54
Apple iTunes (v8 and v9)
Released January, 2001
The Pros:Easy-to-use synching with iPod device. Clean, slick, easy to use interface. Available for both Mac and Windows.
The Cons:Installs many services and bloatware. Slows down Windows. High startup time on Windows.
iTunes is a digital media player application that is used to organize and play digital music and video files while also interacting with the popular iPod and iPhone devices. iTunes also functions as a portal app for the iTunes Store via the the Internet to download and purchase music, music videos, television shows, iPod game, audiobooks, podcasts, films, movie rentals, and select college lectures.
iTunes was originally released on January 9, 2001 and is available for free download for Mac OS X, and Windows Vista/XP. iTunes cannot be run natively on a Linux-based O/S, however, it can be run using Wine Windows compatiblity layer.
Features
- Media file management
- Library views: Cover Flow, Grid View
- File format support (read/write/convert): MP3, AIFF, WAV, MPEG-4, AAC, and Apple Lossless
- File metadata
- Sound processing
- Video support
- iTunes Store
- Podcasting
- Synchronizing with iPod and iPhone
- iPhone activation
- iMix - user-created playlists published to the iTunes store
- Internet radio
- Plugins
- Visualizers
What's new in 8.0
- Genius Sidebar - recommends what you should buy based on listening habits
- Genius playlists - creates automatic playlists based on listening habits
- Grid View
- HD TV shows
- new default visualizater
- support for the new iPod Touch and iPod Nano
What's new in 9.0
- Improved file sharing across local network
- LP--full album art (not just the covers)
- Redesigned store
- iTunes Extras
- Genius Mixes
- Improved syncing
- Increased customization in Smart Lists
- Store wish lists
- Ringtones
- App store for iPhone/iPod Touch
- Eliminated DRM controles
- Expanded offerings in iTunes U
User Reviews (49)
Pros & Cons
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26
Easy-to-use synching with iPod device
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19
Clean, slick, easy to use interface.
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17
Available for both Mac and Windows
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16
Excellent support for podcasts, mostly free podcast subscriptions.
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16
Entire iTunes store catalog is now available in DRM-free format
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13
Easy to access music on other computers on home network
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13
Auto-tag MP3 rips on import.
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13
Auto-import album artwork.
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12
Tight integration with iTunes store makes buying music a snap
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11
Supports incremental backup - only tracks that have been added since last backup are saved, so uses less disk space.
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10
Manages media files automatically OR allows user to manage them manually.
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10
Excellent podcast, download and streaming support
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10
Built-in encoder allows you to convert files into AAC, MP3, AIFF or WAV formats
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8
Excellent internet radio support.
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8
Easy to stream music to other computers running iTunes as well as other devices
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7
Built-in backup function allows cross-platform backups of media library to optical media.
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4
The Genius-part to get custom playlists of similar music
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22
Installs many services and bloatware
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22
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15
High startup time on Windows
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13
No native support for Linux
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12
Annoying reminders pop-up to upgrade all the time
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12
Cover flow is very CPU / GPU intensive
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11
part of a closed system - intended to keep users locked to Apple hardware (iPod), software and media outlets
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10
not at all modular, cannot expand usability or remove unused components
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6
Links break if network media go down
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6
oversimplified, few options for power users
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5
built to promote a proprietary online music store
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2
No options to add codecs for other media formats. (like flac and ape)
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2
cannot sync to any media player / smartphone, only Apple's iDevices.
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1
needs to be closed and restarted to recognize a change in default audio output device (e.g. Bluetooth stereo headset / line-out change)
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1
cannot play back WMA files (converts them to AAC if DRM-free)
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1
Rebuilding library after updates takes a long time.
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0
The manual file managment is jerky and repeats tracks on devices.
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Comments (12)
listener:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 When I think about it, I don't know why I'm using iTunes.
- Other players do support more formats (now I'm switching to foobar2000 to play other formats all the time...)
- I only use the iTunes store for the covers and the genius mixes. (use last.fm to find new music)
- Don't have an iPod anymore
But:
- I'm using it for so long now...
- my library is in it including all my music and custom ratings and playlists etc.
- I do link the look and feel of it.
- Using iTunes Store file validator for a lot of the functions iTunes is missing. http://itsfv.sourceforge.net/
Edit (20-08-2010):
I switched to foobar2000.
With all the available plug-ins and the customizable UI I've got almost all the good functions of iTunes in foobar and more. The only thing missing is the "Genius" part, but this is for the most part covert by using a last.fm plug-in.
