8 ms·
Somebody Has To Say It: It’s Time For iTunes Lite
- sharpn 17y agoI don't usually like techcrunch but this hit the spot for me. Itunes is broken for my (simple) needs. A 'lite' option that is basically a file manager would be very welcome.
- joubert 17y agoYou can always double click on your .mp3 in your file system browser, no?
- zaius 17y agoNope - it will copy them to an iTunes music folder and play them from there. Then it will continue playing in alphabetical order from that song on.
- joubert 17y agoThat's just a preference. Check out Preferences / Advanced: - Keep iTunes Media folder organized; AND - Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library
- unalone 17y agoThat's far less convenient than a searchable bank of music that plays consecutively.
- joubert 17y agoi.e. iTunes.
- unalone 17y agoYep! Problem is, iTunes is so good at what it does (in terms of satisfaction, anyway) that it's got no real Mac competitor, so that the people like me who get pissed off at small things like not looking like a goddamn toy don't have anything to switch to. If only I could code.
- mcantelon 17y agoVLC? I've never liked iTunes.
- sharpn 17y agoThanks for the tip - I'll check VLC out.
- ptomato 17y agoInstall mpd & theremin (https://theremin.sigterm.eu/ https://theremin.sigterm.eu/) (I'm sure there's a similar windows client if that's your thing.) edit: alternatively, picoplay (http://www.kronenberg.org/picoplay/ http://www.kronenberg.org/picoplay/)
- arithmetic 17y agoTry winamp. Loved it. Still do so. It's simple and the search feature is good (and fast)!
- sohooo 17y agoTake a look at Ecoute[1], a minimalistic player which uses your iTunes library as a source. It's a lightweight iTunes replacement for me. [1] http://www.ecouteapp.com/ http://www.ecouteapp.com/
- tfh 17y agothx! I was looking for something like that. I don't like to open iTunes everytime I want to listen to 3 songs.
- jrwoodruff 17y agoHonestly, the 'genius' sidebar was one step over the boundary. It bogs down iTunes everytime it opens. Now Facebook Integration? I just want to listen to music, and rip any cds I have left.
- hexley 17y agoUhh, close it? You'll never see it again.
- ROFISH 17y agoThe "Facebook Integration" is literally nothing but a URL to Facebook's share page that's not unlike those copy/paste "Share on Facebook!" you see on practically every blog. And it's only for the App Store. It's nothing special really.
- pohl 17y agoI can't believe people are acting like the facebook/Twitter integration is such a big deal. It constructs a URL to the iTunes store and opens a browser window to a form. The implementation can't be more than a dozen new functions, can it?
- chasingsparks 17y agoI still use Winamp. iTunes only gets some CPU time when I need to sync my IPod.
- sarvesh 17y agoYou can sync your iPod, unless it is iPod touch or an iPhone, using Winamp (http://blog.winamp.com/2009/03/11/how-to-manage-music-in-ipod-using-winamp/ http://blog.winamp.com/2009/03/11/how-to-manage-music-in-ipo...)
- jac_no_k 17y agoAgreed that iTunes is tries to do too much of everything and what I’ve noticed from Apple is that there is only the Apple way. I do really like one feature in iTunes, the Genius playlist is great for people with very large libraries. And now I have a dedicated device (iPhone) to play music. I only use iTunes to sync.
- alecthomas 17y ago> And now I have a dedicated device (iPhone) to play music. I only use iTunes to sync. Same here, but I consider that a failing of iTunes, because I'd prefer to play music on my iPhone rather than deal with iTunes shitty interface.
- mrshoe 17y agoI'm sorry, but you're going to have to provide a compelling reason why those features shouldn't be in iTunes if you want to make this argument. "I don't need them" isn't good enough. Is 88MB too much for you to download? Is it too much to store on your hard disk? Is that "Burn Disk" button in the bottom right when you're viewing a playlist too distracting? Is the UI hard to navigate now with all these features? Is the "Share on Facebook" contextual menu item getting in your way when you're trying to listen to music? All of those things (and more) could be potential arguments against adding those features to iTunes. However, I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of iTunes users would answer "no" to every one of those questions. Apple has done a great job of adding features to iTunes without sacrificing much usability at all. If you click the button that hides the Genius bar, then the main screen is still just a list of playlists on the left, and your music library in the main pane. Pretty simple. Thousands of other people use and love those features. People love Macs because they don't need a separate application to burn CDs. Have you forgotten what a refreshing experience it is for a PC user to use a Mac for the first time and realize that it does everything they want out of the box? Presenting users with a set of checkboxes during install is one of the worst things you could possibly do. That's a usability nightmare. It's like setting a trap for your users. How do they know which components they need? How can they be sure it will work if they don't install all the components? What if they choose incorrectly and want to install more components later? Is that possible? The lack of these types of installers is yet another breath of fresh air when you switch to Mac OS X. In most cases you just drag the app into your Applications folder. Apple's applications need to work for ordinary people, not just techies. If you're going to accuse Apple of getting usability wrong, you better be a legitimate expert and have a compelling argument.
- al3x 17y agoThere are some good points in this comment. Still, have you watched over the shoulder of a non-techie trying to use a recent version of iTunes? Accomplishing many goals, like configuring what content ends up on your iPod, is remarkably confusing for several people I've observed (and then helped). I'd just suggest that the number of installs of iTunes doesn't necessarily correlate to user satisfaction. If you own an iPod or iPhone, you have essentially no choice but to use iTunes, particularly if you're not technically inclined enough to investigate alternatives. Apple has a captive audience for iTunes.
