iOnApple

Yoni Heisler

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Apple releases new Apple TV 3.0 software as latest iTunes update breaks Palm Pre/iTunes syncability

Apple recently released a new Apple TV 3.0 software updates which features a UI re-design along with support for iTunes Extras and Itunes LP. The release is joined with a new iTunes update which yet again breakes the ability of the Palm Pre to sync up with iTunes

By Yoni Heisler on Sat, 10/31/09 - 5:40pm.

Late this week, Apple announced a new Apple TV 3.0 software update which features a UI re-design, and while it looks pretty slick, it's not exactly mind blowing. Some of the other added features include support for iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes, iTunes LP, and Internet radio. Again, some solid additions, but nothing to write home about. I do want to point out, though, that genius mixes is a vastly underrated feature on iTunes. In case you're un-familiar, the genius mix feature on iTunes takes any song you select, and creates a playlist based on that type of song. In other words, its exactly like Pandora, but its limited to your library of music. Naturally, if you're music library is pretty sparse, the feature won't be of much interest to you, but if you happen to have a few thousand songs to work with, the feature works incredibly well and is great for finding old and random songs you may have forgotten about. Curiously, though, Apple's press release states that genius mixes on the Apple TV will generate playlists of 12 songs, while genius mixes on the iPhone and iPod Touch generate playlists of 25 songs.

In any event, it's nice to see iTunes LP leap off the desktop and onto HDTV's. Up until recently, iTunes LP's were only viewable from within iTunes, and couldn't be transferred anywhere else. The elegant design of iTunes LP's, along with the exclusive videos and photos that many of them contain, makes it a great feature to check out in HD on a large screen.

The Apple TV software update is available as a free download for all Apple TV customers, and is accompanied by a new version of iTunes, 9.02 to be exact. Notably, and not surprisingly, the latest version of iTunes breaks the ability of the Palm Pre to sync up with iTunes, and I can only imagine how long it's gonna be before Palm updates its WebOS to enable a work around for Apple's latest roadblock.

If you remember, Palm and Apple have been playing a game of cat-and-mouse over Palm Pre/iTunes syncability for months now, and it doesn't seem like either side is going to blink first. While some have suggested that Palm's energies are better spent on other things aside from 'hacking' iTunes, other reports point out that working around Apple's prevention measures in iTunes has been quite simple for Palm, a fact which would help explain the relatively quick turnaround in its own updates following each new release of iTunes.

And lastly, it's being reported that users who've already downloaded either iTunes Extras or iTunes LP's will need to re-download those files in order for them to work with the new Apple TV software. While this isn't terribly difficult, it's not indicative of the seamless user experience Apple generally provides. But then again, Steve Jobs never hesitates to mention that the Apple TV is merely an Apple hobby.