This past September, Apple announced an upcoming iTunes 11. It has taken awhile, but the new iTunes has finally arrived. This version of iTunes is uniquely different, includes some improved features, and is much easier to use than past version of iTunes. Here’s what you can expect from the latest iTunes update.

A Streamlined User Interface

The iTunes interface needed some work. In the past, adding new songs to playlists and clearly viewing all purchased songs was somewhat tricky. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. The new iTunes includes an extra helping of artwork, so that you can clearly see album covers when searching for tines (something that Apple seems to have borrowed from the iPad music app). One of the biggest changes has to do with playlists.

Now, when you begin a playlist, you will see a small dedicated playlist pane. From there, you can easily drag and drop songs and albums efficiently. Instead of switching from your drag and drop process to a playlist, the dedicated pane allows you to see what you’re doing without actually exiting the program – a vast improvement. Apple has also made it simpler to add content from any Apple device.

Prior to the update, it wasn’t possible to add a new device to iTunes without opening up a large window that effectively covered the whole iTunes screen. Now, a smaller pane will open when connecting a device, so that you can simply switch from one function to the next without blocking an entire playlist or screen. Apple has also made it much simpler to view content while switching from one device to the next.

From Your Computer to Your TV: It’s All There

With the new iTunes, you no longer have to download content to your computer in order to access it in iTunes. The new iTunes lets you see everything that’s included in your library, whether you have downloaded it onto your computer or not. So, you could watch a movie on your tablet, pause the movie, and pick up where you left off on your MacBook without skipping a beat. This concept will be particularly useful to those who have Apple TV and want to, for example, continue watching a show or movie on a laptop instead of in the living room.

Apple has also made improvements to the iTunes Store. When searching for new content, iTunes will show you a quick link to the content in your current iTunes library that matches, so that you can see similar tracks or find songs or movies that resemble the ones you currently have. In the end, Apple has really worked to make sure that the new iTunes is an all-in-one kind of deal.

With user-friendliness at the forefront, it’s easy to see why the new iTunes is gaining a lot of press. This is, so far, the biggest change that Apple has made to iTunes since the program was invented. With the new iTunes comes better integration, a much clearer and less bloated user interface, and plenty of excellent new features. iTunes 11 is up and running now.