Another day, another Apple software update. This time, iTunes 8.0.1 and Apple TV 2.2 have been bestowed upon us. iTunes 8.0.1 includes the infamous improved stability and performance. I know we’ve all been waiting a long time for it, but it’s finally here.
In all seriousness, it specifically fixes several aspects of the new Genius feature. Creating new Genius playlists will no longer interfere with the currently playing song and Genius results will sync better to your iPod. Wait, there’s more including syncing spoken menus to the iPod nano, checking for App Store updates, VoiceOver accessibility, and addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes as they download. Specifics are awesome.
Apple TV 2.2 includes both security and feature improvements. Maliciously crafted movies and pictures could both be used to crash the Apple TV, but both have been fixed. The Apple TV now supports the Genius features introduced in iTunes 8. Clicking and holding on a song now includes an option to “Start Genius”. My Music also now has a Genius submenu.
Hop to Software Update and get to work.
One of the features of the update was standby mode (hold the play/pause button down for 3 seconds). What I want to know is what's actually new about this. Previously you could hold the play/pause button down (for about 6 seconds) and it would go into what appeared to be a standby mode - the screen would shut off and the light on the front of the unit would shut off. The only problem with this mode was after a couple days of non-usage I'd notice the light had turned back on.
My best guess is this new standby mode simply uses less power than the old one - maybe it goes into a deeper sleep? But I'd really like to know if there's a concrete answer.