharing is another of those early introductions that will mature in time (with multi-machine iPhone sync, right?)

One really nice feature that is in place, however, is a handy Show drop down at the bottom. You can flip it from All items to Items not in my library, a perfect way to find content you may have missed copying over.

iTunes 9 Store

The iTunes 9 Store has a new look and feel. First of all, it’s whiter. The backgrounds, that is. Except where they’re black, in the Movies and TV section, and framed in blue for iTunes U. Way to nail down that consistency.

The new backgrounds, expect for iTunes U (which has been re-organized and separated out from Podcasts where it used to live), look both roomier and less well segmented at the same time. There’s also a new, almost iPhone-esque black menu bar which introduces the the drop-down to iTunes. It’s convenient, if a tad gauche at this point.

When you search, results share the new, breathable layout, and easy, iconified filters appear in a sidebar on the left.

Definitely more usable than before, though I’m not sure the little “buy now” with drop menus on the side will ever grow on me. You can, however, use them to gift, add to wishlist (yes, wishlists replace shopping carts in iTunes 9), copy the link, tell a friend, or share via Facebook or Twitter.

Social media integration was one of the big rumors preceding iTunes 9, with everything up to a “social app” and massive cloud-served, crowd-sourced recommendation engine said to be on the horizon. Turns out you can just autofill a Twitter form with the item in question. It’s a first step, to be certain, albeit a tiny little one.

A few of the larger changes, we’ll cover separately.

iTunes LP and iTunes Extras

iTunes LP, much gossiped about under the code-name Cocktail, is an attempt to either harness the nostalgia of by-gone days when vinyl records played on turn-tables and hours were consumed listening and pouring over cover art, liners, lyrics, and other assorted goodies, or dodgy scheme to get people to buy entire albums again instead of cherry-picking singles.

Likely its equal parts both. There are only 7 iTunes LP-format items available as of this writing, some for purchase (like the Doors), some as part of an iTunes Pass (like Dave Matthews). Four more are listed as available for pre-purchase.

iTunes Extras are the movie equivalent, similar to the extra features you could previously only find on DVDs. Like iTunes LP, there’s limited selection right now, and half of that is pre-order. And, what’s a deal-breaker for me, it doesn’t appear to be in HD (yet?)

There’s a lot going on under the covers (so to speak) with both iTunes LP and iTunes Extras, including more WebKit interactive goodness, and a refreshing lack of DRM (keep it up!), but the 720p format of some of the material makes us think it’s less intended for the iPhone (indeed, it’s iTunes bound right now), and more for eventual Apple TV and… iTablet use.

Says Apple’s support article:

The songs or featured movies can be viewed directly on iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple TV, but iTunes LP or iTunes Extras can only be viewed from within iTunes on an authorized computer. In order to view the complete iTunes LP or iTunes Extras, transfer the song or movie from your device to your iTunes library on the computer that contains the downloaded iTunes LP or iTunes Extras.

Like any new feature, or variation on a format, they’re going to squeak a little right now when they turn around too fast, but it will be interesting to see how they develop.

Conclusion

iTunes 9 is free and has enough great new features for iPhone and iPod touch owners, especially the new App Management interface, that it’s an easy upgrade to recommend. While not all of the new features appear fully mature yet, that’s why they’re new and hopefully Apple will continue to both evolve and refine them as they have with previously introduced features.

What will be especially interesting is watching Apple handle iTunes growth and — according to some, — bloat. The equal and opposite reaction to increased functionality is loss of focus, and iTunes going from a simple music player to a complex media and sync manager hasn’t come without a price. Apple will need to work hard to make sure it’s a price most users continue to be willing to pay.

As always, if any of you iTunes ninja notice that we’ve missed whole swathes of great new, if harder to find, functionality in the latest release of Apple’s media hub, let us know in the comments and we’ll update.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes 9 Software Walkthrough

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: Chipotle

The iPhone is revolutionary. Why? I just placed an order for a Chipotle Burrito on my iPhone! You can create an online account, give your order a name, pick a location and voila! The order interface is easy and clean. You can add multiple orders and pay wih your credit card all on your iPhone. Yummy! [Free - iTunes link]

Chris’ Pick: Lion Pride

I just downloaded and have been trying Lion Pride. This game is similar in some ways to games like Harbor Master and Flight Control – except you are a lion trying to eat your prey! You control a lion or lions, and try to hunt your prey – between stalking and outright chasing your food items, between different strategies for different prey, the game can be quite involving. The normal game is $.99, but if you want to try it first, there is a “lite” demo for free. [$0.99 - iTunes link

