The Beatles on iTunes: Hands-On With the Full Collection [PICS]

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iTunes is offering each Beatles album for sale individually, or you can purchase the entire box set for $149.99 (I'm the Beatles fan that decided to do just that).

Apple has given each album -- along with the box set -- the full iTunes LP treatment. This means you can browse through track listings, liner notes and photos in a really nice fashion. It also means that each album comes with a mini documentary, while the box set includes the full concert film from the Washington Coliseum in 1964.

A Bit of History

Note that last year, EMI released completely remastered versions of each Beatles album. In addition to each record, EMI also released a box set that contained every album, plus the "Past Masters" two volume compilation.

The "best of" collections (commonly referred to as "The Red Album" and "The Blue Album") were remastered and re-released last month. The iTunes versions of these albums are the same as the 2009 and 2010 remasters.

In addition to releasing the box sets and individual albums, record label EMI also released a special limited edition USB stick -- ironically in the shape of an apple -- in December. If you were one of the 30,000 individuals to purchase that dongle, you can probably skip the iTunes release. For everyone else, the iTunes release represents the first time you can digitally purchase Beatles tunes.

The Collection

If you didn't already buy the box set on CD last year, the iTunes release is a great way to get the Beatles collection. The 2009 remaster is a significant improvement over the 1987 Sony compact disc release. For die-hards, do know that only the stereo version of the the Beatles Box Set is available.

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Hands-on With the Box Set

Check out our gallery for a hands-on look at what comes in this box set: