Mac OS X Leopard - ARCAism

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CHAPTER 14 APPLE APPS INCLUDED WITH LEOPARD
Figure 14-1. A video playing in QuickTime Player
iTunes
NOTE If you generally just want to view content, then you will likely not need to upgrade to
QuickTime Pro. However, if you plan on doing any video conversion or editing, you’ll find that
QuickTime is a good way to handle certain tasks, so you may want to consider it.
iTunes (Figure 14-2) is one of Apple’s most successful software products ever. Originally
designed as a simple music library and playback application, it has since moved beyond just
music, and now includes the iTunes Store and the ability to handle not only Internet streaming
radio, but also video. Beyond that it is the primary interface used to sync up your iPod and
iPhone with your music, video, and contact and calendar data.
While iTunes is feature rich, it’s still easy to use. The iTunes toolbar provides the basic controls
to start, stop, and control the media playback, while the main window area is designed to
select and manage your media.
The main window provides a column along the left side to select your media libraries
(sorted by type) and your playlists, along with a selection to take you to the iTunes Store. The
main window area to the right is where you can view your media in a number of different ways.
TIP One particular way to find a song, album, or artist quickly is to use the browser accessible
from the menu bar by selecting View ➤ (Show|Hide) Browser (Cmd+B). When used, the
browser will appear at the top of the main window (Figure 14-3) in all views except the Cover
Flow view.