A closer look at the new iTunes (pictures)

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, takes the stage to unveil updates to the company's media player, iTunes. Users can expect changes to the desktop version of iTunes in October. Changes in the iOS 6 version of iTunes, the App Store, and the iBookstore are slated for September 19.

According to Apple, in the last nine years, 20 billion songs have been purchased from iTunes, which is available in 63 countries.

Also according to Apple, 66 percent of iTunes downloads stem from iOS devices, such as the iPad and iPhone.

The iTunes Store has been redesigned for the iPad to feature bigger tiles across the top.

An image of an iPhone displaying the new iTunes Store in portrait mode.

The iTunes Store on the iPhone features big app pages and Facebook integration.

Aside from the redesign, Cue said that users will be able to preview songs for 90 seconds while browsing.

iCloud will now be built-in with iTunes. The left-oriented source list is gone, replaced by a drop-down menu. Albums expand like folders similar to those on iOS and OS X.

The new iTunes will display an expansive grid of albums.

When you click on an album, track listings will seamlessly pop up on the interface.

The interface when browsing in Artist mode looks similar to the Music app on the iPad.

iTunes Store integration enables users to view other albums from within an album.

Users can also see an entire music library and a playlist at the same time.

When dragging an album from the list, iTunes will bring up a little tab to the right to help users create playlists.

The "up next" feature enables users to see what's next on the playlist queue in a pull-down menu.

Search has also improved. Entire albums are pulled up in a search query, but you can home in on individual songs as well.

The iTunes mini player's look has been updated, for when you want to shrink iTunes on the desktop.

Though the window is collapsed, users can still search in iTunes even when it's in mini mode.

Files from the iCloud, as well as downloaded media, are displayed together in a fully integrated window.

Here, a clip from "The Avengers" shows how users can watch movies from both their computers and their iCloud storage.

The new iTunes Store page looks similar to how it appears on iOS.

Again, similar to iOS, you can hear a preview of a song while browsing other parts of the iTunes Store.

Users can also research and discover artist information, including tour dates and purchasing details.

In summation, the desktop version of iTunes will have iCloud integration, an updated iTunes Store, and a more streamlined design.