Apple iTunes

An all-new Apple iTunes? No need to tempt us: We'll bite! The look is pure Apple, but the new iTunes 11 is also lighter, sleeker, and faster than the old app. It also comes with many new features and refinements, such as improved iCloud integration that lets you play your iTunes purchases right away on all your devices or pause play on one device and pick it right up on another. New Library Views clean up media collection clutter. Expanded views display album notes in place so you don't have to click back and forth. The new MiniPlayer is elegant. Best of all, iTunes is still free, even for Windows.

The redesigned iTunes layout stresses simplicity. It's classic Cupertino; crisp, clean, and timeless. A simple media player/search panel sits above a toolbar offering ultraquick access to everything you need: Library, Songs, Albums, Artists, Genres, Playlists, Radio, Match, and iTunes Store. If you're upgrading iTunes, you can go straight from the installer to the iTunes store. Since our setup was new, we pressed Scan for Music. The app quickly displayed all our tunes in the Music Library View, sorted by Song, Album, Genre, and so on. As before, playback quality is top-notch.

Current iTunes users have probably already upgraded to iTunes 11. But those of you out there who either haven't used iTunes before or gave up on previous versions, try the all-new Apple iTunes 11. It addresses many of the issues that drove users toward media players with smaller footprints. It's lighter and faster than any iTunes you've seen before, yet it does more than ever. Some familiar yet missing features (like the sidebar) are still available as options, too; only now you have a choice. We didn't try the Match service, but it seems like cheap insurance for large libraries, and it includes instant access anywhere with all your devices. If you're looking for a single app to handle your music and media libraries, your digital downloads, and your devices, we suggest taking a bite of the all-new Apple iTunes.