My first impressions to iTunes 11 after the update on my Mac

Last September, during the launch of the iPhone 5 and new iPods, Apple gave us a sneak peek of the next version of iTunes -- iTunes 11. iTunes 11 was supposed to be released last October but it was delayed to probably avoid the Maps issue that was updated in iOS 6.0. It was postponed until this month and finally the latest version of iTunes was released today. But before we go any further, let me provide some snapshots of iTunes 10 and compare it to iTunes 11 later.

iTunes 10

The new iTunes logo introduced during the release of iTunes 10 back in 2010

iTunes 10 was introduced to Apple's Music Event back in 2010. During that Music Event, Apple introduced the iPod Nano that you can wear as a watch and they have also included the Retina display to the iPod Touch. iTunes 10 also updated its logo because digital music downloads had surpassed sales of CD's. iTunes 10 also introduced Ping which was supposed to be the social networking for music. Unfortunately though it was not a hit and Apple just ditched it this year.

Here are some snapshots of iTunes 10 before I upgraded.

Music

TV Shows, Podcasts and Books

Apps

iTunes Store

iTunes 11

Metal finish to the updated iTunes logo for version 11

The release notes for iTunes 11 shows the following changes to Apple's media player.

1. Completely redesigned
2. A New Store
3. Play purchases from iCloud
4. Up Next
5. New MiniPlayer
6. Improved search
7. Playback syncing

Now let's see the changes in iTunes 11 by posting some snapshots of the application.

Music

TV Shows, Podcasts and Books

Apps

iTunes Store

Let me share my thoughts about iTunes 11

1. Apple has maximised screen real estate by removing the left navigation existing in iTunes 10. Navigation can be made by selecting tabs or dropdowns on version 11. You are really immersed to your media library and the iTunes Store.

2. Just noticed that the colors in the media library are back but its not consistent with the metal finish of the application and the grey text of the other controls.

3. I cannot customise viewing in iTunes anymore. For example, in Music, Songs are displayed in list view, Albums are displayed with their album art while Artists, Genres and Playlists have navigations in the left panel. This is the same for other Media Library in iTunes 11.

4. I also cannot change the background color from white to a darker shade.

5. There are multiple controls of the same kind in the Music library. I feel a little clutter in it but it serves its purpose so far.

6. Nice touch on the mini player!

Overall, I can say that Apple did a great job in iTunes 11. They have carefully thought of the aspects that would make using iTunes a great experience like maximising screen real estate. There may be some clutter and inconsistencies but they are too minor to not appreciate this new version of iTunes. If you haven't downloaded iTunes 11, fire up your Software Update and get it from the Mac App Store.