My MacOS X

iTunes

In iTunes, a very useful feature is the File » Show Duplicates menu item. As expected by its name, you can use this feature to help weed out duplicates from your iTunes library. However, many people  have different versions of songs, remixes and such, which will show up as duplicates when using this feature.

The solution is to hold down the option key prior to selecting this menu item. When you do, Show Duplicates changes to Show Exact Duplicates. In this mode, iTunes shows only true duplicates, and not remixes or alternate versions.

NOTE: Show Exact Duplicates via the option key has been available at least since iTunes v8.0 from Fall ‘08.

Of course for more power, flexibility and panache you should check out Dupin software.

It’s possible to start iTunes in safe mode for troubleshooting iTunes. If you hold down Command and Option when launching iTunes, it will start up in Safe Mode (after you confirm via a dialog that appears).

Safe Mode prevents third party visualizers and device plug-ins from loading. Also prevent an iPod/iPhone from auto-syncing.

Today Apple released a new iTunes 9.0.1 update for MacOS X and Windows systems. iTunes 9.0.1 provides a number of important bug fixes.

In iTunes 9, if you wanted the miniature iTunes player window, you had to hold the Option key while clicking the green button. As of iTunes 9.0.1, the pre-iTunes 9 behavior has returned—clicking the green button switches to the miniature player mode. (Option-clicking the green button now maximizes the window.)

iTunes 9.01

iTunes 9 comes with many new features and improvements, including:

• Resolves issues browsing the iTunes Store.
• Addresses a performance issue where iTunes may become unresponsive.
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit.
• Fixes a problem syncing Podcasts in playlists to iPod or iPhone.
• Fixes a problem sorting albums with multiple discs.
• Addresses an issue with the Zoom button not switching to Mini Player.
• Improves application syncing for iPod touch and iPhone.
• Genius is now automatically updated to show Genius Mixes.
• An improved look and feel, including a new Column Browser for easily browsing your artists or albums, movies, TV shows, and more.
• iTunes Store has a brand new look, with improved navigation for quick and easy exploration.
• iTunes LP and iTunes Extras create unique experiences that feature exclusive interviews, videos, photos, and more — available with select album and movie purchases on the iTunes Store.
• Home Sharing helps you manage your family’s iTunes collection between computers in your home. iTunes can automatically transfer new purchases, or you can choose just the items you want.
• Genius Mixes are created for you by iTunes and play songs from your library that go great together.
• iPod and iPhone syncing now allows you to organize your iPhone and iPod touch home screens directly in iTunes. Syncing is now also more flexible, allowing you to sync individual artists, genres, or TV show and Podcast episodes.
• iTunes U items are now organized into their own section in your iTunes library.
• Sync with iPod nano (5th generation), iPod classic (Fall 2009), and iPod touch (Fall 2009).
• iTunes 9 also includes many other improvements, such as HE-AAC encoding and playback, more flexibility with Smart Playlists rules, simpler organization of your media files inside an iTunes Media folder, and more.

The 82.95MB iTunes 9.0.1 update is available through Software Update, or via Apple’s download page.

Smart Playlists in iTunes 9 can now be more than just (A and B) or (A or B or C) to build a playlist. Now the rules can be combined and nested. In addition to the plus and minus buttons, there’s a new three-dot (ellipsis-like) button to generate the nested rules. For example, A and (B or C) was previously not possible.

In iTunes 9, you can now do this. First add rule A and set the top “Match” criteria to All. After you have rule A done, click on the three-dot button to get a lower level rule, add rule B and set its applicability pop-up to Any. Finally, click the plus sign and add rule C. This will create the logical structure of A and (B or C). You can get even more fancy and click the three-dot button again, and add a D or E conditional, giving you a final rule structure of A and (B or C and (D or E)).

When you are  installed iTunes 9 and  pressed the green zoom button, expecting to get the ultra-small iTunes player window. But this time it didn’t come out that way, it just made the window much larger.

1. Option-clicking the zoom button now creates the mini player window. (A standard click on the zoom button will return it to normal size.)
2. Also In iTunes 9, there’s a new menu item for the mini player, View » Switch to Mini Player (Shift-Command-M), which is a much better solution.
3. As before, you can also drag the lower right corner of the mini player’s window to remove the song display area, making for a very small controller-only window.