After downloading the latest version of iTunes from Apple's web site, all you need to do is mount the disk image, and run the standard package installer. You will need an administrative password to do so.

iTunes is one of the best iApps that Apple has given us. It is far and away my favorite MP3 player, and the CD burning capabilities are excellent. I love the way the playlists work, it's great fun watching the visuals, organizing my songs is very easy, and finding songs in my long list of MP3s is easy. iTunes is packed with features.

Of course, the main feature is MP3 playing. I may not have the best ear for music, but I can tell iTunes plays MP3s better than most other players available. Less skipping is one of the main reasons I like iTunes better than the competition. Also, starting with iTunes 2, Apple included a very good equalizer with many presets, so my songs sound that much better. Apple also includes crossfade between songs, a sound enhancer, and a volume flattener; all are OK, but unnecessary.

Beyond MP3 playback, we have the organizational skills of iTunes. All of the songs go into a music library, which can then be divided into playlists. Playlists are nothing new, but organization by ID3 Tags is spectacular. I can not only sort my songs by title, artist, or album, but also genre, date added, ratings, play count, song length, and more. I can always find what I want, when I want.

Keeping on the playlist and organization track, iTunes 3 introduced a new feature called smart playlists. These dynamic playlists adjust themselves to your settings, adding and removing songs as needed. You can have smart playlists that show your favorite songs, recently played, genre specific, never been listened to, and so much more. A great way to categorize your songs without much work on your part.

Other new features to iTunes 3 are a ratings system and a play count. The ratings system lets you rate your MP3s on a scale of 1 to 5. Mainly, this is only helpful for the smart playlists, but could come in handy if you want others to know what you like, and what you hate. The play count feature is simply a way of knowing how many times you have played a particular song. It automatically updates when the song is finished, with no user interaction whatsoever. Again, this is mainly to assist in the smart playlists idea.

Moving on, CD Burning in iTunes is fantastic. By selecting to burn a playlist full of songs, you can either burn a MP3 CD or an audio CD with ease. Simply follow the on screen instructions, and iTunes will properly burn everything the way you want. This alone makes iTunes stand out in the crowd, as CD burning is usually never handled by a MP3 player.

That's not all, iTunes 3 also has visual effects, MP3/WAV/AIFF ripping from CDs, the ability to join CD tracks, MP3 converter, and streaming radio stations. Streaming radio means you can listen to radio stations over the Internet. It's great for finding new songs and old favorites. These extra features just boost iTunes' rating among its competitors to nearly unreachable levels.

I have not had any problems with the iTunes software.

iTunes 3 is one of the greatest MP3 players I have used. The organizational features are very good, CD Burning is very easy, and MP3 playback sounds spectacular.

Pros	Cons
Great MP3 playback Easy CD Burning Playlists are easy to use Visuals look good Steaming radio stations Very good importing of MP3s from CDs Smart playlists and ratings are cool new features Very good ID3 tag handling good searching and browsing tools	Crossfade can sometimes be annoying Visuals are heavy on CPU usage, and can be slow or jerky
10/10 stars