iTunes 6 is functionally and cosmetically the same as iTunes 5 for the most part; the big difference, of course, is the presence of videos in the iTMS catalog. Music videos form the bulk of that catalog addition, but the most significant part of the iTunes 6 package is the TV section. Yesterday Apple announced an agreement with ABC to carry next-day distribution of Lost and Desperate Housewives episodes for $1.99 each.

Some observers trivialize this development. Clearly, it does not replace DVRs or revolutionize television habits. Though iTunes 6 opposes bit Torrent distribution of TV episodes, it might not affect that distribution. The importance, in my opinion, lies in its positioning. The TV portion of iTunes will attract a lot of attention among viewers who would never bother P2P'ing a missed episode of Desperate Housewives, but would welcome an easy and reasonably priced method of getting it. Obviously, two shows isn't a catalog at all. I'm looking for ABC to increase its commitment and for other networks to climb aboard the iTunes train within a year. Indeed, Apple is reportedly in talks with NBC now.

That said, iTunes 6 is breaking its promise. As of this post, my incarnation of the program is not finding last night's Lost episode (the fourth of the season; iTunes offers the first three). User experience with this program has varied in the last 24 hours, so perhaps others can get it. the point is that next-day access to episodes is a key selling point; Apple/ABC cannot drop the ball on this point. As of now, the ball has been dropped. Anyone fluent in P2P who missed last night's show would have downloaded a torrent by mid-afternoon the next day.

Downloads of video content proceed smoothly on my test machine (Windows XP, residential cable connection), and I am gratified by the satisfying quality of the video. The Unofficial Apple Weblog has posted a detailed critique of video quality, noting various pixellations and other artifacts. That's fine, but I'm comparing the quality with typical torrent files, and iTunes more than meets that standard. For catching up with missed episodes, iTunes fills a market void satisfactorily—quality, execution, and price. Bring on the content. And don't miss another deadline like today.

Videos play in a tiny screen at the bottom of the sidebar; click the picture to jump it over to the main pane. There, you can right-click your way to larger views, up to full-screen. I am not an iPod user, and cannot critique transfer or portable playback.

One part of the new video catalog nobody seems to be talking about is the Movie Trailers portion. this aggregation of trailers is convenient, wide-ranging, and fairly deep. Some trailer listings for DVD releases include special features on the DVD. I just watched the "Behind the Scenes" featurette for The Fantastic Four, free of charge. Complete suites of numbered and international trailers are often included. It is a very fun time-waster.

iTunes 4.9 and 5 increased my iTunes use exponentially. I think that as a podcast aggregator iTunes will face intense competition, but its first-mover advantage in the mainstream market will serve Apple well. Now, with the rapid-fire addition of video content and the politically significant addition of TV shows that might end up being as important as Steve Jobs's control of the music industry, iTunes will spend even more time on my desktop.