Apple iTunes inches towards Vista compatibility

Update fixes media player for 'most versions' of Vista.

A new iTunes update from Apple will let Windows Vista users run the application on their PCs without fear of major bugs and crashes.

The iTunes download site still lists Microsoft's Windows XP and 2000 as the only supported Windows operating systems, but a separate Apple support document stated that the media player should now run on "most editions of Windows Vista".

The latest iTunes update fixes several problems that the player had with Windows Vista, but with a couple of major exceptions.

Apple said that Vista users could still corrupt their iPods by trying to eject the players from the Vista system tray. ITunes is also still unable to synchronise contacts to an iPod from Vista's calendar component.

Apple and Microsoft could not provide official comment on when the remaining bugs would be addressed.

Users of the Windows and Mac OS X versions of iTunes will also see several cosmetic enhancements with version 7.1.

Interface upgrades include an option to run the iTunes Cover Flow feature in full-screen, allowing users to browse music via full-screen 3D images of album cover art. The update also adds new options for organising songs more specifically.

ITunes 7.1 is also the first version of the player to feature built-in support for the upcoming AppleTV set-top box, which is expected to launch in the next few weeks.