Apple has released an updated version of iTunes which includes a new sidebar for Ping while fixing some major bugs.

Ping, a music-oriented social network for following artists and friends to find out what they're listening to, launched in early September but has so far failed to light up the social media space.

iTunes 10.0.1 includes new options to make it easier to share your favourite music with friends. “You can now Like or Post about music right from your iTunes library,” writes Apple. “You can also easily see the recent activity of a selected artist in your library, or of all artists and friends you follow on Ping using the new Ping Sidebar.

Several “important bug fixes" are also included in the update:

• Addresses an issue where the picture quality of a video changes depending on whether the on-screen controls are visible
• Resolves an issue where iTunes may unexpectedly quit while interacting with album artwork viewed in a separate window
• Fixes a problem that affects the performance of some third-party visualizers
• Addresses an issue where the iTunes library and playlists appear empty
• Resolves an issue that created an incompatibility with some third-party shared libraries

iTunes 10.0.1 is available to download now.