iTunes 11 finally arrived, and the first question I had was pretty simple: is this really a major redesign, or is it mostly a cleaner coat of paint on the same iTunes underneath?
After installing it from the Mac App Store, I took a first pass through the new interface, the library views, connected device screens, the mini player, and the iTunes Store to see what actually changed.
Quick Answer
The quick answer is that iTunes 11 looks noticeably cleaner and more modern, but a lot of the underlying structure still feels familiar. The install was smooth, under 200 MB, and I did not see any obvious library database conversion during the first launch.
The biggest immediate changes are the redesigned main library view with album art, the new placement for connected devices, the more compact mini player, and refreshed navigation between Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Books, Apps, Radio, and the iTunes Store.
Installation Experience
The update came through the Mac App Store and installed without much drama. It was under 200 MB, and at least during my initial install, I did not see iTunes stop to run a visible database conversion or rebuild process.
The app icon changed as well. The music note appears to have moved from the older black note look to a white note, which matches the broader visual refresh.
New Library Layout
The first thing that stands out in iTunes 11 is the main library screen. Instead of feeling like the older list-heavy iTunes layout, the main view puts album artwork front and center.
Music can still be viewed in several familiar ways, including Songs, Albums, Artists, Genres, Playlists, and Radio. That matters because even though the new album-art view looks nicer, list view is still available when you want something more practical.
Preferences Feel Familiar
Apple presented iTunes 11 as a significant redesign, but the preferences did not feel dramatically different during this first look. Most of the settings appeared to be in the same general shape as before.
That is not necessarily a bad thing. If you already knew where things were in iTunes, the learning curve does not look too steep. It does make the update feel more like a visual and navigation redesign than a complete rebuild.
Connected Devices Moved
Connected devices now show up on the right side of the interface. In my case, an iPad was connected and appeared there with the basic device information available when selected.
The device management screen still looked familiar. A lot of the settings and sync controls seemed similar to previous versions, so if you manage iPads, iPods, or other Apple devices through iTunes, this part should not feel completely foreign.
One thing I wondered about right away is how crowded that device area might become for someone with several Apple devices connected or associated with iTunes.
Mini Player And Current Playlist
The mini player is very compact in iTunes 11. It keeps the controls tight and includes a drop-down view for the current playlist.
The current playlist view is one of the nicer practical touches. You can see what is queued, whether shuffle is on, and it appears you can make changes to the live playlist from there.
Movies, TV, Podcasts, Books, And Apps
The Movies section follows the same general visual direction, with cover art taking a larger role. When scrolling quickly through artwork-heavy sections, I could still see a little lag, but the graphics filled in after a fraction of a second.
TV Shows, Podcasts, and Books are also still present, so iTunes 11 remains the central hub for more than just music.
The Apps section still separates apps by device type, including iPad and iPod. Available updates now appear along the bottom, which is a small but useful placement change.
iTunes Store Changes
The iTunes Store was also refreshed, although at first glance it still keeps a lot of the same general layout ideas. It looks cleaner, but it did not feel like a completely different store.
One small moment of confusion was figuring out how to get back out of the store. The answer was to click Library. That is the kind of interface change that may take a few minutes to adjust to if you are used to the older iTunes layout.
iTunes Match And iCloud
Because iTunes Match was enabled on my setup, I also saw the cloud icon appear in the library area. That appears to be tied to iTunes Match being active.
I did not do a full test of iTunes Match behavior in this first pass, but it is clearly still part of the iTunes 11 experience.
First Impression
My first impression is that iTunes 11 is a solid-looking update. It definitely looks better than the previous version, and the new album-focused interface makes the app feel lighter and more modern.
At the same time, much of the deeper device management and settings structure still feels like iTunes. That leaves me wondering how much changed under the hood versus how much is a redesigned interface on top of the existing app.
The next real test will be how iTunes 11 works with Apple TVs and other connected devices. I did not see any matching Apple TV updates at the time of this first look, so that part needs more real-world testing.
Key Takeaways
- iTunes 11 installed smoothly from the Mac App Store and was under 200 MB.
- The update brings a cleaner interface with album artwork featured prominently in the main library view.
- Songs, Albums, Artists, Genres, Playlists, Radio, and list-style views are still available.
- Connected devices now appear on the right side, but device settings still feel familiar.
- The mini player is more compact and includes access to the current playlist.
- The iTunes Store looks refreshed, but getting back to the library may take a moment the first time.
Watch the Video
The video above above to see the first launch, the new iTunes 11 layout, the mini player, device view, app section, and iTunes Store navigation as I walk through them for the first time.
