An information system is an organizational and socio-technical system designed to gather, process, store and disseminate information. Information systems integrate the essential components for gathering, storing and processing data such that the data obtained is used to contribute to decision-making, especially concerning digital products. Computer information systems comprise people and computers with definitive boundaries, inputs, users, communication networks, outputs, storage and processors. This essay examines iTunes as an information system with a keen look at its characteristics, server-side hardware requirements, server-side software requirements, client-side hardware requirements, client-side software requirements and features and usage of the system.
iTunes is a software program that serves as the client app for iTunes Store, Apple Inc.’s digital media store. It is a media library, player and management utility for mobile devices (Lara, 2019). Users can download, purchase, organize and play digital multimedia on their devices running the Windows and macOS operating systems. They also get the advantage of playing their digital multimedia using smart, dynamic playlists, sharing their songs located in the iTunes library wirelessly, optimizing their sound options and ripping songs from CDs. The information system boasts a minimalist design that makes it easy for users to discover what is trending and find new Music and videos. Another advantage is the ability for users to store any purchases made on the system in their iCloud for later access at their convenience from any device.
Computer-based information systems use computer technology to conduct their planned tasks. The fundamental components of such a system include the hardware, databases, procedures, software and networks. The hardware is the physical components of the computer information system that collaborate to process, accept and display data and information. They include keyboards, monitors, printers and processors. On the other hand, the software is the computer program that enables the hardware to process data as required. The procedures are the commands that developers cue within information systems to process information and produce the required output by combining the hardware, software, database and networks. Networks are connecting systems that allow various computers to share information remotely. Databases are an aggregation of numerous related tables or files that contain related data. Network, software, hardware and database together form the information technology platform, which allows developers to manipulate them and create information systems which govern the risk management and safety measures regarding user data.
Although iTunes initially began as a music library enabling users to store and manage their files, various additions have improved its usability over the years. Firstly, the iTunes Store added to the brand in 2003 allows users to purchase and download digital Music on devices that do not support the macOS operating system. This was a long-awaited, fundamental upgrade as users with devices running on Windows OS are more common than those running on macOS. With the introduction of the iPad and iPhone, Apple Inc. improved iTunes’ core features to enable it to support e-books, digital videos, IOS App Store mobile applications and podcasts.
Characteristics of the Users of the System
Anybody who can access iTunes Connect, a web-based tool that enables them to manage their metadata and deliveries to their iTunes Store and Apple Music. The platform allows users to manage the number of devices on which they can use the iTunes information system, their purchases, sales reports and streams. The target audience for iTunes is teenagers, adults who are music lovers, students, and anyone who enjoys streaming movies and songs and reading (Yang et al., 2022). Apple Inc. also targets middle and upper-income individuals who can afford the charges on accessing iTunes’ features. The significant age group of people using iTunes is 18-30. iTunes is a work-related system. It relies on machines and human participants collaborating to perform its activities and processes. Additionally, it uses information technology and related resources to produce services or products that external or internal consumers can use. It is also a personal web-based system as it can be accessed by users through their devices as long as they are connected to the internet.
Server-Side Hardware Requirements
iTunes requires dedicated servers with specific minimum configurations. It requires a processor with an Intel Xeon 5600 Series configuration or an AMD CPU of equal configuration. The hardware memory should be 16 GB RAM or more, while the OS Disk should be 1TB dual HDD drives (Englander & Wong, 2021). iTunes also requires a gigabit ethernet connection and should have all its disk storage under a single platform.
Server-Side Software Requirements
The smooth operation of any information system is centred on efficient interoperability between and within the hardware and software. The software used to run iTunes facilitates data exchange between the different forms of hardware. It requires server software to translate files from a computer system and upload them to a website. Hence, this is the most used server software for iTunes. Since it requires File Transfer Protocol (FTP), most server-side software uses a program that can manipulate FTP to transfer data between nodes on the local area network. A database server cannot exist without database server software (Englander & Wong, 2021)). Considering that most of the military relies on Windows, the DTS Server uses the Windows-based operating system is used by the DTS Server. Notably, it is uncertain to most people whether or not these data systems require any specialized applications.
