Jay Robinson

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What do you guys put in Grouping for iTunes?

Scrolling through a music library using iTunes on a Mac versus the iTunes-like iPod app on an iPad. The performance difference is amazing. I wonder if this has to do with SSD versus HDD?

How to prevent iTunes web previews from opening iTunes automatically →

Spoiler alert: involves a quick System Pref install, but works like a charm. Totally worth it.

Logan Walters has redone the Wu-Tang Clan’s various album covers in the style of Blue Note Records.

I’ve been digging the custom artwork for the iTunes Store lately.

I know, I know. This bugs me, too.

iTunes 9 and the Future of WebKit →

At a Special Media Event on Wednesday morning, Apple unveiled the latest iPods along with a new version of iTunes, version 9.

Apple revitalizes their iPods every year, so this was not unexpected. However, what surprised me was what I first attributed to idle commentary: the redesigned iTunes Store and new iTunes LPs render in WebKit.

Some may overlook this detail, but keep in mind Apple has always used iPods+iTunes to push their digital agenda. And the push for WebKit will be no different.

The first iPod and iTunes combination on Windows opened up QuickTime for millions of users. Now it is a healthy competitor for web media, right up there with Flash. (Remember when music and videos on the Web would occasionally pop up in Windows Media format? Yuck.)

Today, MobileSafari on iPhone provides users with a WebKit-powered “killer app” that makes people actually want to browse the web with their smartphones. Apple’s iPhone OS accounts for an astounding two-thirds of mobile web traffic. And the competition has taken notice: in August RIM acquired Torch Mobile, hoping to bring the WebKit experience to BlackBerries.

The possibilities with iTunes LP are really terrific. The announcement led Engadget frontman Joshua Topolsky to proclaim “Apple has officially reinvented the 12-inch.” Apple is constantly setting design trends and iTunes LPs will be no different. I can already imagine a swarm of imitations from devoted music fans flooding the net with intricate tributes to their favorite artists that render best in WebKit browsers. Not to mention what iTunes LPs may look like on your 50″ (Apple) HDTV.

While most PC users may have never heard of Safari for Windows, iTunes will soon establish a record amount of computers on which WebKit is the conveyor of premium web experience.

It won’t be long until WebKit rules the PC world too.

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Mike Steinbaugh's iTunes 8 Wishlist →

Mike’s best suggestions are for the ability to manually tag explicit tracks, and searching lyrics. Some other suggestions I’d enjoy: Director field for movies, and Music Videos as its own category in the Source List. Additionally, I am not a huge fan of the tabbed windows to update the content on my iPhone, but I know it’s muy complicado.

Supposably Apple is working on some big features for iTunes 8, including such things as Pandora-like music suggestions based on your listening preferences, and maybe even YouTube music video streaming right in iTunes. Don’t ask me, ask Smaran.in.

Embedded Video is Broken →

Dean Allen, of the beautifully set Textism.com, writes:

This happens several times a day: I find myself at Youtube or Vimeo or Brightcove or wherever, begin watching something interesting, and immediately start looking for a way to put that in a corner of my screen so I can continue working or doing, um, research, and cast my eyes back to it whenever interest demands I do so. This evidently can’t be done using any of the popular embedded video gear, so I end up resizing the browser window (which results in layout chaos) and opening up a fresh window to resume what I was doing before. This is lame, this is broken.

This is totally lame. The rumor is that Apple is working on something for iTunes 8, coming soon…

This is how I like my iTunes — with gratuitous album art. Pretty self-explanatory smart playlists, which all feed into Random, so I have 5GB of proportionate music to listen to on my iPhone at all times. Click to see full-size.