iTunes 9.1, the latest update of Apple’s media munching desktop app, should arrive just in time for the US iPad launch this Saturday. Rumours of the changes we’re set to see in iTunes 9.1 have slipped out ahead of its arrival with the expected addition of iPad ebook support, tweaks to Genius Mixes and automatic bitrate conversion on the cards.
While the features we’ve seen predicted for iTunes 9.1 aren’t confirmed, they seem like a safe bet. Apple is apparently going to ditch the current “Audiobooks” section in the iTunes Store and replace it with a broader “Books” category to cover both ebooks for the iBooks app and audio books.
We’ve heard previously that the iBooks app will not be available to us at the UK iPad launch so though while it’s likely we’ll get the iTunes 9.1 software update at the same time as the US, the UK iTunes store will probably remain unchanged.
Besides the addition of the “Books” section to the iTunes Store, iTunes 9.1 will reportedly introduce tweaks to the Genius Mixes feature. iTunes 9.1 will let you rearrange, rename and delete Genius Mixes. They’ll also apparently added as sources for iTunes DJ.
The reported addition of automatic bitrate conversion for all iPods and the iPhone will please audiophile iPod owners. Currently only the iPod Shuffle benefits from iTunes converting songs to 128 Kbps AAC files to sync to your device while maintaining better quality files on your computer.
We’re fairly certain we’ll see all the rumoured features in the iTunes 9.1 update. What we’re not sure is when the update will officially arrive though it’s likely that iTunes 9.1 will emerge blinking into the light before US iPad lovers start tapping at their tablets.
Due TBC | £free | Apple (via Mac Rumours)
