iTunes 11 download out now with new interface, mini-player

The new version of iTunes is finally here, following delays that saw Apple missing its original October deadline for the spangly new software.

The delay, the Wall Street Journal reports, was down to "engineering issues". Apple said at the end of October that it "wanted to take a little extra time to get it right". Never mind though, because now the much-needed iTunes revamp is available to download.

iTunes 11 has a new look that's more in line with the style seen on iOS software. Album covers expand out to show you more songs including related tracks and music that's available to buy, while the mini-player (which hovers at the edge of your screen and lets you control playback) has been given a drastic overhaul too.

Apple promises iTunes 11 is "dramatically simpler" and that it's woven iCloud into the very fabric of the new software.

It's no secret that the existing version of iTunes is a bit of a mess, slowing down PCs and inducing headaches in iPod, iPhone and iPad owners everywhere.

Since iOS 5 it's no longer been necessary to hook your iOS device up to a computer to sync music, and with no reason to open the bulky program, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's let iTunes gather dust inside my Start menu, leaving my music needs to programs like Spotify instead.

It'll be interesting to see if the new version makes the desktop version of iTunes easier to use. Will you be downloading iTunes 11? Or has Apple been outpaced by other software-makers? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.