iTunes 12.2 Released With Support For Apple Music And Beats1 Radio

The wait is finally over for desktop users; you can access Apple Music from your Mac right now

While Apple released iOS 8.4 along with Apple Music earlier today, desktop users were left waiting for access to the service due to the lack of the corresponding iTunes update, which would add support for the music streaming service. Now, Apple has finally released iTunes 12.2, exclusively for OS X Yosemite users, leaving PC users waiting.

The latest iteration of iTunes can be downloaded right now through the Mac App Store’s Software Update system. The Windows version of iTunes 12.2 will also be released shortly. According to latest Apple news, it's new advertisement glorifies the multiple aspects of Apple music.

The new iTunes 12.2 adds a number of new sections within the Music tab of iTunes, mirroring the ones found in Apple Music on iOS. One of those sections is “For You,” which shows you generated tracks which you might like listening to, with the selection based on your entered preferences whilst going through the initial setup of the service along with your entire listening history and music purchase history linked to your Apple account, so if you purchased a song 4 years ago, the system will even take that into account while generating the track list. The update also adds a “New” section which shows you the new and trending music from across the world.

Additionally, there’s a new AAPL Apple Music Connect section, which takes you to Apple’s artist-centric social network. Using the Connect sections, you’ll be taken to a Facebook of sorts for your favorite artists, where you’ll be able to see their text updates, along with images, videos and more. The final “Radio” section gives you access to the new 24/7 live worldwide internet radio station Beats1 along with other radio stations which are based on various songs and artists or others which are directly compiled by music experts.

After the launch of iTunes 12 late last year alongside OS X Yosemite, iTunes 12.2 is the second major update to Apple’s music application, according to latest Apple updates. The previous major iteration, iTunes 12.2, added support for a Notification center widget along with major performance tweaks.

iTunes users can get the Apple Music service for free by opting for a trial period of three months. When the trial period ends, however, you can either opt purchase an individual subscription which will set you back $9.99 or a family subscription which can be purchased for up to six users for $14.99. The new Beats1 radio station along with the normal iTunes radio stations are available for no cost or subscription fees.