I must say, I was very happily surprised by the wonderful people at Apple yesterday. Not only have they produced the leading brand in usability and design in computers and software, but their jewel-amongst-rip-offs iTunes is now available in a book lovers version !

Apple yesterday released iTunes 8. Another new and improved version of the nifty music library and podcatching software. But to my elated astonishment, Apple has finally realised that such is certainly not all their niftiness is used for. Since long, I have had more iTunes gigs archived in the Audiobook section than the Music one. The weathered audiobook consumer will know that most audiobooks are provided in the regular MP3 or M4a format, a format that iTunes until now archived as music. Wrong !

Previously, after I had edited my audiobooks to the state I wanted them in — tracks by chapter and no silly ‘end of disc’ notifications in the middle of them ! Hmpf ! — I would get out my Mac Automator and change all track extensions from M4a to M4b so that iTunes would archive them as audiobooks instead of music. But the wonderful people at Apple have now also seen the light and built in a selection pull-down in the file options, so that I can change the archiving at the click of a pull-down ! Saves me having to use the Automator.

Now if only they would develop the iPod software in such a way that the Audiobook section is formatted the same as the Music section. Then I would be able to browse it by chapter name, artist and album on my iPod. And I wouldn’t have to work with a gihugic number of playlists to keep my audiobooks organised….

 

 

Oh well, one can hope !