Mac OS X 10.4.4 and iTunes 6.2 Update

Three things in the Mac OS X 10.4.4 update caught my eye:

1. .Mac now syncs which RSS feed items you have and haven’t read in Safari.
2. iChat can now detect when you’re using a Bluetooth headset as your audio device.
3. 10.4.4 now allows you to reinstall bundled software from Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later DVDs, instead of receiving an “Error Reading Package – The package is damaged and cannot be read” alert.

I got bit by number 3 on on my new PowerBook. I couldn’t install the Developer Tools from the DVD that came with the PowerBook, and had to resort to an alternative.

The update to iTunes, iTunes 6.2, reports to the mothership, also known as Apple, regarding what you are listening to; the lower quarter of the main iTunes window then displays albums available from the iTunes store. Sometimes this might be a Good Thing, but right now it’s mildly annoying. I know what information Apple is receiving, but since I don’t know what they’re doing with it, and since it’s tied to my Apple I.D., I’ve disabled the Apple iTunes store via the Parental Controls in iTunes Preferences, rather than using the”Show/Hide Mini Store in the Edit menu.

On the other hand, I am quite pleased that now I no longer have to decide, via the pop-up menu in the lower right hand quadrant of the iTunes window, whether I want to use external speakers via the Airport Express, or my computer’s built-in speakers; now there’s a third option, that uses both, “Multiple speakers.” I wonder what happens if you have more than one Airport Express . . .

UPDATE 1/18/2006:See this post.