iTunes 2 Now Available -- iTunes 2, introduced with Apple's new iPod, is now available as a free download. Currently the showcase of Apple's digital hub strategy, the music player adds a 10-band equalizer with 22 presets, a crossfader for smooth transitions between songs, and automatic synchronization with the iPod (see "iPod Makes Music More Attractive" in TidBITS-603). The update also boasts CD burning at twice the speeds of the original version. iTunes 2 is available for Mac OS 9.0.4 or later (Mac OS 9.1 if you want to burn audio CDs) as a 3.4 MB download.

A separate iTunes 2.0.1 for Mac OS X is also available, after Apple pulled the first version due to a problem with the installer that could either erase files or set permissions incorrectly - see TidBITS Talk for more details. (If you downloaded iTunes 2 for Mac OS X and encountered no difficulties, you don't need to install version 2.0.1. However, Apple recommends that you delete the iTunes.pkg installer file - go to the Library folder at the top level of your hard disk, open the Receipts folder, and locate the file there.) iTunes 2.0.1 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X 10.1, and is a 3.9 MB download. U.S. English and Japanese versions are currently available; Apple says additional localizations will be available soon. [JLC]

<http://www.apple.com/itunes/>
<http://www.apple.com/ipod/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/06608>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=1515>