MacRumors

iTunes 11 has finally arrived, nearly a month after it was originally promised because of the need to "get it right" according to Apple. The app promises a redesigned store, simplified layout, and more.

Aside from the tentpole changes, there are a number of other things -- both promising and confusing -- that have changed in iTunes 11. Here's a selection:

- The default iTunes 11 view removes the sidebar that has been a staple of iTunes since it was first released. The Mac Observer tells us how to get it back. Head to the View menu and select Show Sidebar.

- iPods have come in a wide variety of capacities in their time, but one notable capacity has never graced the device. There has never been a 128GB iPod, though as Sonny Dickson points out, iTunes appears to be ready for such an eventuality. A 128GB iOS device has been consistently rumored over the years, but has yet to make an appearance.

- Users can now redeem store-purchased iTunes Gift Cards by using the camera built into most recent Macs (or Windows machines) to scan the redemption code. This should make redeeming cards quicker and reduce user frustration.

- It has a new icon, as seen above.

- The red/yellow/green buttons at the top left of the window again perform in the standard OS X manner. Previously, the green button would send the iTunes into its special MiniPlayer window. Now, a special icon in the top right corner, next to the full screen button, toggles minimization.

- John Gruber at Daring Fireball notes the new 'Expanded View' mode:

I think my favorite new design element is what Apple is calling “Expanded View”. In a graphical list of albums or movies or shows, you click one and it opens in a subview right there under the album/movie/show. Instead of going to a new view, you stay where you are. No way to get confused about where you are, more of a sense of direct manipulation. I think this is a brilliant design for everyone, particularly typical users. And there’s a neat trick: the colors for the song listing are chosen algorithmically based on the album or poster art. (Examples: here and here.) Very clever, very fun. It’s a digital approximation of going through real-world albums or DVD jewel boxes and opening them in place — with the custom color palettes, the listings feel like the “inside” of the albums.

- Gruber also noticed that the 'Up Next' menu displays differently on retina and standard displays. "On regular displays, the Up Next icon is a bullet list. But on retina displays, it’s a numbered list with minuscule numerals."

- iTunes DJ, formerly called Party Shuffle, is gone. It's been replaced by the clever 'Up Next'.

- Cover Flow, a major feature when it was introduced, is gone. It's been replaced by the 'Expanded View' mentioned above.

- There seems to be a bug with the AirPlay button. The button, which has been moved from the bottom right to the top left of the main window is missing for some users. Some have reported restoring the button by going to the MiniWindow and activating AirPlay there and it will then appear in the main window. Not all users are affected by the issue, however.

- Many users are reporting label issues within the iTunes and App Stores. As the stores are basically glorified web pages, these issues will likely be fixed server side while Apple gets the bugs shaken out.

9to5Mac reports that Apple is set to begin sales of unlocked iPhone 5 units to U.S. customers as soon as later today. Sales are said to begin in the company's online store, with retail stores currently receiving units ahead of an unspecified in-store launch date.

Apple will begin selling an unlocked version of its iPhone 5 through its online store as soon as 9 PM tonight, according to our retail sources. The unlocked iPhone 5 price range will likely be $649, $749, and $849 depending on a choice of either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of storage.

While unlocked devices are the norm in many of Apple's markets, Apple typically restricts sales in the U.S. during an initial time period after launch to devices locked to specific carriers. For the iPhone 4S, it took less than one month for Apple to begin selling unlocked models to U.S. customers, but it has already been over two months since Apple began U.S. sales of the iPhone 5.

Apple is also said to be expanding its Personal Pickup program for the iPhone 5, allowing users to reserve a device at any time for pickup the following day rather than having to wait until 10:00 PM when the stores have closed for the day to place their reservations.

In line with yesterday's report, Apple has just released iTunes 11 to the public. The new software brings a number of enhancements including a redesigned store, simplified player, and new iCloud features.

- Completely Redesigned. iTunes makes it more fun to explore and enjoy your music, movies, and TV shows. You'll love the beautiful edge-to-edge design, custom designs for each album, movie, or TV show in your library, and getting personal recommendations any time you click in the Store.

- A New Store. The iTunes Store has been completely redesigned and now features a clean look that makes it simpler than ever to see what's hot and discover new favorites.

