iTunes “is really starting to show its age. Its underpinnings are becoming increasingly creaky thanks to the weight of features, files and expectations being shovelled upon it – and its fast turning into bloatware of almost Redmond-like proportions,” TechRadar writes.
Here are 10 things we think Apple should do for iTunes 9:
1. Clean up the user interface
2. Bar the Genius
3. Better file handling
4. Better handling for multiple libraries
5. Better file tracking
6. Better database handling
7. Better codec support
8. Multi-room for the rest of us
9. A better, cheaper iTunes Store
10. iTunes Pro
Full article, explaining each of the 10 points above, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “‘spinaltap'” for the heads up.]
Nothing Apple makes will ever be totally Redmond-like, because M$ products are clearly the work of Ballmer, who is a twat, whereas Apple products are the work of Jobs, who is a genius.
Sounds like a power-geek-user rant to me.
I don’t have any problem with iTunes, except that
playlist scrolling on the left side is a little jerky.
1. Clean up the user interface – each version has had a cleaner interface, they’ve also been playing with all types of new interfaces each version. So what is this guy talk about.
2. Bar the Genius – NO
3. Better file handling – YES
4. Better handling for multiple libraries _YES YES YES
….
7. Better codec support – it does support alot already. What does he fill is missing?
8. Multi-room for the rest of us – what is this about?
9. A better, cheaper iTunes Store – really, cheaper then 99cents?
10. iTunes Pro -NOOOOOOOO
I use the frames per second on the visualizer to gauge the “snappiness” of each iTunes update. I got the highest frame rates with iTunes 4, I think. iTunes 7 was actually better than (the very short lived) 5 and iTunes 6.
For those who don’t know:
When in visualizer mode, the “f” key gives you the frame rate, the “t” key toggles the frame rate cap on and off (it caps at 30 and this is on by default, which I never understood), “i” gives you the current song info, and “b” brings up the Apple logo (but I think this stopped working in iTunes 8 – not sure about that and can’t check right now.)
geez, give that guy some cheese to go with his whine!
Two thoughts…
#1 – In terms of point 10, maybe an iTunes pro with better burning features or maybe DVD burning or something else, for Mac users as part of the iLife suite. Never mind Windoze users.
#2 – A totally rebuilt sleek set of code. iTunes is getting a little bloated and slow.
With #2, I think most of the concerns would be addressed.
Whoever wrote this had obviously been told to make 10 criticisms of iTunes, so he went and downloaded it, read the manual and the first 5 hits from “itunes sucks” in google, and then made the article. It’s a crock of shit.
There are things I don’t like about iTunes, but some of these points are not even true, e.g “And what about the iTunes Store arrows that sit next to every track in your library? You used to be able to turn them off. Now you can’t. Grrr.” I only needed a quick look at my itunes window to prove to myself that it was untrue.
I was hoping for some interesting ideas for how itunes could be improved, but instead all there is is a load of nonsense. I got as far as 5 before I realized what a water of time it all is. Don’t bother.
I’d like to be able to put my iTunes library on a home server and point multiple computers at it.
I do that now, but it’s ugly… when you add songs to the library from one computer, they don’t show up on other computers. You have to manually update the other computers periodically. That’s because iTunes insists on storing its library database files locally.
Shut down the iTunes Store to give the Zune Marketplace a chance.
11.- Search for duplicates.
12.-Propose standard names for items in your library (automatically propose a standard naming for items or videos).
I’ve been an apple fan for a while now……but haven’t actually owned any apple products LOL!
…..that is until now.
I just bought myself a new ipod nano 4g to see how Apple would fit with MY particular needs.
And here is the first idea I’ve come up with to improve itunes and I would like someone to respond with their opinion…..
Have iTunes pre-installed in the firmware of all ipods going forward. I’m at work now and can’t access itunes because they don’t allow software installs as a policy here. I would like it so that when I plug my ipod into a computer, the ipod loads iTunes so I can then do what I want with my songs….plus impulse buy a few more songs. And, I could actually watch a movie or two on the computer monitor’s bigger screen. Gawd DRM sucks!
With a regular .mp3 player I can impulse buy from amazon downloadable songs and drop em in any .mp3 player. Plus, I can access any media and play it in windows media player or real player or whatever.
I like my idea. What do you think?
You can’t do that with an ipod.
“When Apple introduced the first AirPort Express in 2004, one if its selling points was that it enabled you to stream music to your Hi-Fi using AirTunes – a part of iTunes.
The drawback then was that Apple couldn’t / wouldn’t sell you a remote to help you control it without sitting in front of your laptop or desktop. Four years later, it still doesn’t. We’ve had to rely on third-party solutions instead.”
