sing iTunes 3 and the newly updated iPod Software (v1.2)

Apple's release of iTunes 3 was not a major update. There were three features added that were significant. Play Count, Track Rating and Smart Playlists.

Installing iTunes 3 : 5.6mb download After installing iTunes, there are some things that you will notice about the new iTunes. Upon importing of music from your old iTunes, the new version moves all of the files into your music folder and places them in artist folders. If you do not want your music files moved or copied, go to iTunes Preferences in the iTunes menu and click on the Advanced button. Here you can turn these features (copy files to iTunes music folder and keep music folder organized) off.

How Many Times Have I Listened to 'Ice Ice Baby'? : I'll be honest with you. When iTunes first came out (original iTunes) I told my wife that I would love to be able to see how many times I have played a song, and then rank them based on that (my own personal Top 40!). With iTunes 3, Apple has added a Play Count feature. Using Smart Playlist, you can now use your Play Count as a parameter for creating playlists (more on how to do that later).

To view the Play Count column (if it is not already visible), simply go to the Edit Menu and click on View Options. In the View Options window you can set the columns that you want to be able to see in iTunes. Here you will put a check next to Play Count (or any other columns that you want to be able to see). You can also uncheck any that you don't want to be to see. Click OK and then go back to iTunes and it should reflect the changes that you have made. Note - A song is not Played unless it has actually finished. If you switch to another song in the middle, then that song was not officially played and the play count does not increase. (I don't agree with this.)

Track Rating : I love the track rating feature (although it has caused a few small arguments - In my mind a five star song has to have longevity, not just be a flash in the pan that you listen to for a month - i.e. Hootie and the Blowfish). But I digress. Adjusting the track rating is easy. A track can be given a rating of one to five stars. Or, if you really hated a song, you could not rate it at all and that would be a rating of zero. There are two ways to change a songs rating. The first and easiest way is to look for the column labeled My Rating. In this column you will see five small dots. To adjust the rating, click on the dot corresponding with the rating you want to give the song (see video below).

The other way to change the song rating is to control click on the song and then select, My Rating. You will see a menu with one to five stars (see right). Now, select the rating.

Smart Playlists : Anyone who has used the previous versions of iTunes is familiar with the playlists that you can make. In iTunes 3, you can make Smart Playlists. Smart Playlists allow you to specify criteria for your playlists and then iTunes automatically makes playlists based on those criteria. To make a Smart Playlist, go up to the File Menu and click on New Smart Playlist. You can now choose to make a simple Smart Playlist or an Advanced Smart Playlist.

Simple, Smart Playlists : A simple Smart Playlist uses one set of criteria to make your playlist. To create a simple Smart Playlist, first check the box next to Artist. You can now select Artist, Genre or Composer and then type the name of an Artist (genre or composer) for iTunes to use to create your playlist. You can stop here and iTunes will make a Playlist based on that. If you would like, you can also specify how much information you want included in the playlist. Check the box next to Limit To and then select a number (25 is the default setting). Next, select whether you want that number to represent songs, minutes, hours, MB, or GB. Finally, decide how you want iTunes to select the music. Choices include Random, Artist, Last Played, Most Played or Song Name (if you want to use song rating you will have to used the Advanced Tab). Click OK and a new smart playlist (represented by a purple icon - see right) will be in your list of playlists, ready for you to give it your own name. [Watch the video demonstration showing how to make a simple playlist 224 k - Quicktime Required]

1. Advanced, Smart Playlists : Advanced, Smart Playlists can use multiple criteria to create playlists. Click on the Advanced Tab (once you are in the Smart Playlist Settings Window). Click on Match check box and then select whether you want iTunes to match All or Any of the conditions that you are about to set. Now the fun begins. You can be as specific as you want, using multiple criteria to create playlists. By default, iTunes uses only one criteria, but you can add to that by hitting the button with the Plus (+) sign. Beyond that, the advanced playlist feature is used the same way as the simple. If Live updating is checked, then iTunes will continually update the playlist as songs are added or removed. (See the Advanced Smart Playlist Window Below)

iPod Software v 1.2 : Apple recently released an update to the iPod Software [v 1.2] that takes advantage of the new version of iTunes. The iPod will now keep track of the number of times a song has been played and then transfer that information to iTunes (would not do this prior to v1.2). When connected to your computer, the iPod has a new Do Not Disconnect warning and also an OK to Disconnect indicator.

New Menu Structure : The menu structure on the iPod has changed slightly. The main screen on the iPod now has the following menus: Playlists, Browse, Extras, Settings, and About. The Browse Menu has incorporated the Artist, Song and Album Menus and has added Genres and Composers.

Extras Menu : In addition to taking advantage of the new iTunes, version 1.2 also adds support for the upcoming iCal application by adding a Calendar, and a Clock. Both of these are found under an Extras Menu that also includes the Knockout Game that was previously hidden. Scrolling through the calendar is done quickly using the scroll wheel. Clicking on a date in the calendar (with the center button on the iPod) brings up that date and will show you any appointments that you have (once iCal is realeased with 10.2). The clock and calendar need to be set once you restart your iPod. This is done in the settings menu, under date and time (you also set your Time Zone here).

Alarms : There are several additions to the Settings Menu. The one that intrigued me was the Alarms Menu. The options are Off, On and Silent. This, no doubt, will work with the Calendar but I wonder how it will work? I'm assuming that the iPod will start playing and the Backlight will flash. And taking that one step further, silent will make the back light flash only. This is of course speculation on my part.

Other new features in iTunes 3 include Audible.com Support, Track Joining and Sound Check (an optimizing of sound levels between songs - so that one song is not super loud and another super soft).

Final Thought : Some people may view this as a minor update, but I'm excited about these changes and look forward to using iCal with my iPod.