Mention the word iTunes and everyone who’s anyone will know exactly what you’re talking about. iTunes has become the most widely used platform for downloading mp3s since Napster.

The World of Entertainment Behind iTunes

iTunes is not just a facility for music downloads or the convenience of an app store; it’s your ticket to premium digital entertainment and information that knows no bounds; and it’s all available on your iPod, iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone, MacBook or Apple Macintosh computer.

You can download music, videos, applications, audio books, books or all of the above. What many users don’t realize is that there’s much more to your iTunes application than meets the eye and much more to it than just the iTunes Store.

Unlocking the Door

While a seasoned veteran in the workings of iTunes might read this and have a little yawn, I’ve included a few interesting little factoids about iTunes that a lot of people don’t know or haven’t had the opportunity to explore. Instead of simply using iTunes to listen to music on your iPod, iPad, iPhone or iMac, have a play around with some of the following cool features:

• Ping

  No, I’m not talking about pinging your friends on IM to see if they’re available; Ping is what I like to think of as a form of Twitter for music. Create a profile, import your profile pic from iChat and select your personal preferences.

  Once you’re up and running, you can follow your friends as well as your favorite musicians and explore the musical tastes of both, all via iTunes. It’s social media for music and it’s the best way to get insider information on your favorite bands.

• Added Longevity for your Beloved CDs

  We all know the physical pain and annoyance that stems from listening to scratched CDs, but with iTunes there could possibly be a solution to that problem. There’s a feature tucked away in the iTunes vault of small secrets that error corrects CDs during the import process. It may knock on a few minutes when you choose to import the music files, but it’s a small price to pay in exchange for being able to listen to your favorite albums again. Turn it on by going to iTunes Preferences – General – Import Settings; select “Use error correct when reading Audio CDs”.

• Expand your Knowledge with iTunes U

Boosting your brain balance has never been cooler since iTunes U became available. Study your chosen subjects or courses from anywhere at anytime via your Apple iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, MacBook or iMac; or upload your own educational information.

Used by educators and students alike, iTunes U is an informal setting to enhance your knowledge via course notes, books, audio books and videos.

With institutions like Stanford, MIT, Yale and Oxford on board, you’ve literally got a world of distinguished learning opportunities at your fingertips.

What Next for the iTunes Store?

Now that you can find out the latest news surrounding your favorite band, rescue your old CDs from the bin and you become a professional student, what’s next? What else will Apple come up with to enhance the app store and overall iTunes experience? While I don’t have the answer to that question (yet), I’m quite positive that Apple will always find a way to do better, be better and offer the best to their users; stay tuned, because progression comes at a rapid rate in this neighborhood.