Apple has just released their latest version of iTunes, which bumps up the version number to iTunes 10.3 that will deliver a handful of features which were touted during Steve Jobs’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC 2011) keynote earlier yesterday morning – where it will arrive on Mac machines, making their way to Windows-powered computers eventually, too. Among the new features include automatic downloads which will push newly purchased iTunes music, iBooks, or apps to your Mac and iOS devices where possible, not to mention the ability to re-download previous iTunes purchases (this includes music, apps, and iBooks), as well as being able to go shopping for iBooks books via iTunes on your Mac. For a full list of Apple’s patch notes, head on after the extended post.
- Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices.
- Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music purchases again at no additional cost. Your purchases are available in the iTunes Store on your Mac or in the iTunes app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.
- iTunes 10.3 also adds Books to the iTunes Store, where you can discover and buy your favorite books on your computer and automatically download them to iBooks on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
- This version also allows you to use Automatic Downloads with apps and books or download previously purchased apps and books from your computer or iOS device.
Bear in mind that there really isn’t any method right now to view iBooks on a Mac or PC, where Apple’s terms of service for iTunes were altered so that users are able to synchronize their books to their iTunes library, letting them be viewed on an iOS device. The iTunes 10.3 update will weigh in at 74MB, so it should not take too long to appear on your machine, no?