Apple Releases iTunes 9.1 to Support iPad

[Freis968]

Notice the "convert higher bit rate songs to 128 kbps AAC" option added? I plugged in my iPod 5G and as you can see by my pics that the iPod now has the same feature. As read here in another news story, up until 9.1 only the shuffle had this feature.

 

[JGowan]

Why would you want to convert higher quality songs to 128 kpbs?

Just to save space on your iPhone, right?

I wonder if it'll save that much space on your iPhone, if it will take up extra space on your computer and really ruin your 320kbps songs.

I rip everything at 320AAC and it sounds amazing on my desktop with my Bose Companion 2 speakers -- however... it's impossible to hear the difference on an iPhone (or in this case, iPad) -- this is welcomed and will really free up a lot of space for more music... YEA!

Can someone confirm if converting to 128kbps AAC when syncing will strip out your artwork? That would be stupid. Especially for the iPad or iPhone.

It says it does for the Shuffle, but that might only be for the Shuffle.

It makes complete sense to remove it for the Shuffle as there's no screen. You bet your ass that if the iPad or iPhone will do this, it will keep the artwork. The screen is all about the artwork... Apple would never be that short-sided and forget to change the code when working with the devices with screens. I'm glad you said that about Shuffles... I feel so much better now.

==========

Why buy the 64GB version? Two extra hundred and you have 4 TIMES the SPACE!! I want my iPad to be awesome now and in the future as the iPad starts to increase their space. Next release, they will most likely drop 16GB model and go 32, 64 and 128GB --> I'll still be in the middle of the pack which will make for a better sell price when I want to sell mine to get the latest/greatest.

 

[JGowan]

< Double post -- SORRY >

 

[alphaod]

It's just an option for people who want to have higher quality copies of their music on the computer, but keep 128k copies on the ipod. 128kbps only takes 128/320ths the space of 320kbps, in other words less than half the space, so it will make a big difference.

Uh, actually a 128kbps song is around 8MB and a 320kbps song is around 10MB. So it's not even close to half, but you lose a lot more than half the quality.

 

[sammich]

Uh, actually a 128kbps song is around 8MB and a 320kbps song is around 10MB. So it's not even close to half, but you lose a lot more than half the quality.

Umm...what? Something encoded at 2x kbps will be almost exactly double the size of a x kbps of the same file.

'Audio Quality' is very subjective, and for some people there are significant diminishing returns above about 160 kbps. So arguably for most people, they would only lose a small portion of their perceived quality.

Or did I miss something?

 

[tkermit]

Uh, actually a 128kbps song is around 8MB and a 320kbps song is around 10MB. So it's not even close to half, but you lose a lot more than half the quality.

Umm...what? Something encoded at 2x kbps will be almost exactly double the size of a x kbps of the same file.

'Audio Quality' is very subjective, and for some people there are significant diminishing returns above about 160 kbps. So arguably for most people, they would only lose a small portion of their perceived quality.

Or did I miss something?

No - you're right.

 

[vantez]

Just happy we now have "HD" tags in gridview for movies! YAY!

 

[jb510]

optimizing photos?

Strange... after installing 9.1 and plugging in my iPhone it has decided all on it's own to optimizing my photos...

I'm guessing it's re-optimizing them for iPad resolution? but really have no idea... it's been maxing out all cores for 30 minutes... otherwise I probably wouldn't of even noticed.

Anyone else see similar behavior?

 

[wjlafrance]

I can confirm that the jailbreak issue is resolved by restarting.

 

[tkermit]

Strange... after installing 9.1 and plugging in my iPhone it has decided all on it's own to optimizing my photos...

I'm guessing it's re-optimizing them for iPad resolution? but really have no idea... it's been maxing out all cores for 30 minutes... otherwise I probably wouldn't of even noticed.

Anyone else see similar behavior?

Same here. I agree with your assumption too, although I would have loved to be able to display photos on the iPad in their full resolution and not in a reduced one that Apple likes to call 'optimized'.

 

[DocNYz]

No - you're right.

Afternoon Delight!

 

[tkermit]

Afternoon Delight!

 

[dragonq]

Very disappointed in the organisation of the book section

I've just downloaded the update and have made the discovery that Apple have thrown both audiobooks and ebooks into the same folder. That they are not at all the same thing, and that they are used in different ways, appears not to have occurred to them.

I already have 1367 audiobooks in that folder. I have no idea how many ebooks I might end up with, but there are about 6000 paper ones in the family library at the time of writing and growing all the time.

Surely it's not too much to ask that these items should have separate libraries?

