February 14, 2012

Tips to swiftly browse and sample in the iTunes Store.

Did you know there are shortcuts to previews in the iTunes Store on your computer? They let you get more information about particular items and even sample them--all without losing your place. Shortcut controls appear throughout when you hold your pointer over what you're interested in. Pause over an album in the Music store, for instance, and a small "i" will appear on the lower right. Click it to produce a panel containing information about user ratings and a track listing. Hover over a track and a play button will appear so you can listen to the preview. In the Movies and TV Show sections, hovering produces a play button which you can click to watch a trailer or video preview. Info ("i") buttons also appear in the TV Shows, App, Books, Podcasts, and iTunes U sections, and in every case clicking them will produce panels that give you access to more information.

You can also quickly navigate to departments within the iTunes Store sections. Just hold your pointer over the section names across the top of the window and click the downward pointing triangle that will appear to see and navigate directly to categories within each of them. And if you're interested in flipping through the current promos at the top of the main page in each store section, move your pointer over the rotating panel on the right and use the arrow that will appear to look through them at your own pace.