Mountain View Computer Users Group

One of the reasons I got a new 17" iMac in February was so that I could load all of my music CDs into it. Then I would be able to use Apple's iTunes program to store, organize, and play the music in a variety of ways.

Store. When music is copied into the computer, iTunes compresses the data, using a format called MP3. The reason is that a typical music CD holds about a half a Gigabyte of data. At this rate, just a few dozen CDs would overload the usual hard drive on a computer. I delayed copying my CDs into my new iMac because I had read that Apple was coming out with a new compression format called AAC (Advance Audio Coding) that gives better quality sound with smaller file sizes than does MP3.

Organize. After your music is in the iTunes library, you are able to sort it in a variety of ways. These include song title, album title, recording artist, composer, length of play, how recently you played the tune, etc. From your library of music, you develop what are called "playlists". For example you could include all your Beatle songs you haven't played for the last year, etc.

Play. Of course you can play the music on your computer while you work or just to use it as a recorded music source. If your computer has just a puny little speaker, you can add external stereo speakers or even a whole surround sound system at a very small cost (see Dealmac.com). Other ways you can listen to your playlists is to burn them onto CDs or even DVDs, assuming you have this capability. If you really like to carry your music around, you can load it into a portable device, such as Apple' s iPod that will hold thousands of songs and can be connected with your car radio.

Rumor had it that Apple was doing some exciting things in music, and on April 28 Apple held an event in San Francisco, which they promised would be "music to your ears". CEO Steve Jobs announced new models of the iPod and an update of iTunes, along with the opening of an online music download service.

Jobs said that while the competition had not yet caught up with the iPod's first generation, Apple was already coming out with a third generation. The three new devices are smaller, lighter, and hold more music than their predecessors. Instead of 5GB, 10GB, and 20GB, the new ones have capacities of 10GB, 15GB, and 30GB, still at the old prices of $299, $399, and $499. The largest will store 7500 tunes in your shirt or blouse pocket!

The new iPods support the new compression format I had been anticipating, AAC, so you get more and better quality music in less space. In addition to storing music, the iPods still let you maintain your contacts, calendar, and to-do lists. But now you can also play three new games and read downloaded text information, such as restaurant reviews and news articles.

The 15GB and 30GB models come with a carrying case, a wired remote, and a new iPod dock. The dock stays connected to your Mac FireWire port, so you just slip the iPod into the dock and it synchronizes its contents with all the new tunes you've added to your computer. There's also an audio out line, so you can connect the dock with powered speakers or your stereo system.

The primary change in the iTunes program is that it will now encode your music in either MP3 or the new AAC format. The program is also your contact with the new download service, the iTunes Music Store. Just click a button and up comes the store through your Internet access.

Previously, only Windows users could buy downloaded music over the Internet, and these services were cumbersome to use, with most requiring a monthly fee. Never one for understatement, Steve Jobs told Fortune Magazine, in a cover story on the Apple Music Store, "This will go down in history as turning point for the recording industry."

The "revolutionary" iTunes Music Store enables you to browse through and buy from 200,000 tracks online, with more being added all the time. Listen to 30-second previews of songs, and when you find one you want, you buy it with just one click for only 99 cents (after you've set up a credit card arrangement). If you want a whole album, most of them go for $9.99. The songs or albums are immediately downloaded through the Internet into your iTunes library.

Jobs has made arrangements with all five of the big music companies to offer their recordings for sale, and some songs are available for online purchase exclusively through this Apple service. When the music is in your iTunes library, it can be played on your computer, burned onto CDs and DVDs, or carried around in your iPod, just as if you had uploaded it from a physical CD. (There are some limitations on how many computers, discs, and iPods you can use it on, but I won't go into that here.)

Many of you are thinking, "That's all well and good, but what does this have to do with me? I'm not that involved with recorded music." Well, let me say that I was amazed at how many CDs I found I had. About 120, and that doesn't include a few dozen my wife still has squirreled away in her study and in the console of her car. And, the worst part is that it's difficult for me to find the music I want when I want it, because it's on so many discs in so many locations.

At a low average of just $10 per disc, we have about $1500 invested in music that we aren't getting the full benefit from. You may be surprised at how much more you might be involved with your music, if it was more accessible, and if you could buy more of it so conveniently.

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