Apple Delays Simpler and Cleaner iTunes 'to Get It Right' 252
Hugh Pickens writes "iTunes has been criticized in the past for being slow and growing increasingly unwieldy as more and more media types have been added to what used to be simply a music player. Apple announced iTunes 11, the latest version of the program, at its iPhone 5 event in September and said the update would be released by the end of October, but Apple's deadline for the upgrade has slipped. 'The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right,' Apple told technology site AllThingsD. 'We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.' The update is said to be the most significant upgrade to iTunes in the 11-year life of the program, which has grown from a simple music player to the most powerful retailer in the music business — and a force in the movie, television and e-books businesses — and, on Apple's PCs, the portal to its app store."
Re:Apple wants to get it right? (Score:1, Informative)
Music....yes. Movies/TV shows.....no.
Re:Apple wants to get it right? (Score:0, Informative)
and it has been for like what, 6 years now? sheesh.
Fixed that (Score:3, Informative)
It is said to be the most significant upgrade to iTunes in the 11-year life of the program, which has grown from a simple music player to the most unnecessary bloated piece of sh!t in history.
Re:Apple wants to get it right? (Score:5, Informative)
AC is correct -- music from iTunes has been DRM free for years [again]. Originally it was all MP3's -- then yes, it was DRM'd AAC files.
Today it's DRM free AAC files -- that yes, have your Apple ID embedded. So what?
Even when it was encrypted it was trivial (for a geek :) to convert them to MP3's. Originally you could use your Firewire iPod connected to decrypt the files on the fly -- then Apple blocked that. Always has been possible to use something like Audio HiJack to re-record to MP3's.
Today -- just convert to MP3 in iTunes. No issue. And I keep going back to MP3 because of legacy devices connected to stereo's that only understand MP3's [original SliMP3's :-].
What the issue? Sales are up (and my stock :)
Re:Apple wants to get it right? (Score:4, Informative)
That's only true in a small number of cases. The great majority of music can be redownloaded DRM-free via either individual track re-downloads via iTunes Plus, or by subscribing to iTunes Match for one year, and letting that match and upgrade all your tracks. I believe at this point you can simply delete and redownload your track for a DRM-free version.
I hate DRM as much as anyone, but you're the dumbass for buying DRMed goods and then being pissy when only some and not all DRM was removed from them later. Apple is willing to work toward your goal, and you're pissed because they don't deliver 100%?
For clarification, I've dropped Apple from my personal device lineup now that Google has tablets that match or beat iPad. I've been enjoying using iTunes Match to match and upgrade my old music, then uploading the up-rate media to Google Play.
Re:No more bloatware? (Score:4, Informative)
I'm hoping "simpler and cleaner" mean "less arrogant."
I have a couple podcasts I save up for when I travel. I was updating my iPod before a recent trip and noticed those podcasts weren't getting any recent episodes. Turns out iTunes stopped downloading those podcasts because I hadn't listened to them recently.
There's also the recurring issue of iTunes storing audio files where the Apple Devs want files to be stored, not where I configure iTunes to store files.
So how about a version of iTunes that will download what I decide to download, store files where I decide to store files, copy those files to my iPod, and nothing else?
I don't need some developer somewhere deciding what I should or shouldn't download or where files should be stored on my machine.
Re:Apple wants to get it right? (Score:4, Informative)
Just re-download it from the cloud: presto! Instant DRM Free copies of your old files...
Re:Better upgrade (Score:4, Informative)
Staring at air is amusing when you're on LSD.
Re:Apple wants to get it right? (Score:4, Informative)
Just to correct the "record", such as this is. DRM-free music on iTunes launched on May 29, 2007. The Amazon MP3 store launched in beta on September 25, 2007.
You remember it the other way around because memory is an illusion.
Re:get it right (Score:2, Informative)
Honestly, Bonjour is a great protocol idea. Avahi/Zeroconf provides this on Linux and it's an open protocol that saves the ordinary household user from worrying about things like the IP address of their printer. It's used for the iPod Touch and iPhone on iTunes, and I agree it shouldn't be forced to be installed. It's also used for sharing your music library to other computers on the network.
Re:Apple's QC has slipped (Score:4, Informative)
In fact, I predict a disaster that will have me looking for another entertainment hub.
...And the entertainment hub that you're looking for is called Plex. Based on how you describe your usage of iTunes, Plex may fit the bill. However, its suitability for you depends on two major questions:
1.) How willing you are to jailbreak your Apple TV - or replace it with one of these [wdc.com].
2.) How much DRM'd video content you've got tying you to the Apple ecosystem.
They've got iOS,Android, and desktop apps, and they work more beautifully than I can possibly describe.