[X-Apps] What does the Import menu item do in iTunes? [LONG]

[hart at nasw.org]

Jim,
I just imported and burned a CD in iTunes 4, and the import still works 
as follows.

There's a counterintuitive trick, and I think this is what you've run 
into. Go to iTunes > Preferences > Importing. Look at the drop down 
named Import Using. What you choose here is what iTunes uses for 
importing. It's also the only choice available in the Advanced menu for 
conversion. If you have a song selected, you can Convert Selection To 
from this menu. If you hold down Option while selecting the Advanced 
menu, you'll get Convert to [your selected format]..., giving you the 
option to choose a file on the drive.

If you want to convert one track to AAC and the next to MP3, you'll 
have to make a trip to Preferences.

Apple should clearly provide a way, perhaps a key combo, but better a 
popdown, to allow choosing the Convert To format on the fly.

Convert to makes a new copy, so you can just delete the original in 
iTunes if you want.

This is all in iTunes Help, btw, but you have to wait a while for 
Apple's lame Help Center to check the web site for updates.

HTH.

On Sunday, May 4, 2003, at 05:35  AM, X-Applications wrote:

> All of which brings me back to where I began -- what does Import do in
> iTunes? Apple themselves sent me to Add To Library and Convert To, but
> I have yet to find any reference, whether in iTunes Help or in the
> Knowledge Base, to the intended purpose of this menu item.
>
> Anyone?
>
> Jim MacCormaic

Stephen Hart
http://eugraph.com