 

[gnasher729]

Uh, actually a 128kbps song is around 8MB and a 320kbps song is around 10MB. So it's not even close to half, but you lose a lot more than half the quality.

128 Kbit/sec is about 1MB / minute. 256 Kbit/sec is about 2MB / minute. 320 Kbit/sec is about 2.5 MB / minute. Lossless varies but is usually 6-7 MB / minute. I'd say your numbers are way way off.

 

[gnasher729]

I am rather upset that I updated now. I was using the option to convert my Apple Lossless tracks ripped from my CDs to 256 AAC tracks. Now what do I do?

You choose it from the "Advanced" menu.

 

[AndyMoore]

I am rather upset that I updated now. I was using the option to convert my Apple Lossless tracks ripped from my CDs to 256 AAC tracks. Now what do I do?

Just click advanced, then select the option... you can also hold down alt/option to get a create aac instead of convert to aac

Or create an Automator Service to do it for you.

 

[gnasher729]

Edit: Again, I just really wish Apple would have had the option to convert to 256. Apple should keep standards. Not sure why we have to take a step backward in quality right after the entire iTunes store had moved up to 256 kbps. Oh well, we'll probably have to wait until a later update for this to happen. I hate how Apple teases us with half-a$$ed features sometimes.

If I had written the code, you would have these three settings:

1. Convert to xxx kbit / second (128, 160, 192, 224, 256)
2. Only convert stuff that is above xxx kbit / second. You wouldn't want to convert a song from 130 kbit to 128, that's pointless.
3. Only convert until all of music is less than xxx GB. No point converting the music when it fits.

And then I would start converting your lossless files first, because they give the biggest savings; better to convert 50 lossless files to fit everything on your iPod instead of converting 500 160kbit files. And I would use all the cores and download files that don't need converting while converting other files to make it go faster, and when everything that doesn't need converting is downloaded, I'd start downloading other files before they are converted, so you can stop the sync and have all your music, even before it is compressed as much as you wanted.

And then marketing would say it's too complicated and I'd have to take the code out again

 

[Richard412]

gnasher729

If I had written the code, you would have these three settings:

1. Convert to xxx kbit / second (128, 160, 192, 224, 256)
2. Only convert stuff that is above xxx kbit / second. You wouldn't want to convert a song from 130 kbit to 128, that's pointless.
3. Only convert until all of music is less than xxx GB. No point converting the music when it fits.


And then I would start converting your lossless files first, because they give the biggest savings; better to convert 50 lossless files to fit everything on your iPod instead of converting 500 160kbit files. And I would use all the cores and download files that don't need converting while converting other files to make it go faster, and when everything that doesn't need converting is downloaded, I'd start downloading other files before they are converted, so you can stop the sync and have all your music, even before it is compressed as much as you wanted.

Excellent ideas! - let's hope that some of them make it into a future iTunes version.

Richard

 

[c-Row]

It's just an option for people who want to have higher quality copies of their music on the computer, but keep 128k copies on the ipod. 128kbps only takes 128/320ths the space of 320kbps, in other words less than half the space, so it will make a big difference.

And rather than using a script to convert them, the built-in option in iTunes probably preserves play count information, which is great if your playlists rely on this.

 

[Hal Itosis]

Maybe it does require 10.5.8?

Could be.

Staying at 10.5.7 (or less) is not a good idea. E.g., security updates for Leopard released post-10.5.8 will not show up as available in Software Update for Macs running lesser versions.

Lossless FTW!

For The Waste?

 

[Habakuk]

First time for me that something with an Apple update didn't work:

After the iTunes 9.1 update it didn't recognize my iPhone (3G latest OS, never JB); but iPhoto did so it wasn't the cable. Tried several times plug/unplug USB, waiting two minutes between, quit and restart iTunes: No way.

I had to do a reboot of my MBP (10.6.3) and now it works but there are heavy graphical distortions in iTunes, p.e. when I click on an icon during app updates and scroll down in the displaced app description page. How to fresh install iTunes (with all settings and libraries maintained)?

Otherwise: iPhone sync in progress… Seems to be like always—takes an eternity.

Edit: Sync went fine so far. After a restart of iTunes graphics okay again. Unplugged iPhone and plugged in again: iTunes finds it as usual.

 

[AdeFowler]

Still no 'Music Videos' category, yet they sell them on iTunes, and they appear as a separate item in the iPads Movies app.

 

[Tanguyvd]

Anyone know if this requires a restart on windows?

on windows, always reboot! (twice) kiddin'

 

[JonLa]

on windows, always reboot! (twice) kiddin'

Vista Business here at work, yep required a reboot.

 

[BobF4321]

I had to reboot my Mac before the new iTunes would detect my docked iPhone...