It's a great tool for efficiently handling large volumes of music by converting it to a form of data. The down side is that efficiently handling large volumes of music in the form of data kinda sucks all the fun out of music.

iTunes has been getting better and better over the years, but some of its best features are still a little hidden. My favorite tool is still the smart playlist feature, which allow you to create a playlist that automatically updates with new music according to any characteristics you can think of including song rating, date of last play, genre, you name it.

My favorite new feature has to be Genius, which, in most cases, creates an entirely fresh playlist of music I didn't know I liked or had forgotten about entirely, all from a single click of a button when I hear a song I really happen to enjoy at the moment. Since my taste in music fluctuates based upon my mood and what I'm doing, this is an amazing way to create a perfect playlist, instantly.

My only complaint about genuis is that it doesn't have enough data on occasion, and it works best as a tool to discover songs in your own catalog rather than for finding new music recommendations.

I also use iTunes rather prolifically for podcasts, which basically supersede the need for audio books in my life. The iTunes store makes it easy to discover new ones you might like via the sidebar recommendations they expose on each podcast page.

Last, and very much the icing on the cake without much practical purpose, their new audio visualizer is mesmerizing.

Obviously, your rating for I-Tunes will parallel your rating for your particular I-Pod. . .

It's easy software to use and play with. . .gives updates necessary for the software and the hardware (I-Pod) . . .allows you to easily categorize and go through your music selections.

Real bonus- you can make backup discs of your music in case you have to move your songs to a new computer. . .

The catalog of I-Tunes is a drawback. (Some music you'll find. . .some you won't. . ..) But it's a solid piece of software that I could recommend.

Good.

use it

uhhhhhhhhhhh ill use limewire

all the purchased music needs to be able to be played on every music player and device

These are great. A lot of variety in music as well. My niece and nephew have filled their iPods with whatever crap teenagers listen to these days...while my brother-in-law fills his with ragtime, dixieland, and big band.

Good to load the music one buck for a song screw that I use limewire.

I cannot recommend strongly enough Apple ITunes. This is a wonderful free program and even if you don't buy an IPod, you can load your music cd's into your computer and play them through your computer with ITunes. Of course, you must have some speakers on your computer. You can buy tunes from ITunes for only 99 cents, but let me give you a piece of advice. Limit the amount you are going to spend in a month and stick to it. The songs will be there in the future. You will wind up with a whopping credit card bill if you don't watch your step!

iTunes is simply the most elegant system out there. They deliver. As promised.

iTunes (for Windows) has the potential to be a great product. But BUYER BEWARE! While the system has the capability to determine how many times a song has been copied, Apple apparently doesn't have the technology to tell if the download of your purchased music was successful. You will be charged for the song(s) before you have the music. Apple gives you some information on system requirements for successful downloads. However, it offers no information on how to test your system to ensure you will be able to download. Apple did finally refund my money, but they claim to be doing me a favor. How nice...giving me my money back for a product I never received.