New iTunes DJ enables playlists of the people

Apple has released version 8.1 of its iTunes software with some patches, some upgrades and a couple new features.

My favorite of these is the iTunes DJ. The iTunes DJ resembles what was previously called called “Party Shuffle.” Maybe Apple’s iTunes team was worried no one was using this feature, maybe they felt threatened by the rising phenomenons of DJs using iPods to play music for crowds. Whatever the reason, what they seem to have done is used Bonjour-based technology to enable new functionality in iPhones and iPod Touch devices with the iTunes Remote apps installed.

This technology allows remote interaction with the iTunes DJ, allowing users to request, vote for and add songs to the playlist, depending on the amount of access granted by the iTunes “Administrator.”