Chapter 2. iTunes

iTunes is an application that enables you to search for music, import it, organize it, play it, and share it with others. The mesmerizing iTunes visualizer feature creates dazzling visual-effects shows that are synchronized to your music selection. With iTunes and an Internet connection you can connect to dozens of Internet radio stations offering a wide variety of music and talk radio.

Create your own playlists that contain the songs you want, in the order you want. Then burn a CD of your favorite collections to take with you wherever you go. Create Smart Playlists that automatically organize songs into collections based on conditions that you set. If you want to play songs randomly, use iTune's "Party Shuffle" feature that shuffles songs around in a playlist, also based on conditions you set.

The online iTunes Music Store provides a place to search for music, preview and buy it. Thirty-second previews of more than a million songs are available, including hundreds of exclusive pre-release tracks and many rare, out-of-date albums. You can check out the top music from the Billboard 100 (going back to 1946) and the current top music charts for more than 1,000 radio stations. Watch music videos, then get the music track from the video. You can even watch the latest movie trailers at the iTunes Music Store.

iTunes is closely integrated with the other iLife applicationsiPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBandmaking it easy to add music to slideshows, movies, DVDs, and to your own music arrangements.

Caution: iTunes is addictive. Just listening to the thirty-second previews on the iTunes Music Store can turn into hours of fun and relaxation.