Apple's iTunes is the world's most popular computerprogram for playing, managing and buying music, movies and TV shows. The company estimates the number of copies in active use to be in the high hundreds of millions. Now, Apple has given iTunes its biggest overhaul since 2003, when the software -- originally just a jukebox for Macs -- was made available for Windows computers and the built-in iTunes store was added.

I've been testing this major new version, called iTunes 11, and I consider it a significantimprovement in the look, feel, speed and function of the program, which had become somewhat bloated, sluggish and dense over the years as new features were added.

This new version won't please every iTunes user. Some familiar ways of doing things have changed and some longtime features have been axed in the name of simplification. People who use iTunes solely to organize and play their media, not to buy it from Apple, will find many more prompts to patronize the iTunes store. There also are a few small flaws Apple is pledging to fix soon.

Overall, however, I found the new iTunes a pleasure to use. The venerableprogram is now brighter and more colorful, with clever and pleasing new capabilities and faster search. There is tighter integration between the library of media that resides on your computer, and media stored in Apple's online iCloud service. Streaming from the cloud has been expanded. The store has also been made cleaner, simpler and easier to use.

I tested iTunes 11 on four computers: two PC laptops, one running Windows 7 and one the new Windows 8; and two Macs, an older desktop iMac and a late-model MacBook Air laptop. On all four machines, it ran well and smoothly, never crashing and properly playing all the local and cloud-based music and videos I tried.

In my tests, I bought a variety of new songs and videos, and they quickly became available on all my devices, including the four computers, an iPhone and an iPad. I also was able to smoothly sync an iPhone, an iPad and even a very old iPod, with no problems.

There are many small changes scattered throughout the program, but a few stand out.

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• computer [kəm´pju:tə]   n.计算机；电子计算器   (初中英语单词)
• program [´prəugræm]   n.说明v.为...安排节目   (初中英语单词)
• available [ə´veiləbəl]   a.可用的；有效的   (初中英语单词)
• improvement [im´pru:vmənt]   n.改进，改善，进步   (初中英语单词)
• function [´fʌŋkʃən]   n.机能；职责 vi.活动   (初中英语单词)
• organize [´ɔ:gənaiz]   v.组织；编组；建立   (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ]   a.奔跑的；流动的   (初中英语单词)
• properly [´prɔpəli]   ad.适当地；严格地   (初中英语单词)
• variety [və´raiəti]   n.变化；多样(性)；种类   (初中英语单词)
• originally [ə´ridʒənəli]   ad.本来；独创地   (高中英语单词)
• significant [sig´nifikənt]   a.重要的；意义重大的   (高中英语单词)
• solely [´səulli]   ad.唯一；单独；完全   (高中英语单词)
• pleasing [´pli:ziŋ]   a.使人愉快的；合意的   (高中英语单词)
• smoothly [´smu:ðli]   ad.光滑地；顺利地   (高中英语单词)
• version [´və:ʃən, ´və:rʒən]   n.翻译；说明；译本   (英语四级单词)
• venerable [´venərəbəl]   a.可尊敬的；森严的   (英语四级单词)
• cleaner [´kli:nə]   n.清洁工人；干洗商   (英语四级单词)
• sluggish [´slʌgiʃ]   a.呆滞的；偷懒的   (英语六级单词)
• patronize [´pætrənaiz]   vt.庇护；保护；赞助   (英语六级单词)