It took quit a long time to set everything up the way I like it. I had to get all the plug-ins, to change the UI (partly using the iTunes UI as example) and get all my settings from iTunes (sadly iTunes doesn't always save the changes you make, like track-title, to the file. Play-count I got from last.fm and the ratings I past over by exporting playlists for all the rated music.
But now I have everything up and running I'm verry happy. iTunes is a nice program to look at and use, but it really locked me in.
Aug 20, 10
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ellej9:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 ITunes got it right - if you want to buy something. But anything else is a circuitous mess and then it won't do - what you want it to do. I even have problems renting videos on it. YUCK!
Aug 4, 10
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vsaxena911:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 I'm a bootlegging, illegal-hustlin' LimeWire fan. I get my songs for free and then upload them to the appropriate device. Quite easy to do and doesn't cost a cent. In the words of Yorgi (XXX), "Welcome to Anarchy Ninety-nine!"
Sep 23, 09
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dialupinternetuser:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 @DamienT98 You could subscribe to the Podcasts in Winamp, which work much better than iTunes. Streaming, download, or both. Organizes much better. Syncs with the rest of the music library, and it's possible to transfer only some of the podcast to a portable device instead of all, none, or unwatched.
I've had to use iTunes more recently because of poor iPod Touch/iPhone support in Winamp, and it's already bugging the crap out of me. I can't stand it. It has crappy on-the-fly playlist support, stupid playlist controls, for some reason you have to tell Apple what music you have for Genius to work, it tries to send you to the iTunes store constantly, it has horrible streaming support, and supports a measly three audio codecs, and three video codecs. It slows your computer, installs bloatware, screws with your music files, can't handle stuff very well if you keep it in multiple folders, has no folder scanning so you have to manually tell it when you add new music, and is in general, a total pain in the ass. But if you like DRM, no control, never add music except through CD's or the iTunes store, being stuck with the iTunes store, and only listen to one artist or album at a time, or only use the same playlist constantly, then iTunes is the perfect player for you.
Oct 15, 08
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Yale:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 Garbage software for tools. DRM, crappy music store, crappy code that crashes windows. Might be good on OSX, but I doubt it. There are many better alternatives - even ones that sync your ipod. ml_ipod (http://mlipod.sourceforge.net/) is SUPER superior to iTunes and Winamp's built in sync tools. If you're just listening to music, the simpler the better. Foobar or Winamp all the way!
Sep 15, 08
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anon:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but on more than one computer the newer versions a few months ago would cause serious problems on Windows XP. One computer had to be formatted after updating itunes.
I love itunes, but I no longer update it because it seems they are trying to mess up my Windows based systems!
Sep 8, 08
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Howlsthunder:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 I have been a fan of iTunes for a long while. I don't care about the music store (I am a staunch CD purchaser ;) ) - I just like the way iTunes handles music. The first hurdle I originally had issues with is trying to manually organize my music folders that iTunes taps into. I found this creates a mess and that its actually much easier to let iTunes deal with the physical songs while I organize everything in the application itself. The drag-n-drop capabilities, wide variety of ways to organize things and label them, and smart playlists are huge time saver for me.
May 27, 08
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GT-D:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 I won't even install quicktime due to the immense hassle it is - if it wasnt for quicktime alternative I just wouldn't watch anything in that format.
My wife had to install it to format her new iPod apparently and the stupid update popups were virtually impossible to stop - happened all the time even after itunes was uninstalled. Finally she found that the updater is a separately installed program.
With a music collection spanning some 25,000 files and about 150 gb, the only player that truly meets my organizational needs is Foobar2000 - I dropped winamp due to the immense loading time when I hit about 70gb some years ago, grabbed foobar, customized the UI to my liking and never looked back.
With friends who went on and on about how amazing iTunes is I took a look but hated it. So bloated, and how it organizes your music seemed clearly aimed at users who have difficulty organizing music in a sensible folder/file structure and proper play lists. I want my music in the order I want it, not the order iTunes thinks I want it.
Apr 10, 08
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Discordanian:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 It integrates so seemlessly with Mac OSX I'm not sure what else I'd contemplate using for keeping my music library in shape.
You can drag drop music files onto it and it imports them. Logical. I love smart playlists. I love syncing to my iPod.
I'm not that keen on using it for PDF or movie management.
The only thing I can't stand is the goofy xml file it uses to manage the entire thing. It's not easy to hand hack.
Jan 7, 08
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Erik:
#apple_itunes_v8_and_v9 To this day, I don't understand people's love affair with iTunes. I HATE IT. From the annoying background services and applications, to the automatic updates. All for what? A crappy media player attached to a store.
Winamp for me thanks. And i'll get my music from somewhere else.
Nov 17, 07
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