Apple has released iTunes 11.0.2 for Mac and Windows. The new build, also available for Windows 64-bit machines as iTunes 11.0.2 64-bit, adds a Composer viewing option to the Music section, plus promises greater responsiveness when syncing large playlists.
The update, which also includes performance and stability improvements, plus one notable bug fix, comes hot on the heels of a Java update released by Apple to prevent hackers accessing the computers of its employees.
The new Composers view for music doesn’t appear by default in iTunes 11.0.2; instead users need to first open the Preferences menu and tick the new "Show Composers" option on the General tab. Once done, Composers appears as another viewing option alongside existing entries such as Songs, Albums and Artists.
Unfortunately the new view does reveal the inconsistent way composers’ names are recorded in iTunes, which leads to multiple entries for co-authors, and no option to consolidate the view to show all music by a composer, whether co-authored or composed individually.
Apple also promises that the update improves iTunes’ responsiveness when syncing playlists containing a large number of songs. The only documented fix applied is one that resolves issues whereby some users’ libraries weren’t showing their purchases from the iTunes store.
The 11.0.2 update is rounded off by a number of non-specified improvements to iTunes’ performance and stability.
The update follows on from the 11.0.1 release two months ago, which restored the option for displaying all duplicate library options as well as resolving issues with a disappearing AirPlay button and iCloud items not appearing in the user’s library.
Users will be prompted to install both iTunes on launching iTunes or checking Software Update in OS X (where the Java update will also be offered). Alternatively, iTunes 11.0.2 for Windows and Mac and iTunes 11.0.2 for Windows 64-bit are both available as freeware downloads.
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