The launch of Apple’s latest version of iTunes has been postponed. The updated software, which will include some major changes, was expected to be rolled out some time in October, but according to a Cnet report it looks like users will have to wait another month.
“The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told Cnet, adding, “We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.”
It’s possible Apple boss Tim Cook sat down with developers, checked out the new version, concluded that it’s not quite ready and thought, “No, I don’t want to be writing another letter of apology in a few weeks time.” Indeed, the Cupertino company really can’t afford another software-related misstep so soon after the Maps mess.
iTunes 11 was announced in September by Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services Eddy Cue at the company’s iPhone 5 event in San Francisco, who took the covers off a significant UI revamp.
The updated software will reportedly bring the look and feel of the iOS and desktop versions closer together, while aiming for a more immersive browsing and viewing experience.
It’s set to make more use of album covers, expandable with a click that’ll in turn reveal track listings, with a new feature for the desktop version that will allow users to listen to a preview of a song without having to stay on the page, as you can already do with the iOS version.
Artists will be able to build special pages to share information such as tour dates and photos, while a new feature called ‘In the Store’ will reveal the top songs and albums by a particular artist. For more details on what we can expect with iTunes 11, check out AJ Dellinger’s overview here.
