Apple Releases iTunes 12.6 With Cross-Device Movie Rental Access

[Jwhite1]

I haven't rented something from iTunes in a long time. Netflix has me covered for a flat monthly fee.

I don't think I've ever rented anything from iTunes but came across a thread on Mac Rumors a few months back that I wish more people knew about. It's a website called ultravioletcinema.com. It's basically a directory for websites that sell movie codes (iTunes digital download) for really cheap. On many occasions, the prices are as cheap or cheaper than renting. There's new releases, older movies etc. I also like that it's legit and gives people a cheap alternative to pirating. If I can own the "Sing" movie (for my son) for $2.75 it justifies the cost. It's then stored to my phone, iPad, Apple TV etc. I highly recommend everyone check it out. It's addicting!

 

[Jessica Lares]

Noticed that the TV & Movies tab appears under the Music section of my library. Maybe they're planning on getting rid of that top menu then?

 

[69Mustang]

At this point, I fully expect that Mac hardware that is more than 2 years old that does not receive a mention of a refresh at the next keynote will be killed off. Selling hardware that is more than 2 years old for the same price it sold for for when it launched is not a consumer-friendly move and it will eventually do serious damage to Apple's computer business if they don't stop it.

Very true. I have been looking for an updated mac mini since before that last, and I'm being generous here, half-assed update the mini received. But let's face it, when the average consumer walks into a store to buy a computer they see it on the shelf and assume it's new. They don't realize they're buying a 2 to 3 year old computer. To be fair it's the same on the PC side 'cept Apple is supposed to "care". Not so much anymore.

 

[MrGuder]

Yes, that still happens as well.

Good Grief.....how hard is it for them to fix that? Sometimes I don't even think they care anymore....Looks like I will be staying on iTunes 12.4.3 all my artists have squares photos and more importantly all my artists have photos. I spent way too much time uploading all my artwork for them to take it away and replace it with bubbles/microphones that are multi colored blanks.

 

[smorrissey]

Have they fixed DPI scaling on Windows yet?

After more than a year of originally reported it, it is finally fixed today...

 

[fastasleep]

The redesigned MiniPlayer again. Finally!...maybe. It's a bit finicky/buggy though. Seemed like an improvement for a minute as you can make it into a different few sorts of combos (artwork or not, Up Next or not), etc but as soon as you start toggling between those options or like trying to show artwork after showing Up Next etc the window jumps around and behaves strangely. So strange how much trouble they have nailing down functionality for something so small.

$10 says it stays exactly this buggy until the next major revision, at which point they'll completely redesign it again.

 

[Col4bin]

When I quickly glanced at this article's headline I got excited because I thought it was saying something about Apple Music now supporting cross-fading functionality (on the iPhone/iPad). Oh well, I was very tired.

 

[flyinmac]

Seems odd they would release this prior to iOS 10.3 going live when the patch notes cite that it's required. Normally this kind of update would come at the same time.

It could be that the official update to iOS 10.3 will require the new iTunes version to properly sync or communicate properly with the Mac.

If I remember correctly, I ran into this problem with iOS 9. After updating to iOS 9, I could no longer connect my iPhone to my Mac to sync it or back it up. iOS 9 required a newer version of iTunes than what my Mac could run because OS X Lion was the latest version that could be installed on my Mac without some hacking.

So, I moved my phone over to a Windows PC with iTunes for syncing and backups.

I later got El Capitan installed on my 2006 Mac Pro with the documented hack. And then moved my phone back to iTunes on the Mac.

So, while I can't say for certain, it is entirely possible that iOS 10.3 will be similar to iOS 9, in that it may require the new iTunes version to properly communicate with the iPhone after installing the final release of iOS 10.3.

And that may be why Apple is releasing the iTunes update ahead of the iOS 10.3 update.

Otherwise, if it's like iOS 9 was, then you might perform the update to iOS 10.3 only to then be unable to have iTunes recognize your phone properly.

 

[vmachiel]

Abou time, Apple. Should have been a standard feature years ago, in my opinion.

Well let's be glad it's here now.

 

[mandelake]

Some perspective for you.

Apple's DOS 3.3 and ProDOS were 113K, and both required an Apple with 64KB of memory to run..

yet 177MB to 257MB is "crap". You really should change your perspective.

BL.

Wow, some perspective for you ...
So, I should run with 982 MB (expanded) of more sluggish crap?

 

[Te0SX]

Great update! Some features are back, like Go To -> Album or Artist. Everything is fast and smooth as usual lately. Love iTunes.

 

[TheIntruder]

It could be that the official update to iOS 10.3 will require the new iTunes version to properly sync or communicate properly with the Mac.

If I remember correctly, I ran into this problem with iOS 9. After updating to iOS 9, I could no longer connect my iPhone to my Mac to sync it or back it up. iOS 9 required a newer version of iTunes than what my Mac could run because OS X Lion was the latest version that could be installed on my Mac without some hacking.

In the past, new, more recent iOS updates could still be done with older, unsupported versions of iTunes like 11.4, but that changed.

The iOS 10 update procedure using iTunes required updating it to 12.5 (IIRC). Older versions of 12 wouldn't even work.

