Apple releases iTunes 12.4 with announced interface improvements

We also expected it (and that a new version of Xcode will be released soon), but not for this exactly: as promised over the weekend, Apple has launched iTunes 12.4, but in the list of novelties we cannot see that it has included what we expected. But what did we expect? Well, they released a version that would correct the problem reported by some users who claimed that iTunes had deleted their music library. By not showing up, we cannot be sure whether the security measures they announced have been included or not.

What iTunes 12.4 does include is what we can call "the beginning of change." As revealed to us by Bloomberg and later confirmed by Marc Gurman, who gave us some of the details that we will see in the Music application of iOS 10, Apple's music applications will see changes starting this summer. iTunes has kicked off these changes and, as you can see in the previous image, the AirPlay button is much larger and to the right of the playback box. no this head where was our profile on Connect (First symptom?), If not the "Up Next" list.

The first changes arrive to iTunes 12.4

In this new version, the sections of Music, Videos, etc., are no longer next to each other, but they are all in one dropdown menu in what is a change that I do like. As I am not a user who likes lists and perhaps it is also due to the habit of the previous version, what I do not like is that on the left (it cannot be changed) are the options of artists, songs, etc. . I don't know why, but it seems to me that it takes up a lot of space and I've always preferred to have records or artists on the left edge. Matter of taste, I guess.

As I use the application, I discover things, like the image appears to have been simplified or that the background of an artist's general page no longer changes color coinciding with one of the album covers that we have downloaded. Again, I'm not sure if I like this change, but it's all getting used to. Of course, in the view of the albums, the colors do match those of the cover, as you can see in the previous screenshot.

What's new in iTunes 12.4 (from the Mac App Store)

• Now you can enjoy all your music, videos, TV shows, podcasts and other content in a much simpler design.
• Navigation. You can now use the Back and Forward buttons to navigate between the Library, Apple Music, iTunes store, and the rest of the sections.
• Content selection. Easily switch from one type of content to another (music, videos, TV programs, etc.) and select only the items you want with the editing function.
• Library and playlists. Explore the library in a new way with the sidebar, drag songs to easily add them to playlists, and edit the sidebar to see only your favorite views.
• Menus. ITunes menus are now simpler and easier to use. Customize the library with the View menu or use the concept menus to take action on specific items.

But these are only the first changes. If, as we are accustomed to, Mark Gurman's predictions come true, Apple will present interesting news related to Apple Music at the next WWDC, being the one I remember the most because it is something that interests me very much the possibility of read the lyrics of the songs. They have probably reached an agreement with Musixmatch, a service that allows us to read the lyrics in streaming even if we do not have them stored on our device. This comes in handy on iOS, where we can be listening to a song, consult a widget from the Notification Center and read everything the song is saying (in any language, of course).

In any case, what is important is what we have, and we have a new version of iTunes that includes the first news.