Client-Side Hardware Requirements
Several system requirements are essential on the client’s side for iTunes to run smoothly. These requirements are specialized for Macintosh and Windows. The client needs a personal computer with an AMD processor or a 1GHz Intel for Windows. They must also have 400MB of disk space and 512MB of RAM (Englander & Wong, 2021). iTunes clients need a broadband internet connection to Apple Music, the iTunes Store or iTunes Extras for easy access to the information system. iTunes can be accessed from any fully functional computer, whether a desktop PC or a portable laptop. However, there are no mobile versions of the system presently. For users to play standard definition videos from their iTunes Store, they need a DirectX 9.0-compatible video card and an Intel Premium D process or its equivalent speed (Messadi et al., 2019). If they need to play videos with 720p HD quality, iTunes Extras or an iTunes LP, they need a 2.0GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor or its equivalent, an NVIDIA GeForce 6150 an ATI Radeon x1300 or an Intel GMA X3000. They also need a 1024×768 screen resolution or greater and 16-bit speakers and sound card.
Client-Side Software Requirements
iTunes users running the system on Windows need to have Windows 7 or later Windows OS. They also need to have available disk space of 400MB and a 64-bit installer for 64-bit Windows editions. The latest iTunes versions, or iTunes 12.1 and later versions, may not be compatible with various third-party visualizers (Messadi et al., 2019). Additionally, the availability of iTunes Store, Apple Music and iTunes Match varies from one country to another. To use Apple Music, even on a trial basis, users must sign up for a plan that automatically renews itself after the trial. iTunes is mainly supported on Linux and Windows distros and the Apple ecosystem, which constitutes the iPhone, MacBook and iPod, among others. Thus, running it on traditional web browsers like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox may be challenging.
Features and Usage of the System
iTunes offers various features for users depending on the roles they have been assigned in their Apple IDs. The main features present on the information system are My Music, My Music Videos, My Movies, Tickets, Sales and Trends, Payment and Financial Reports, Users and Access, Agreements, Tax and Banking and Resources and Help. My Music allows users to edit their metadata, pricing information and territory rights. It also allows users to adjust their release dates and request and download reports on their catalogues.
My Music Videos allows users to search for music videos, manage their videos and monitor the statuses of when their videos are delivered. Users can browse the Apple Music website’s Music Video page for videos they want to watch (Yang et al., 2022). The feature also offers curated music videos according to the user’s preferences depending on the decade they would love to explore or their favourite genres. To use the feature, users launch the iTunes Apple Music on their devices and click on the browse handle to search for music videos.
MY Movies allows users to see the status of their concert films and movies and make necessary changes to their content. To navigate the feature, users first launch iTunes on their personal computers. Next, they select the iTunes store option under the “Store” heading and select Movies at the top menu pan on the page that pops up. The selection will show the user the available movies for renting or purchasing.
Conclusion
The essay examines iTunes as an information system with a keen look at its characteristics, server-side hardware requirements, server-side software requirements, client-side hardware requirements, client-side software requirements and features and usage of the system. Information systems are organizational and socio-technical systems designed to gather, process, store and disseminate information. iTunes, as an information system, serves as the client app for iTunes Store, Apple Inc.’s digital media store, a media library, player and a management utility for mobile devices. Its main features are My Music, My Music Videos, My Movies, Tickets, Sales and Trends, Payment and Financial Reports, Users and Access, Agreements, Tax and Banking and Resources and Help. It allows users can download, purchase, organize and play digital multimedia on their devices running the Windows and macOS operating systems. The platform, which targets youth, allows users to manage the number of devices on which they can use the iTunes information system, their purchases, sales reports and streams. iTunes has various server-side and client-side hardware and software requirements that enable it to run efficiently, such as an Intel Xeon 5600 Series configuration and needs a 1024×768 screen resolution or greater. It is mainly supported on Linux and Windows distros, and the Apple ecosystem may be difficult to run on traditional web browsers.
References
Englander, I., & Wong, W. (2021). The architecture of computer hardware, systems software, and networking: An information technology approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Lara, S. S. (2019). The iTunes of Downloadable Guns: Firearms as a First Amendment Right. Cath. UJL & Tech, 28, 81.
Messadi, I., Neumann, S., Almstedt, L., & Kapitza, R. (2019, December). A fast and secure key-value service using hardware enclaves. In Proceedings of the 20th International Middleware Conference Demos and Posters (pp. 1-2).
Yang, J., Xiu, P., Sun, L., Ying, L., & Muthu, B. (2022). Social media data analytics for business decision-making system to competitive analysis. Information Processing & Management, 59(1), 102751.
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