 

[vmachiel]

So the Mini player has been made worse. Can't easily switch between the mini player and the full app.

 

[bladerunner2000]

OMG, I've never bothered with Apple's services knowing they're mostly junk but holy crap, I didn't know they limited your rentals to the device it was purchased on.

LOL, that's pathetic.

What boggles the mind is how Apple consumers just accept getting the shaft like that. WHY?!?

 

[Te0SX]

So the Mini player has been made worse. Can't easily switch between the mini player and the full app.

What do you mean. It works fine. If you click X button you close the mini and go to the full app. If you press cmd+0 you go to the full app and back.

btw I really like the new mini app . Play with its size, you can hide the bar or do things.

 

[Sheza]

After more than a year of originally reported it, it is finally fixed today...

Holy crap, they actually did it.

Apple Music is usable on Windows again. After my carrier's 6 months free deal is over I may very well stay with Apple Music in this case...

 

[RobFog]

In the past, new, more recent iOS updates could still be done with older, unsupported versions of iTunes like 11.4, but that changed.

The iOS 10 update procedure using iTunes required updating it to 12.5 (IIRC). Older versions of 12 wouldn't even work.

I'm running iOS 10 on my phone and iTunes 12.4.x on my Mac though…

 

[macgabe]

OK I feature-requested this about 3 years ago. Better late than never I guess. To be charitable I'll assume it was a rights issue rather than a dev problem, but still ridiculous. There was a work around - you could transfer to an iPhone and then transfer to another device. I stopped using Movie rentals a year or so ago. Partly because of this, but mostly because they really need a bigger library.

Now if they could list classical music by composer as well as just performer that would be a great step forward for humanity. I guess we'll get that in three years' time.

 

[manu chao]

I truly hope this fixes the iTunes backup connection issue. It's been months.

There is no one backup issue. There are hundreds of backup issues, dozens of them probably have existed at the same time in parallel, starting from the original release of the backup feature. The backup issue you have been bitten by (or probably rather the half dozen of backup issues) may have lingered for months. But things weren't better or worse in the past. At any given point in time, there are multiple backup issues in the code base. Whether you are hit by one (and whether yours gets fixed or simply disappears because a couple of parameters changed on your end) is pretty much a question of chance (or lack thereof).

 

[BlueParadox]

I'm still having a problem with deleting iTunes purchased movies - download, watch, but can't entirely delete the file. Always left with film template/icon with the film's title below (see picture).

Anyone else? Anyone know how to fix this?

 

[celestelombard]

Following a slew of new product announcements early this morning, Apple today released iTunes 12.6, the next major update for the iTunes app on Mac devices.

iTunes 12.6 introduces a "Rent once, watch anywhere" feature that lets iTunes users watch iTunes movie rentals across all devices with iOS 10.3 or tvOS 10.2.

Prior to this update, an iTunes movie was only available on a single device at a time. When a movie rented on a Mac was transferred to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod using USB, the movie became unavailable from an iTunes library until returned to the Mac.

A movie rented on an iOS device or an Apple TV was not previously watchable on other devices and could not be transferred between devices.

The wording of the release notes seems to suggest we're going to see iOS 10.3 and tvOS 10.2 released in the very near future, as the new iTunes update pertains specifically to those releases. We could see new software as soon as tomorrow.

According to Apple's release notes, the update also includes minor app and performance improvements.

The new iTunes 12.6 update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free.

Article Link: Apple Releases iTunes 12.6 With Cross-Device Movie Rental Access

this is awesome!

 

[BlandUsername]

Bugs that last for months are nothing to Apple. I've had bugs that have been around for years now, and Apple does not seem to care because they are more focused on new stuff rather than fixing what's currently in use.

What a weird day for updates. I kind of expected something a bit more exciting. I was looking at Mac mini's today online and can't believe they are still selling 3-year old computers at full price. That's either a testament to the quality of the products, or an insult to consumers. I'm not willing to invest my hard-earned money into a device that is that outdated. 1 or 2 years, maybe, but 3 years at full price? No thanks.

Amazing isn't it? My 2 minis are less than a year from Apple care expiring. I will be in the market for replacing those devices and there is no way I am paying full price for what I am retiring to server only functions

 

[phillytim]

Seems odd they would release this prior to iOS 10.3 going live when the patch notes cite that it's required. Normally this kind of update would come at the same time.

I'm expecting 10.3 today. Along with the iTunes 12.6 release, we've had a SLEW of app updates this week. That's the pulse that an iOS update is imminent.

 

[Mackinjosh]

Why would any intelligent person rent movies from iTunes? They're still the only one of the major digital rental services that limits every single rental to 24 hours once a movie has been started. Google, Sony, and Amazon all give you 48-72 hours for most rentals. Save me the Apple fanboy responses.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Some perspective for you.

Apple's DOS 3.3 and ProDOS were 113K, and both required an Apple with 64KB of memory to run..

yet 177MB to 257MB is "crap". You really should change your perspective.

BL.

You can't compare those. For example icons and other resources in the App take up a lot of space and would have not even been possible in those days.