]

James’ Pick: iVillain Theme (Jailbreak)

I tried not to. I really tried not to jailbreak. I was happy with my “stock” iPhone 3GS. Then I saw this theme…and I liked it. I could resist no more. If you have seen the HTC Sense UI, you will recognize it immediately as a “port” of the skin to the iPhone. It was easy to install and configure. There are also a few variations of the them included in the link. [Free - Web link]

Jeremy’s Pick: Local Concerts

Great free app for anyone who likes to be kept in the loop of local concerts. Too many times I find out one of my favorite bands played a live show after the fact, not anymore. Local Concerts pushes all new local live concerts directly to your iPhone. Can’t beat that for the price of…. [Free - iTunes link]

Leanna’s Pick: Enigmo 2

Enigmo was one of the first apps I purchased when the App Store was launched and I loved it. Now Pangea Software has recently released Enigmo 2 and it’s awesome. Instead of manipulating only droplets, you must also direct lazers and plasma with reflectors and gravity balls in 3-dimensional space. If you enjoyed playing the orignal Enigmo, I highly recommend picking up Enigmo 2. [$3.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: Otterbox Defender iPhone case

I have been eyeing this case for quite some time & finally I figure I “needed” it. The case is quite worth the price. It literally “seals” your iPhone inside so that no dirt can get inside, I’d definitely say it is spash-proof, but not waterproof. The only really exposed area is the speakers. I unintentionaly did a six foot drop “test” in the case and survived. The only issue I encountered was where – the overlay screen protector sticks to the iPhone screen creating a watermarked effect. It’s easily solved with an anti-glare screen protector (at least this is the one I used.) [$44.95 - TiPb Store link]

Rene’s Pick: iPhone 3.1 + iTunes 9

Had. To. Be. Picked. (Especially after Leanna stole Enigmo 2 from me!) While on the surface iPhone 3.1 appears to contain… nothing on the surface, when you combine it with iTunes 9, all the much-needed bug fixes and feature fill-ins really start to shine — especially with things like in-iTunes app management, and Genius for Apps. Unless you’re jailbroken or desperate for a few early weeks of AT&T MMS and tethering, get this update now. [Free - Web link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Chipotle, Lion Pride, iVillain Theme, Local Concerts, Enigmo 2, Otterbox Defender, iPhone 3.1, iTunes 9 – TiPb Picks of the Week

Sure, iTunes 9 leaked on… iTunes mere moments before Apple’s It’s only rock and roll, but we like it special music event got underway, but now you can have it — not just look at it. Hit up Software Update, and if that still shows the old 8.1.2 version, go directly to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ and get your groove on.

New features include:

• In-iTunes App Management (YES!)
• Improved Syncing Options
• Genius App Recommendations
• Genius Mixes
• Share via Twitter and Facebook
• iTunes LP Enhanced Album Content
• DVD-style Movie Extras
• New, Redesigned Store

And no, you don’t need iTunes 9 to download iPhone 3.1… but you know you want it!

More pics after the break!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes 9 Now Available for Download

UPDATE: MacRumors is saying they have good reason to believe these images are, indeed, fake…

Boy Genius received some more screen shots of what’s alleged to be iTunes 9, showing a Samsung YH-J70JL Black — of all things — purportedly syncing with the front end of Apple’s media management empire. PreCentral.net jumped on this to ponder out-loud if Apple was having a change of heart regarding locking out Palm’s previous attempts to spoof an iPod ID and sync with iTunes on the down-low, and will now allow non-Apple devices access. TiPb, however, can see this playing out in only 3 ways:

1. The screen shots, or that specific feature at least, isn’t real
2. The ‘verse gets rebooted, Star Trek-style, and Steve Jobs ain’t in it.
3. Jobs is going nu-cu-lar and will allow every device except the Palm Pre to sync with iTunes.

Option 3 looking the most likely at this point?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Updated: Regarding iTunes 9 Allowing 3rd Party Devices to Sync

Looks like Wednesday, September 9 might just be this year’s date for Apple’s annual iPod and iTunes event, where it’s widely expected we’ll see the third generation iPod touch (with video camera?), iTunes 9 (with Blu-Ray and “social” integration?), as well as other refreshes to Apple’s music-themed lineup.

