Starting with iTunes version 7.3, the following sort order is implemented:
General ordering
Ignore leading definite and indefinite articles
Note: In English these are "A ", "An ", and "The " and includes the localized or international equivalents.
Ignore leading symbols and punctuation
Sort digits numerically (Mac OS only for now)
The songs "1 foo", "2 foo", "10 foo" will sort as
"1 foo", "2 foo", "10 foo" and not as
"1 foo", "10 foo", "2 foo"
Ignore leading white space when sorting
Any spaces entered at the beginning of the title will be ignored when sorting.
Sort ignoring case
For example with iTunes 7.2 and older versions, the song playlist sorts in the following order:
.38 Special
'Til Tuesday
"Weird Al" Yankovic
4 Non Blondes
The 5th Dimension
311
Oingo Boingo
ZZ Top
?????
With iTunes 7.3 and newer versions, the song playlist sorts in the following order:
Oingo Boingo
'Til Tuesday
"Weird Al" Yankovic
ZZ Top
4 Non Blondes
The 5th Dimension
.38 Special
311
?????