Genius, iPod Touch, and Apple Mac Laptops

Wow – Apple Mac laptops and the iPod Touch just keep getting better and better. My iPod Touch has become our family’s favorite device.

And now with Steve Jobs unveiling the new iPods and the new iPod Touch the combination is truly sweet.

The best news, of course is that you don’t need to buy a new iPod Touch to use the enhanced features. The upgrade to version 2.1 of the iPod Touch software is free to first generation Touch users who previously purchased the upgrade to 2.0. And if you didn’t previously purchase this upgrade you can purchase it now. As part of the upgrade to version 2.1 you must update your iTunes software to version 8.  All of this upgrading can be done at the same time that you upgrade your device. Apple makes it easy by checking your version for you, and the installer informs you whether you will need to upgrade iTunes or not.

One new feature of the 2.1 software is the ability to create what Apple is referring to as a Genius playlist. This is a playslist that iTunes creates for you using your own Music Library and also suggestions of similar songs that are available in the iTunes store that it determines you may enjoy. Sort of big-brotherish, but I figured – why not? It must be pretty cool if Apple thinks it is a big deal.

Once you have iTunes 8 up and running, you must opt in to turn on the Genius feature. This is because iTunes will need to collect the information about your own music library. Although this info is stored anonymously, Apple still needs your permission to access it.

And I must say, that I was impressed with the playlist that was generated from my music and the suggested songs that I don’t own  as well. I can see this feature as being a big money maker for the iTunes store. The list of suggestions included many songs that I love but haven’t heard recently – a walk down memory lane, if you will. And, yes, I was very tempted to purchase some of them.

Everything that I have described so far is done on Apple Mac laptops, desktops, and even Windows computers in iTunes.

On the iPod Touch, the Genius feature was not immediately available to me. Whether this was a glitch because  I upgraded both the device and iTunes at the same time, I’m not sure. I searched around a bit and what seemed to work was going into the iTunes store on my computer and in the top menu bar, making sure that Genius was turned on under the “Store” option tab – which it was. And then re-syncing my iPod Touch.

Now when I go to Music on my Touch, I can select a song, tap the screen with the Album Art once to bring up the control progress bar. Immediately under this is the genius symbol. If I tap this, my iPod Touch creates a Genius playlist using my existing music library. All the songs are of a similar genre.

This is especially convenient if you haven’t made a playlist of your own selections ahead of time. Say you are feeling like a bit of jazz. Pick a song and iTunes will pick the rest. If you find yourself at the gym without a premade playlist, pick a work out song and iTunes will pull together a list of upbeat songs that will conjure up a good sweat. So far, the automatic selections have been quite acceptable to me. Definitely a big timesaver.

Just another way that Apple is working technology into our everyday lives.