iTunes: the Pros and Cons

The iTunes software (a free download) is a great way to manage your music even if you don't buy music from iTunes. Open it up, and interface is intuitive and easy to use-- and it incorporates more than just music. You can use iTunes to easily rip, save and burn the music from CDs you own.

With iTunes you can create any number of different playlists. For instance, if you want to listen to fast music you can play your "Fast Music" playlist, but if you're in the mood for love songs you can play your "Love Songs" playlist.

The shuffle feature in the iTunes player plays your music in a random order. You can have it choose from all your music or just the music in a selected playlist. When you have a lot of music this shuffle feature really makes things fun. It's like listening to a radio station that plays only music you like-- with no commercials.

You can also use iTunes to download and listen to free podcasts. At first I thought podcasts were boring. I'm not really interested in listening to random nobodies ramble on about their lives. But then I discovered some podcasts that are the kind of thing you would usually pay for... For instance, you can download lots of very funny stand-up comedy podcasts from Comic Strip Live. You can find educational podcasts on just about any subject, from business to parenting. Now with all this free content, I no longer have to buy audio books!

In our opinion Apple iTunes is the best music download company out there. To download the iTunes software (free) or see the features for yourself, go to iTunes.