What’s Apple Doing? iTunes 5 Last Month, Now 6.

My head is spinning. Apple does it again. The age of portable video is here. iPod video. Music videos. TV programs on your iPod? How? QuickTime 7.0.3 and iTunes 6.

Wasn’t it just last month when Apple introduced iTunes version 5.0? Gone was the brushed aluminum look. New was, well, I don’t remember exactly, but I could still buy music online.

That’s changed. Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ blockbuster announcements today included a few other announcements. A new version of iTunes. This one plays music videos and lets you download music videos from the iTunes Music Store.

So, far the iTMS collect shows only the start of the video revolution (coming soon to an iMac near you). iTMS features over 2,000 music videos and many ABC and Disney TV shows.

Not to be stuck in just music videoland, Apple’s iTMS also has the latest editions of “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost.“ Expect more to come as Disney and Steve Jobs become friends all over again.

What’s new in iTunes 6?

Most of the new features are embedded in the iTunes Music Store component of iTunes. There’s that selection of music videos (I’m searching now for the Shania Twain “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” video, and Robert Palmer’s classics which spawned Shania’s versions), though not esy to find on the Music Store.

There’s also TV shows. Expect more, though the current list is slim pickin’s.

Of course, iTunes is great at playing and synchronizing and still does both. The music videos are just $1.99 each, TV shows, too. As part of the recap, don’t forget there’s over 2-million songs on iTMS, 20,000 Podcasts are listed, and there’s 11,000 audiobooks.

New, too, are Customer Reviews and Ratings. You can also get iTunes recommendations based on your musical preferences. Anything by Shania is fine with me.

A new feature, as yet untried, as I’m waiting for the upgrade to QuickTime 7.0.3. Where is it?—is the ability to buy and send music and videos as gifts. That looks like iTunes Music Cards and Gift Certificates rather than actually emailing of a song or video.

For those of us who love the name ‘Steve,‘ there’s also the Complete Stevie Wonder. As if Stevie Jobs and Stevie Nicks wasn’t enough, there’s over 500 songs and three bonus videos all yours with one click.

Then it’s off to see the Wizard and that complete six-volume Harry Potter audiobook series. Oh, and those Shania Twain videos.

I’m hoping for some additional Apple magic to get translated to the Internet, because any link that has ‘Apple’ in it is dead dawg slow today. When the dust clears and you can download, you’ll need iTunes 6.0 and QuickTime 7.0.3 to play music videos.

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