How to move iTunes music and playlists to another computer

You just bought a new computer and now you want to move your iTunes music and playlists from the old computer to the new one.

Turning on Home Sharing

This Apple support page contains several migration methods, but I prefer the Home Sharing option because it's easier (works for iTunes 9 and above -- mine is version 11).  If you have lower versions, manually moving the files may be better for you. Check out this apple support page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

To do the Home Sharing method, just turn on Home Sharing on the old computer. Click File > Home Sharing. Enter your Apple ID.

Go to your new computer, click Store > Authorize this computer. Enter the Apple ID you used in your old computer.

Authorizing a computer in iTunes

Now turn on Home Sharing on your new computer. File > Home Sharing (use the same Apple ID you used earlier). Next, view the right bar of your new iTunes. Your old library should now show up. Click the arrow to expand the items. Click one of the songs in the main window and then click Edit > Select All. Then at the lower right window, click the Import button. This will import all songs to your new iTunes.

Warning: This may take a while if you have an extensive collection and you're connected over slow wifi. 

Exporting Libraries and Playlists

Lastly, transfer your playlists. In your old computer, click File > Library > Export Library. This outputs your library information into an XML file which you should save on your Desktop (to find it more quickly). Copy this file into your new computer using a thumb drive or by emailing to yourself (I used AirDrop since I had the feature on both Macs). Then, in your new computer's iTunes, click File > Library > Import Playlist.

The good thing about this method is that it works, even if you've already put music into your new computer.

Using iPod Touch as iTunes Remote

Thanks to iPod Software 2.0, I can do more with my iPod Touch. One neat way is to use my iPod Touch as a remote.
Make sure you have Software 2.0 installed in your iPod Touch and your iTunes playlists shared.

To share your iTunes playlist:

1. Click on iTunes Preferences.
2. Click the Sharing icon.
3. Check "Share my library on my local network".
4. Click OK.

Next, download Remote from the App Store:

1. In iTunes, go to the App Store (click Applications and click "Get more applications" in the lower right of the iTunes window).
2. Look for the app called "Remote" and download it. 
3. Install in your iPod Touch.
   

Now go to your iPod Touch and tap on Remote. Follow the easy instructions in your iPod Touch. Once you're connected, you'll see the playlists shared in your computer. You can browse and play any of the songs available.

iPod Touch Karaoke

Add lyrics to your songs and display them in iPod Touch.

I discovered this by accident, while updating the album covers of my collection. To add song lyrics, go to iTunes. Click a song and then press Command-i (get info). Click the "Lyrics" tab and paste the song lyrics there. Sync with your iPod Touch.

Now listen to the song in iPod Touch. While the song is playing, tap the screen. The lyrics will now be displayed in scrollable format.

I get my song lyrics by browsing on the web and copy-pasting.

Celebrities and Geeks: Mac Switch Podcast

Podcast update. We have started looking for geeks and celebrities who we can invite to speak about why they love using the Mac. Our friend Ian has already suggested two celebs. We know another famous personality who's very busy but who we may be able to pull for a short Skype call. We also have several hardcore programmers who can talk about how the Mac OS helps them do better coding, and friends in the media who use Macs to produce videos.

For now, we won't tell you who these are, so we won't jinx the invitiations :)

Abangan!

That Controversial iPod Touch Software Upgrade

I recently got Firmware 1.1.3 for my iPod Touch. So far, the only noticeable difference was a change in the appearance of the dock and some enhancements to the icons.

I was excited to learn that 5 new apps were available for the iPod Touch, notably Mail, Maps and Notes -- previously available only to the iPhone. I really wanted to have these in my iPod Touch. I resisted having to Jailbreak the iPod to install these apps and more. And I waited exactly for the software upgrade.

Only to be disappointed later to learn that the software upgrade wasn't free. In the US it cost $20. Outside, plus taxes, it could cost more.

I made some mental calculations, knowing that the peso had gained against the dollar. The cost would not even reach P1,000 so I started to make a purchase through the iTunes Music Store (ITMS).

But that only dissappointed me more -- since I'm registered in the Philippines, I could not buy anything from ITMS. I would have to get iTunes gift cards and redeem them in order to buy the software upgrade.

As I surfed the web for workarounds, it became obvious that many people were displeased that the iPod software upgrade was not for free. And I got to thinking, they do have a point, actually. Why?

My 16gb iPod Touch cost as much as the 8gb iPhone ($299). The iPod does not have all the apps available to iPhone. You may argue that the extra gigabytes make up for it, but if you consider the other features of the iPhone -- a camera, Bluetooth, and yes, a cell phone -- you begin to see that the iPod deserves more.

So I checked out the petition (Read the TUAW article) but I did not sign because I was unhappy with the wording of the petition itself. Instead, I simply sent a complaint through Apple's website by email and through the forums.

How to Get Free Songs from iTunes

I was very excited the first time I tried to download free songs from iTunes. The excitement quickly turned to frustration as I found out that I could not do it. The reason? Philippine users are not allowed to download free or even buy songs from iTunes!

All this talk about globalization and the flattening power of the internet means nothing if the coverage of online stores is selective. I understand this is not the fault of Apple, but that of narrow-minded media producers. Anyway, before I stray further from the topic, here's how I worked around the obstacle to get free songs.

Go to ITMS and change your address. (Store > View my account > Edit Account Info). Change your address including your zip code AND your country (change to US).

If you don't have an Apple ID yet, go to mac.com and get a FREE id. (Just register for a trial account and let it expire -- you'll be able to retain your mac.com id even after the trial period is over). Save your new settings.

Your free downloads should start after this. For starters, try: http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/27/34-free-songs-at-itunes/. I also have started to download free TV episodes (like the pilot of Sarah Connor Chronicles).

To buy songs, someone from Philmug also recommended doing this. Using your credit card, go to the Apple website and buy iTunes gift cards. Use the gift cards to buy iTunes songs. Neat!

UPDATE: This may not work for everyone. I just discovered that I may have gotten lucky because of a glitch in ITMS. It turns out that the credit card tied to my Paypal account already expired. So when I was reconfiguring my address to a US-based one, ITMS had no way to check that my payment method was US-based. So the required payment option listed in my account automatically switched to None.

Am investigating this further.