Apple Announces iTunes 8
Features Apple’s New Breakthrough Genius Technology
SAN FRANCISCO–September 9, 2008–Apple today announced iTunes 8, the next
major release of Apple’s ubiquitous music and video player for Macs and PCs
which is seamlessly integrated with the most popular online content store
in the world (http://www.itunes.com). iTunes 8 includes the new
breakthrough Genius feature, which lets you automatically create playlists
from songs in your music library that go great together–with just one
click. Genius helps music fans rediscover favorite songs in their existing
music library and suggests related music on the iTunes Store they might
want to add to their music collection. iTunes 8 features new ways of
viewing your music and video libraries, and adds television programs in
stunning high definition for sale on the iTunes Store.
Using Apple’s breakthrough Genius feature is easy–select any song, click
the Genius button, and iTunes instantly creates a playlist of songs that go
great together from your own library. You can preview the playlist Genius
creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius
playlists to enjoy again later. You can even create Genius Playlists
on-the-go with the new iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone. The
Genius sidebar appears right in iTunes and recommends music from the iTunes
Store that you don’t already have, based on the songs you select.
When you turn on iTunes 8’s new Genius feature, information about your
music library is anonymously sent to the iTunes Store, where it is combined
with the anonymously-gathered knowledge from millions of other iTunes users
and processed through Apple-developed algorithms. The Genius results,
specifically tailored to your personal music library, are sent back to your
computer to enable users to automatically create Genius playlists in iTunes
and on your iPods, even when they are not connected to the Internet.
iTunes 8’s new visual browsing interface displays your music and video
libraries using your album and video covers, and also provides a great way
to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks.
The iTunes Store has become the world’s most popular online TV store and
features an incredible selection of over 30,000 episodes from ABC, CBS, The
CW, FOX, NBC and over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central,
Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA.
With iTunes 8, television fans can now watch their favorite programs from
ABC, NBC and Showtime in stunning HD for just $2.99 per episode, perfect
for viewing on their Mac or PC, or on their widescreen TV with Apple TV.
The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie
store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over
2,500 films including 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s
legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals,
integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn
previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and
seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way
for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and
video online.
Pricing & Availability
iTunes 8 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as
a free download from (http://www.itunes.com). Purchase and download of
songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a
financial institution in the country of purchase. Video availability varies
by country.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional
applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with
its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has
entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.
