Apple has switched on its Genius recommendation engine for videos, two weeks after releasing the latest version of iTunes (download for Windows and Mac) without the promised feature.
iLounge spotted the new Genius feature, which recommends movies or television shows you might be interested in purchasing from the iTunes Store based on your current video library. Apple unveiled a similar feature for music last year, but one notable difference with the video version is that it only seems to work with videos that have been purchased from Apple, according to iLounge's early testing.
When iTunes 8.1 shipped earlier this month, the company initially said the video Genius feature would be available in the release notes for that software, but it was not active. At the time, an Apple representative promised the company would activate the feature "in the coming days."
Updated at 10:44 a.m. with a comment from Apple.
Apple's notes on iTunes 8.1, an update released Wednesday, as was a new iPod Shuffle, promised a list of new and improved features.
Among them is an update to the Genius feature that makes recommendations based on favorite music that users select from their own library, and lets them play clips of those recommended songs from a sidebar.
It's a neat and convenient feature, which is why the Internet was abuzz when it was rumored, and then Apple's iTunes 8.1 release notes confirmed, that the iTunes 8.1 update "adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows."
It would be really convenient to watch a video clip in sidebar without having to enter the iTunes store home page.
But after updating to the new version, there is still no Genius button offered in the lower-right tool bar when in the library for TV or movies.
If you try choosing a TV show from within the Purchased library and click on the Genius button you get this message, "Genius sidebar only works with music. Select a song in your library to see related music."
While declining to comment on how this Genius gaffe happened or who was at fault, an Apple spokesman did return my call to say simply, "The feature isn't live yet, but it will be in the coming days."
Apple released an update to its iTunes music management software on Wednesday, adding a host of enhancements as well as support for a new line of iPod Shuffles it released earlier in the day.
In addition to some security fixes, iTunes 8.1 adds new features to Genius--a feature that lets you put songs together in your library that somehow "go great together"--and support for CD imports to iTunes Plus.
Among the other enhancements Apple made:
• Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ.
• Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows.
• Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs.
• Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods.
• Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls.
The update comes on the heels of Apple's unveiling earlier Wednesday of a new iPod Shuffle. The new device, which is smaller than a AA battery, adds a new VoiceOver feature that can recite song titles, artists, and playlist names, as well as provide status information, such as battery life. Apple claims the gadget's battery life clocks in at 10 hours.
In conjunction with the iTunes update, Apple also released an update to Front Row, its media application for that allows users to access music, movies, and TV shows in one place, although the company did not detail the update.
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