- Play purchases from iCloud. Your music, movie, and TV show purchases in iCloud now appear inside your library. Just sign-in with your Apple ID to see them. Double-click to play them directly from iCloud or download a copy you can sync to a device or play while offline.

- Up Next. It's now simple to see which songs are playing next, all from a single place. Just click the Up Next icon in the center display and they'll instantly appear. You can even reorder, add, or skip songs whenever you like.

- New MiniPlayer. You can now do a whole lot more with a lot less space. In addition to showing what's playing, MiniPlayer now includes album art, adds Up Next, and makes it easy to search for something new to play - all from a smaller and more elegant design.

- Improved search. It's never been easier to find what you're looking for in iTunes. Just type in the search field and you'll instantly see results from across your entire library. Select any result and iTunes takes you right to it.

- Playback syncing. iCloud now remembers your place in a movie or TV show for you. Whenever you play the same movie or episode from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, it will continue right where you left off.

The software is currently available through Software Update in the Mac App Store, and Apple should be updating its iTunes pages shortly.

With Apple said to be launching its revamped iTunes 11 "as soon as" today as the company rushes to meet its already-postponed goal of a November release, 9to5Mac reports that AppleCare support representatives are currently being seeded with prerelease versions of the new software.

It is unclear if these builds point to a release today, as the WSJ predicted, and if they are the final versions. Either way, with AppleCare employees getting their hands on the new app, we’re expecting a launch soon.

The new iTunes brings a substantial overhaul, including a revamped player, a redesigned store based on the layout currently seen in on iOS devices, and new iCloud features for streaming media and syncing progress.

While the first official third-party accessories supporting Apple's new Lightning standard have just started hitting the market, MacRumors has also been following the efforts of unauthorized accessory manufacturers such as iPhone5mod who have been cracking the standard to produce their own chips and connectors.

iPhone5mod has already released a series of cables, docks, and adapters based on the Lightning standard as they continue refining their processes, and the company today announced its third-generation Lightning connector that is "almost identical" to Apple's implementation.

Furthermore, iPhone5mod has posted an inside look at its new production facilities, which are three times larger than its previous facilities and now support as many as 40 workers alongside increased automation. A video overview of the facility and a series of photos provide an interesting glimpse at what goes into production of these cables and other accessories.

Apple is keeping tight control over official Lightning connectors, and we've heard that supplies are currently limited to just a handful of third-party vendors with many others having to wait until next year to receive access to the connector hardware. Those tight supplies and Apple's relatively slow progress on its own and third-party accessories have left it open to companies such as iPhone5mod seeking to meet customer demand.

Fortune reports on a new research note from Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig claiming that T-Mobile USA may be preparing to announce at its analysts day next week that it will begin offering the iPhone. The claim does not, however, appear to be based on any specific information, as Craig simply notes that "speculation is heightening" about such a move.

Now Merrill Lynch's Scott Craig is out with a note reporting that "speculation is heightening" that Deutsche Telecom (DT) will announce a deal to bring the iPhone to its U.S. subsidiary at next week's analysts day (12/6-7).

It makes sense. The carrier recently beefed up its iPhone-compatible high-speed HSPA+ network in 10 metropolitan areas, allowing some of the 1.5 million T-Mobile customers already using unlocked iPhones to enjoy something better than GSM download speeds.

As T-Mobile has worked to refarm its spectrum to move its fastest data services over to iPhone-compatible frequencies, the carrier has started a "Bring Your Own iPhone" program to help users move their unlocked iPhones to the carrier.

T-Mobile previously stated that the spectrum refarming would make the carrier ready for the iPhone by the end of 2012, and has acknowledged on a number of occasions that its lack of the iPhone has cost it customers and revenue.

But while it seems clear that T-Mobile would like to carry the iPhone and has been reconfiguring its network to be able to support it, there has been essentially no direct evidence or sources claiming that the device will be coming to the fourth-largest carrier in the United States.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the iPhone 5 has received its final certification from Chinese regulators, opening the door to a launch on Apple's carrier partners China Unicom and China Telecom.

Vendors in China often start selling new handsets within weeks of approval by China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center. [...]

The regulator said in two posts on its website that it had approved licenses for an iPhone supported by China Telecom and one supported by China Unicom.

China Telecom chairman Wang Xiaochu had previously stated that the iPhone 5 would be launching on the carrier by early December, and the carrier has reportedly started taking pre-orders in recent days.

Apple has been placing a strong focus on the Chinese market, which now accounts for 15% of the company's revenue and and saw revenues rise 78% to $23.8 billion in fiscal 2012.

Still, Apple's product launches in China have typically lagged behind those in the company's other major markets, leading to a booming gray market for devices brought in from Hong Kong and elsewhere while also leaving the company more vulnerable to competitors. But with Apple's goal of bringing the iPhone 5 to at least 100 countries before the end of 2012, the company is clearly working hard on compressing its worldwide rollout timetables.

In an interview with BBC, Tony Fadell claims that former Apple senior vice president of iOS Scott Forstall “got what he deserved,” when he was forced to leave Apple.

Fadell is widely known as the godfather of the iPod, and he formerly served as the senior vice president of the iPod division and as a special advisor to Steve Jobs.

After Fadell left Apple in 2008, there were rumors that Forstall and Fadell butted heads on more than one occasion. A 2011 profile of Forstall suggested that he was difficult to work with and had fought with Fadell over the operating system for the iPhone, which eventually led to Fadell’s departure from the company.

The interviewer asked about Forstall’s personality and personal problems that Fadell had with Forstall, but Fadell declined to comment further and simply reiterated his previous statement.

“I think what happened just a few weeks back was deserved and justified.”

When asked about Apple, Fadell said that he thought the company was in a “great place” but mentioned that there had been cheering in Cupertino when Forstall was ousted.

Currently, Tony Fadell is the CEO of Nest, the company that has created the popular Nest Learning Thermostat. Scott Forstall is serving as an advisor to Tim Cook and will be leaving Apple in 2013.

The Wall Street Journal has published a profile of Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, which includes hints about the release date of iTunes 11.

The newest version of iTunes was expected to be released at the end of October. Instead the software was delayed with a new release date pegged at the end of November, and The Wall Street Journal believes it will come out as soon as tomorrow. The reason for the delay was reportedly due to engineering issues.

This week, Mr. Cue faces a test of how well Apple can keep up in online services with the launch of a new desktop version of iTunes, which is expected as soon as Thursday.

The new iTunes has been delayed a month by engineering issues that required parts to be rebuilt, according to people who have seen it.

iTunes 11 is expected to feature a redesign of the user interface in addition to enhanced iCloud integration.

The article goes on to detail Mr. Cue's role as "Mr. Fix-It" at Apple. Cue has taken over some of the most troubled projects at Apple, most recently taking responsibility for Maps and Siri.

The Oakland Tribune is reporting that Apple has closed a deal with developer Peery Arrillaga for a custom two-building campus in Santa Clara, California, just a short distance from their headquarters in Cupertino.

Apple and Peery Arrillaga declined to discuss the development and leasing deal. However, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the transaction told this newspaper that Apple has leased nearly 296,000 square feet from Peery Arrillaga in a deal that included demolition of existing buildings.

The campus would include two six-story office buildings that would hold 1,200 Apple employees. The first building, which is 188,000 square feet, is expected to be completed in mid-2014. The second building doesn't have a starting construction date yet, but will be 108,000 square feet. Recently, Bloomberg reported that Apple's "Spaceship" campus would be completed in 2016.

Following last month's launch of new Mac mini models, a number of users in the MacRumors forums and Apple's support forums have cited issues with flickering on external monitors connected to their machines via HDMI. Connections via Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort are not affected.

The issue seems to be a known one related to the Intel HD 4000 graphics used in the Mac mini, and Intel has now acknowledged the issue in the Mac mini and indicated that a fix is on the way. A timeframe for a fix delivered through Apple is, however, so far unknown.

We are aware of the flickering issue, and there will be a fix provided in the future. The overall flicker issue is also being addressed here; http://communities.intel.com/thread/32932

Your OEM (Apple) will provide the driver with the fix when they are done configuring our driver (that has the fix). An ETA on this is currently unknown.

Apple has begun developer seeding of OS X 10.8.3 with an emphasis on graphics drivers, but it seems to be unclear at the present time whether the current beta version of OS X 10.8.3 contains the specific fix for this issue.