iTunes 10.5 now available ahead of iOS 5 launch

Apple has pushed iTunes 10.5, the latest version of its media management software, live for users to download via its official website. The latest version of iTunes brings support for iOS 5 and iCloud, as well as some small changes to the user interface. From Apple’s official release notes for the new version of iTunes: iTunes in the Cloud. iTunes now stores your purchases in iCloud and makes them available on your devices anywhere, any time, at no additional cost. Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices. Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music, TV, app, and book purchases again, at no additional cost. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store. Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5. Wi-Fi Syncing. Automatically sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes any time they’re both on the same Wi-Fi network. I recommend grabbing the update as soon as possible, because trying to get it tomorrow when Apple’s servers are busy dealing with the demand for iOS 5 might not be nearly as easy.

Getting rid of duplicate tracks in your iTunes library

While iTunes isn’t a favorite when it comes to managing music, a lot of us use it anyway due to our iPhone addiction. One of my pet peeves is duplicate songs in my library. They just take up space and can be a pain to track down. Thankfully, iTunes has a useful function that makes it easier to identify duplicate tracks.

By default when you click the File menu button, you have the option of selecting “Display Duplicates” to show duplicate tracks in your library. The problem with this is that it includes items such as compilation albums or movie soundtracks that you do not necessarily want to delete if you want to maintain your full collection. If you have a large library, this can be a long list.

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