Now, TiPb thought it would be September 8, because Apple almost always drops product on Tuesdays, like last year’s Let’s Rock event (and it still might this year, the above is only a rumor from a source), but we’re not going to read anything into it if it is a Wednesday this time around either.

All Things Digital also says, however, there’s one big ticked item we won’t be seeing:

The event will be held in San Francisco–most likely at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where it has occurred in years past–and is expected to showcase upgrades to the iPod line and an update to iTunes that may involve some sort of social element. Our sources insist it will not involve any discussion whatsoever of the tablet Apple is reportedly developing.

Still remaining, however, is the other great unknown — will Steve Jobs take the stage once again, or leave things to the Tim Cook/Phil Schiller/Greg Jozwiak team that filled in during his leave of absence earlier in the year?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple iPod/iTunes Event Scheduled for Sept. 9?

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• Apple Shoots Top Secret Commercial for New Product?
• Updated: Apple Going Social? More iTunes 9, “Social App”, and App Organization
• iTunes 9 to Add iPhone App Organizer, Blu-Ray?

App Store

• Apple VP Phil Schiller Responds to Ninjawords iPhone App Store Incident
• Apple VP Phil Schiller Emails Steven Frank, No E-Book Rejection Policy, Working to Improve App Store
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The Competition

• Zune HD to be Priced $100 Less than iPod touch?
• BlackBerry to Get iPhone-Class Web Browser… Next Summer
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• Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI to Launch iTunes “Cocktail” Album Competitor?

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• Still No MMS on AT&T — But Would You Use it Anyway?
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TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! #23 – Schiller Time!

UPDATE: Boy Genius has linked to screenshots from China via Germany that show Last.fm and “social”. Real or Fake? You decide!

Boy Genius is back with more from the same iTunes 9 leaking source, this time with details on iTunes 9 social network integration and plans for an Apple “social app”.

The Apple “social app” is rumored to be some kind of consolidator that would bring all your other social network services together (BGR says similar to Yahoo’s OneConnect — yeah, we don’t use it either). Whether it’s a desktop app, iPhone app, or both wasn’t made clear.

It’ll let you share what music you’re listening to, connect with “friend’s friends” (expand your network and meet new people?) and push status updates to your other networks.

Apple began integrating with Facebook and Flickr in iPhoto ‘09 demonstrated at Macworld 2009, but rather than simple data sharing or publishing, this sounds like Apple might actually be “getting” social media?

Lastly, the ability to organize iPhone apps in iTunes is said to include the ability to:

sort your applications alphabetically, by genre, date added, and of course, custom arrangement.

Speculation remains high that, if indeed Apple is set to release iTunes 9, it will be at the annual iTunes and iPod Music event in September alongside the new iPod touch, rumored to get a camera this time around.

(Not going to mention Kevin Rose’s iTunes 9 wish list from last year, b’okay?)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Updated: Apple Going Social? More iTunes 9, “Social App”, and App Organization

BGR reports a source saying Apple is readying iTunes 9, which will include support for visually organizing apps on the iPhone, and for playing back Blu-Ray media.

iPhone 1.1.3 introduced the ability to add icons (limited to WebClips at the time, expanded to native apps with iPhone 2.0), and to move them around by tapping and holding until they began to jiggle. While this works well enough for a few icons once and a while, it makes totally re-arranging the 11 home screens made available in iPhone 3.0 a tad laborious. Suggestions for, even concept videos of, adding a more robust solution via iTunes have been floating around the web for a while now and would be a welcome addition indeed.

Steve Jobs had famously called Blu-Ray a “bag of hurt” due to licensing, but changes in those licenses and perhaps Apple’s priorities — which previously seemed to want to promote their own download service over physical media — could make it happen. Unless there’s more expansive and integrated support for the “digital copy” feature as well — where an iPhone/iPod version of the movie is included on the disk — it’s not really an iPhone friendly addition.

Also rumored were some kind of Twitter/Facebook/Last.fm social features.

Last year Apple debuted iTunes 8 at their annual iTunes and iPod music event in September (after it was heavily leaked by Kevin Rose). If there is an iTunes 9 on the roadmap, makes sense we’d see it this September along with the rumored iPod touch 3,1.

Anyone more interested in it now?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes 9 to Add iPhone App Organizer, Blu-Ray?