iTunes 10 had been showing its age, not least because you were constantly fighting it to just play some damn music instead of trying to send you somewhere else, usually somewhere to buy something.
Apple
So Apple pretty much burned the whole thing down and replaced it. And it’s wonderful.
First of all, it’s fast. Scrolling through album covers is smooth and easy, almost to the degree that you find yourself wondering if this is actually iTunes. Everything except the controls you need is now largely in a drop down menu, meaning the unnecessary stuff crammed into iTunes 10 is now neatly folded away.
The interface is much cleaner and cleaner, although until you use it, it’s hard to describe. Basically if you click on an artist, you now see the album and its tracks in an easily accessible layout that makes finding the song you want simple and fast.
Even shopping is substantially improved, which actually makes iTunes dangerous to your wallet again instead of an annoyance you tolerate.
The Mini Player is more useful as well, allowing you to quickly navigate when necessary. You’ve probably had to download it already, but if not… go pick it up.
iTunes [Apple]