Umm… correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t EVERY mac (sans Mac Pro) come with a remote? Also, what about the FREE iPhone/touch app from Apple that can control iTunes from anywhere within Wi-fi range? This guy’s a complete tool.
@Viktor,
iTunes already identifies duplicate songs, but it does it by name. Maybe you mean finding duplicates that aren’t named correctly but still are the same song?
An iTunes Pro is something I’d certainly pay for if it had a number of sophisticated options worthy of an advanced database.
But please Apple, separate the music from everything else. How about giving me the option of selecting the library of my choice directly from the sidebar on the left.
I’ve begged Apple countless times [via the feedback menu], to allow user-created Libraries directly in iTunes. So I can switch from my Jazz library to my World music library with a single click.
If a ‘Pro’ version offered that, I’d buy it in an instant.
iTunes PRO.
That’s just stupid. Show me who is an iTunes professional. The market for that has got to be tiny.
Of course if they did make iTunes Pro, they’d charge for it then you’d be complaining.
Olternaut, you don’t know what you are talking about. iTunes pre-installed in the Firmware? Why, when you have wifi on iPod touches. Plus, iTunes allows you to share content on unlimited iPhones/iPods and up to 5 computers. That is protected things like Movies, and music.
You can buy stuff from Amazon and put them into an iPod. And why would you want to use Windows Media player or Real player?
Try building a duplicate of iTunes in non-OS X software package – COM/.NET/ASP.NET/Silverlight, Qt, Eclipse/SWT, JavaFX, Flash/Flex, PHP, JavaScript API, Google Gears… – and you will see how amazingly fast, lean, and ahead of its time iTunes interface is. I’ve tried, and I’m confident that if it were built by anybody other than Apple it would have been the MS type bloatware.
Quit your whining. Shut the fokk up, and stop trying to get on tech news with your non-news irrelevant bitching.
@Olternaut:
Well, if you can’t install software at work, it doesn’t matter if iTunes gets installed by downloading it from the internet, or by installing it from your iPod, you’re still breaking the policy.
Also, a large chunk of music you buy from iTunes CAN be put on any player, because they are DRM-free. Assuming the player can play the open standard AAC format, or you freely convert the files to MP3s using iTunes.
Well, unlike most of my predecessors, I actually read the referenced article. I will say that while most of his complaints are unfounded and over the top (he claims that iTunes just mysteriously looses files, something I have never had issue with in any version of iTunes), the overlying message is accurate.
iTunes needs shed some of the fluff it has acquired over the years, but it is in no way on its death bed.
PLEASE…. ADD MORE FILEDS!
The sole “artist” field is woefully inadequate!
Add fields for: soloist, conductor, ensemble.
The ability to bind multiple tracks together as one work. Designate tracks as parts (sub-units?) of a whole piece?
A symphony typically has 4 movements.
A concerto typically has 3 movements.
A sonata, 3 or more.
A suite could have 20 or more movements.
An opera has acts made up of numerous scenes.
I’d use shuffle if it kept pieces together as one unit. Right now, it’s just inadequate. There’s GOT to be a better way!
Multi-room for the rest of us
It’s already built in:
– Plug a few Airport Express nodes in to amplifiers in every room so that iTunes can see them in the network.
– Use an iPhone or an iPod Touch with the free Apple Remote app to control iTunes on the computer from anywhere in your house. A tap on the cover art reveals not just the progress bar as well as shuffle, repeat and Genius buttons, but also the list of speakers available to iTunes. You can switch these on and off right from the touch interface.
– There is no step three.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Pretty much every point this guy makes is invalid.
“That would finally put an end to the grumbles about sound quality / pricing, especially if we could also say goodbye to DRM too. Of course, we’d expect to pay a slight premium – we do so already with iTunes Plus.”
– Uhh, no, it’s just $.99 like the rest of the songs, and has been for several months now.
“there’s no reason why it shouldn’t also be able to sell true CD-quality audio downloads either.”
– iTunes audio downloads are all at least CD quality.
iTunes Pro?? How can you compare that to Final Cut, Logic, and Aperture? Apple’s Pro Apps are content CREATION tools. iTunes is for playing content, not creating it. What would iTunes Pro do? Play your music better?
I would add support for multiple tabs, especially for the iTunes store, and support for splitting the library across multiple hard drives: the amount of disk space for my media us getting ridiculous!
Yes, to better file handling. If anyone has ever moved or consolidated their library from one drive to another, it is a nightmare, even with 3rd party help or script usage. If you show iTunes where a song file is, shouldn’t it automatically link up the rest of the broken links for that album, or everything in that folder?
This guy is crazy for criticizing the Genius feature. It’s a choice to opt in, not mandatory, and you can close the Genius sidebar if you don’t want Apple to sell you more music. And it creates great playlists quickly.