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A closer look at the new iTunes (pictures)

In addition to the iPhone 5, Apple introduced an update to iTunes, its media player, at its San Francisco press event.

Lynn La
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Lynn La
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1 of 24 James Martin/CNET

iTunes gets an update

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, takes the stage to unveil updates to the company's media player, iTunes. Users can expect changes to the desktop version of iTunes in October. Changes in the iOS 6 version of iTunes, the App Store, and the iBookstore are slated for September 19.
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2 of 24 James Martin/CNET

An international presence

According to Apple, in the last nine years, 20 billion songs have been purchased from iTunes, which is available in 63 countries.
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3 of 24 James Martin/CNET

The mobility of iTunes

Also according to Apple, 66 percent of iTunes downloads stem from iOS devices, such as the iPad and iPhone.
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4 of 24 James Martin/CNET

A new look on the iPad

The iTunes Store has been redesigned for the iPad to feature bigger tiles across the top.
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5 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Vertical viewing

An image of an iPhone displaying the new iTunes Store in portrait mode.
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Social network tie-in

The iTunes Store on the iPhone features big app pages and Facebook integration.
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7 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Summarizing it so far

Aside from the redesign, Cue said that users will be able to preview songs for 90 seconds while browsing.
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8 of 24 James Martin/CNET

iTunes on the desktop

iCloud will now be built-in with iTunes. The left-oriented source list is gone, replaced by a drop-down menu. Albums expand like folders similar to those on iOS and OS X.
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9 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Gridlocked look

The new iTunes will display an expansive grid of albums.
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10 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Smooth track listings

When you click on an album, track listings will seamlessly pop up on the interface.
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11 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Browsing by artist

The interface when browsing in Artist mode looks similar to the Music app on the iPad.
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Album 'Inception'

iTunes Store integration enables users to view other albums from within an album.
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'Payphone' party time

Users can also see an entire music library and a playlist at the same time.
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14 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Because you're a terrible DJ

When dragging an album from the list, iTunes will bring up a little tab to the right to help users create playlists.
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15 of 24 James Martin/CNET

What's up next?

The "up next" feature enables users to see what's next on the playlist queue in a pull-down menu.
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16 of 24 James Martin/CNET

A better search

Search has also improved. Entire albums are pulled up in a search query, but you can home in on individual songs as well.
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17 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Mini simplicity

The iTunes mini player's look has been updated, for when you want to shrink iTunes on the desktop.
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Still searching

Though the window is collapsed, users can still search in iTunes even when it's in mini mode.
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Mixing it up

Files from the iCloud, as well as downloaded media, are displayed together in a fully integrated window.
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20 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Hulk smash... the iCloud together!

Here, a clip from "The Avengers" shows how users can watch movies from both their computers and their iCloud storage.
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21 of 24 James Martin/CNET

A familiar look

The new iTunes Store page looks similar to how it appears on iOS.
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'Born to Run'... this Apple presentation

Again, similar to iOS, you can hear a preview of a song while browsing other parts of the iTunes Store.
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23 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Tickets to the Boss

Users can also research and discover artist information, including tour dates and purchasing details.
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24 of 24 James Martin/CNET

Wrapping it up

In summation, the desktop version of iTunes will have iCloud integration, an updated iTunes Store, and a more streamlined design.

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