iTunes

[mel]

I have yet to download the new iTunes... I usually wait to read people's impressions on how the new upgrade effects their Macs, iPods, music libraries, etc. With all of this smart loading technology and stuff built into it, I wonder if this has any spyware that tracks our music, video and podcast watching and purchasing. Also do the CoverFlow pictures take into account music that may not be on the iTunes music store.... like The Beatles and Paul McCartney solo albums.... I've been adding cover art of my various albums the old fashion way... cut and paste from Amazon.com. I guess cover art from iTunes is a marked improvement here.

One thing I did notice is that the iTune music store movie trailers now download into my podcast directory using iTunes 6.x.

[Bard]

Re: Apple Announcements

I got iTunes 7 last night. Sucker for early adoption

The new interface overhauls are, as usual, so ugly and less-usable they make you want to scratch your eyes out. But the new functionality is pretty nice. I played with the album browser a bit, and they've got a new thing (which I haven't tried yet) which can download album art for *all* your songs, iTMS or not, from iTMS.

[pzarquon]

Re: Apple Announcements

I don't mind the iTunes 7 interface changes as much as some commentaries I've read. Design wise, it's less shiny, less bulbous, comes across as simpler. It also now doesn't match OSX's already inconsistent design touches, but I bet the new iTunes look for buttons and scroll bars and the like are a sneak peek of Leopard. They moved some buttons, true, but the new locations make at least as much sense as the old ones. Moving other content types out of the main Library annoys me (as it's harder for me to see a simple list of latest additions, which used to include podcast downloads). But oddly the most nagging peeve is the new, blue icon!

The additions and improvements, from gapless playback toggling to the album art browsing to the iPod management screen, make it all worthwhile.

[Bard]

Re: Apple Announcements

iTunes 7 just looks very Windows-ified to me. If that's how Leopard's gonna look, then I'm probably going to look into one of those re-skinning apps for the first time

I should elaborate my "less-usable" comment too. I dunno if any of you are fans of Tog (he's one of the original Apple design guys) but he hates most of the new stuff Apple's putting out nowadays. They've totally forgotten Fitts' Law. iTunes is a great example. A really small thing, but it's really frustrating: the separater bar between the left playlist pane and the rest of the window has gotten smaller and less usable as time goes on. In iTunes 4 it was a full sized metal bar, easy to drag. In iTunes 5 it became a thin line with a dragger only at one end. And in 7 it completed its transition to Windows-land by becoming a single line that you have to spend 5 seconds lining the mouse up with to use it.

I don't mean to grouse about it so much but it really bugs me to see Apple shoot themselves in the feet like that. They're supposed to have superb usability and design, and while what they have now is still superior to most everyone else, it could be a lot better (and often was in the past, before slick/shiny started taking over from usable).

[Glen Miyashiro]

iTunes

I tried iTunes and I don't think I like it. Sure, it plays everything, and the iTunes Store link is addictively easy to use. But I already have my CD collection ripped to MP3 files on my hard disk -- and they're filed the way I like 'em. iTunes wants to copy all my files to its library, and re-sort them the Apple way. Isn't there a way to tell iTunes not to do this?

[alohabear]

Re: iTunes Music Store Free Downloads

ITunes users.... if you hadn't upgraded to the NEWEST version of Itunes,click here! I love the new changes.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: iTunes

Aside from the library (which is just the repository for all of your music), you can make folders on the sidebar to copy and collate your music, thus meeting your needs.

[pzarquon]

Re: iTunes

iTunes wants to copy all my files to its library, and re-sort them the Apple way. Isn't there a way to tell iTunes not to do this?

Absolutely. I resisted its built-in file organizer for ages. There's a toggle in the preferences.

After a while, though, I let it swallow everything and organize stuff automatically. At first I let it manage a copy of my music library, but now it's running the show. It made backups easier, for one, and the directory hierarchy was relatively intuitive anyway (Artist > Album > Tracks). It primiarly avoided the inevitable situations where I'd move a music file manually and iTunes would then lose track of it.

I love using it as my primary jukebox. "Smart" shuffle, zone-out visualization, podcatcher, easy shopping... and if you burned your music from original CDs, the auto-download of album art plus the new cover browser makes the setup especially appealing!

ETA: Pua'i Mana'o, I think he's specifically asking about management of the MP3 audio files on his hard drive, rather than organization/playlists within iTunes.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: iTunes

ETA: Pua'i Mana'o, I think he's specifically asking about management of the MP3 audio files on his hard drive, rather than organization/playlists within iTunes.

Gotcha.

FWIW, iTunes keeps my kids quite happy. And for birthday gifts, there are local retailers who sell iTune cards for as little as $15. These are the best things to give to my kids (who drink up HD space with their songs).

Me? I am still old school; I prefer to prowl for CDs. I love to read jacket covers. I like the art. I like the song orders.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: iTunes

Absolutely. I resisted its built-in file organizer for ages. There's a toggle in the preferences.

Thanks, I hadn't seen that. I'll try it and see if it helps.

After a while, though, I let it swallow everything and organize stuff automatically. At first I let it manage a copy of my music library, but now it's running the show. It made backups easier, for one, and the directory hierarchy was relatively intuitive anyway (Artist > Album > Tracks). It primiarly avoided the inevitable situations where I'd move a music file manually and iTunes would then lose track of it.

What if you've got two different sets of music -- can you keep them separated in two different locations on the hard drive? Me and my wife may be joined in holy matrimony, but we agree to keep our MP3s separate!

ETA: Pua'i Mana'o, I think he's specifically asking about management of the MP3 audio files on his hard drive, rather than organization/playlists within iTunes.

You got it.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: iTunes

Me? I am still old school; I prefer to prowl for CDs. I love to read jacket covers. I like the art. I like the song orders.

I love you for saying this. The music programmer in me, the one who gets paid to worry about song flow every workday, really appreciates your last sentence. Back when I was producing albums, determining the sequence of the disc was one of my favorite tasks. I will always remember that, no matter how irrelevant it becomes.

[adrian]

Re: iTunes

I won't be upgrading, becuase some people report that if you increase the volume in iTunes, the sound will get worse.

[kupomog]

Re: Apple Announcements

But oddly the most nagging peeve is the new, blue icon!

Haha, everyone I know loves the new icon. I do, too. The blue just makes more sense. I'll always use a custom icon for my dock, anyway.

I haven't had any volume control problems so far, but a friend of mine said that when he makes the volume lower the music distorts :/

Oh yeah, and I personally like the new iTunes.

[Konaguy]

Re: iTunes

After a friend suggested I upgrade to Itunes 7, I upgraded. But it wouldn't
work correctly. Mainly it would crash if I went into the video part of the site.
So I reverted back to the older version, where I'll be staying until it works correctly.

[mel]

Re: iTunes

The blue icon was used when iTunes was available for Mac OS9, back at version 2.0. I'll wait before I upgrade to version 7 to see what all shakes out of this new upgrade. Mostly I've heard good things, but on some other sites I've read about a few problems with v.7 (Macintosh).