Apple shows off Front Row, iTunes 6
As usual, Apple's big announcement today was heavier on hardware than software, with goodies for iPod lovers and Mac fans alike. But the company did manage to find a few bones to toss to the software crowd, in the form of Front Row, a new media-management application, and iTunes 6, which debuted just a month after iTunes 5 first appeared. Front Row — the kind of program the company should have come out with ages ago, to compete with XP MCE — actually seems like something of a misstep. Rather than being available as a free (or even paid) download from Apple, it's designed to work solely iPods and the latest iMac, via Apple's new remote control. While this shouldn't come as any surprise, given Apple's history of locking customers into its hardware/software platform, Front Row could have been a real opportunity for the Mac to compete more aggressively as a media platform; instead, it's almost an afterthought, designed to sell another piece of hardware. Apple's other software announcement, the release of iTunes 6, was tied to another piece of hardware: the new, video-capable iPod. New features for those of us not ready to hand over $299 for another little white (or black) box are mainly enhancements to the iTunes Music Store, including the ability to buy music videos, rate and recommend music, get custom recommendations, and buy music as a gift for someone else.
