iTunes 5 adds lyrics

One thing that has barely been noticed about the new iTunes 5 upgrade announced yestereday by Apple is that they have finally added Lyrics support to their MP3 and AAC files.

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iTunes 5 adds lyrics, originally uploaded by tychay.

To get to the lyrics, simply choose “File > Get Info…” on a song. Apple also has added a property called “lyrics” to the AppleScript dictionary so full automation is now possible: imagine a small AppleScript that automatically adds lyrics from a website into your tunes.

This screenshot shows the new hybrid user interface (a cross between brushed metal and Spotlight). Things to note: the edges are less rounded, the border has been removed, there is less padding for the widgets, the brushed look has been toned down greatly, the menu on the left has been backgrounded a light blue much like SpotLight. Given that translucency is nearly gone from the Apple product line.1 I think this hints what is in store in Mac OS X Leopard. Imagine Final Cut Pro with this look! The only flaw I see currently is that the spotlight UI should respect my “Graphite” setting in the Appearance control pane 2 (Spotlight currently does).

Another thing worth noting in the screenshot is the nice Podcasting support that was added to the previous iTunes release. The Postcast I’m subscribed to here is Marcus Whitney’s Pro-PHP Podcast for PHP developers. Also the information window has changed from a depressed look to a glassy one. But I’m not sure what the significance of that is.

Something I didn’t show with this this screenshot: the new folders interface (good for Windows users who like hierarchy) or people with very large libraries.

For you PC users, another great thing that has gone unnoticed is that QuickTime 7 is out of beta.3 I can only guess that Apple is bundling this with the new iTunes download which will secretly give High Definition/H.264 support to the masses. Caitlin will be very pleased.

1 To my recollection the only translucency left is on the Apple Pro Keyboard and non-Mighty mouse. The eMac, iMac, iBook, iPod, and the iPod nano have a “snow” look which is similar.
2 I admit that the default Blue appearance in Mac OS X is much more aesthetically pleasing, but it trains the eye and causes color issues when I work with Photoshop. For that same reason, Apple’s pro applications have had a theme unique to themselves. Currently Apple has 5 styles: the default translucent, brushed metal (in old iTunes, Safari, and Finder), the pro app theme, Spotlight, and this new hybrid interface. With a little tweaking this hybrid interface can replace them all.
3 Another small change: Apple’s Quicktime website will now redirect you to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mac.html or http://www.apple.com/quicktime/win.html depending on which operating system your browser supports. Now if only there were http://www.apple.com/quicktime/lin.html.

2 thoughts on “iTunes 5 adds lyrics”

  2. Pingback: The Woodwork » Blog Archive » Since when did being a geek mean being stupid?

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