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The iTunes Store explained
by James Oakwood
09.01.07 |
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The third part of Apple’s musical menage a trios (the other two being the iPod and iTunes itself), the iTunes Store was launched on April 28, 2003 (initially with just 200,000 songs to buy). Although there were other online music stores available when it was opened, the iTunes Store very quickly became the number one destination for iPod owners looking to buy music (image 1) – the reason for this was, quite simply, that the majority of the other stores weren’t iPod-compatible.
Now, as of October 2006, the store’s sold well over 1.5 billion songs, has a market share of over 80% of worldwide online digital music sales and now offers free podcasts, TV shows, movies and games on its virtual shelves.
VALUE FOR MONEY
But what do you really get for your money? Well, in the US each song will cost you 99 cents (it’s 79 pence in the UK), while an album will usually set you back $9,99 (or £7.90). We say usually, because iTunes is slowly breaking out of the traditional mould and now offers exclusive compilations that cost a little more, but include bonus tracks, digital booklets and videos.
Although there have been cries for a better format, the store still only offers songs in the protected AAC format at a bitrate of 128kbps – audio books are recorded at 32kbps. Although it’s better than the equivalent MP3 and more than good enough for standard iPod bud-type headphones, a bitrate of 192-plus would certainly appeal to the audiophiles who connect their music library to a high-end sound system. Apple recently increased the resolution of videos and movies sold on the store from 320x240 (QVGA) to 640x480 (VGA), giving people the opportunity (in the US, at least) to download movies of a quality that’s not too far off that of a DVD.
Considering it contains 3.7 million songs, 65,000+ podcasts, 10,000+ music videos, 200+ TV shows, 20,000+ audio books, 100+ movies and 9 games, navigating the iTunes Store is remarkably straightforward. When you’re faced with the front page, you can find out what’s new to the store by checking out the New Releases at the top and see what’s hot by skimming through the charts down the right side of the window.
Head over to the left side of the site and you get the extra content (podcasts, videos, movies, etc.) which is perfect for looking through if you can’t find an album to buy. The podcasts cover every conceivable topic and, rather than the amateurish efforts we had to contend with a couple of years ago, now the major broadcasters have gotten involved to improve their quality greatly (image 2).
EXCLUSIVE SESSIONS
If that’s not your cup of tea though, you could always try looking for something a bit unique. Check out iTunes Collections, iTunes Essentials and iTunes Originals and you’ll find exclusive live sessions, celebrity playlists and EPs that you won’t find anywhere else (image 3).
Navigating the store itself is remarkably easy. Tabs appear at the top of the store window, so no matter how far you stray from the homepage, you can be back there (or any section you’ve previously visited) in a single click. If you’re having trouble finding the artist or album you’re after, then there’s also a pretty decent Power Search function that pretty much guarantees to find what you’re looking for with the minimum of fuss.
There are many reasons why we love the iTunes Store, but somewhere near the top has to be the fact that despite the staggering amount of information it contains, it’s been designed so well that not only is it easy to find what you’re looking for, but you’ll also have enormous fun simply browsing, too.
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1. To make life easier for you, iTunes allows you to make playlists of links to Internet radio stations, as well as preview tracks from the store. |
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2. When you sign in to the store, you’ll see that a new box appears: Just For You. This is a list of recommendations for you that are based on your previous buying habits. They’re quite accurate, but you do have the option to switch this feature off. |
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3. Why not create an iMix, a compilation that you can then put straight onto the iTunes Store? First make a playlist and then go to File > Create an iMix and follow the on-screen instructions. |
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