- allenbrunson 17y agoi think a better approach would be to split it into separate apps: one for syncing with ipods and iphones, one for listening to music, one for browsing the itunes music store, and so on. all of them could use the same backend data store and xml description files.
- tjstankus 17y agoAmen. I've moved to Songbird for playing music on my Mac. It's not perfect, but I prefer it to iTunes. And there's nothing out there that's more compelling. I still use iTunes to sync my phone, but that's what I've come to see iTunes as - a store + a syncing platform, not a music player. There's a real market opportunity sitting there for a slim, slick music player on the Mac.
- unalone 17y agoDoes Songbird still stop playing music when you X out of it? Because that was disgraceful.
- Radix 17y agoI tried it recently and [it looks like you need an add on.] But I didn't like that it didn't recognize the group by artist flag iTunes uses. And I couldn't set up album-by-artist. And it seemed to use more ram. But, it looks a lot nicer to me. [edit]
- tjstankus 17y agoA comment in the techcrunch post tipped me off to http://ecouteapp.com/ http://ecouteapp.com/ Liking it so far.
- puffythefish 17y agoWow, that's a very nice app.
- shiranaihito 17y agoMe too, although I never really used iTunes along the way. I tried to live with Cog, and Play, but both sucked. Songbird still needs ReplayGain support, and global hotkeys. Then it will be a tolerable alternative for foobar2000.
- reedlaw 17y agoThis is exactly why I run Rockbox on my iPod. I can now use simple folder-organization to sort my music and have it show up exactly the same way on my iPod! I hated having one organizational structure on the disk and an entirely different one when I opened iTunes. Who knows if the ID3 tags in all my various mp3s are correct, standardized, or contain the information I would need to find them? In iTunes, I'd often have to go back to my folders to find a file, figure out how that file was tagged, then go back to iTunes and find it again! When I find mp3s online or get them from friends, I never bother to edit their ID3 tags, but I often sort them using a simple tree-structure that's built into almost every device called a file system. I'm used to storing documents, photos, and source code this way. Why should I learn a new way just for one app? If my files' ID3 tags were entered correctly or can be downloaded automatically, I'm happy of course, but when I make my own mp3's or find ones with empty tags I hardly ever bother to fix them. What's the use?
- mattmaroon 17y agoI didn't know there was such a thing. Maybe I'll bring my Nano out of retirement. I've owned more mp3 players than I can count, and the only iPod I'v ever liked was the Nano but I gave up on it because iTunes was just so unusable.
- reedlaw 17y agoRockbox is an awesome open source firmware for mp3 players. I run it on my 1st gen Nano. http://www.rockbox.org/ http://www.rockbox.org/
- joubert 17y agoIsn't the whole premise of the iTunes approach that you shouldn't have to bother with folder structures? I mean, really, what's the advantage of doing that? Isn't it better that you can literally just type in a keyword and the system shows you the matching music?
- randallsquared 17y agoNo. When I want a playlist, it's often not easy or not possible to find a search term that includes just the album I want, so I have to drag the album into a new playlist, which creates clutter. Playlist searching is great for finding a song but terrible for building a playlist.
- igorgue 17y agoI like what Banshee is heading, pretty cool!, no mac love yet though (yes there is a experimental version, I don't care I use Ubuntu anyways). In other words you don't need another iTunes you need iTunes mini-mode.
- jhancock 17y agoits time for my current selected item to scroll into view when I re-sort by a different column. or maybe I'm just being unreasonable, asking for too much?
- rufo 17y agoI agree that iTunes needs reworking, but I don't believe a Lite version is the answer. I'd rather see Apple rethink the entire iTunes interface and try to rebuild it while making it simpler - think iMovie '09 or the iPhone. Asking for a Lite version sounds similar to Henry Ford's customers wanting a faster horse - it doesn't fix the underlying problems.
- nuweborder 17y agoApple has been forcefeeding music lovers for years, but have never been able to give any true nourishment to the unsigned independent musician. Its like eating candy, fried foods, bacon, and soda for the rest of your life. Sounds fun on the surface, and might be a good idea and exciting for a while But if you keep it up, you will die. Or at least end up with a heart attack or other serious illness. Try some vegetables, fish, and water for a change. Or at least another, more nourishing music service. By offering what of what musicians and music lovers want, you actually offer them more "meat" in your service. Makes for more satisfied consumers, and greater brand loyalty.
- joubert 17y agoUhm, right after installing iTunes 9, I got a free 20-pack indy music collection. That's kinda nice.
- nuweborder 17y agoAnd in comparison to the major label artists such as U2, Kanye West, and Amy Winehouse, how much do you think those indie artists from that free 20 pack are actually earning? Not much. The guidelines are not the same for all musicians.
- unalone 17y agoAre you kidding? Apple promotes indie artists excessively.
- nuweborder 17y agoReally? They're promoting indie artists as much as they are the major label artists? That news to me. Especially when the company has an application process for indie artists that is not required of major label artists. And most of them get rejected. The bottom line, is that via Itunes, the playing field is not level, as it is with sites like Digg and YouTube. I guarantee you that Johnny Random Band is not getting as many downloads and sales per track as Maroon 5 or Daughtry. Next time you see an indie artist who's on Itunes, see if they are wheeling the same Aston Martin DB9 that Kanye has been spotted in these days. I bet you it will be more like a Honda Civic instead.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- bbsabelli 17y agoSlightly off topic, but I'd like to know how Apple managed to remove physical media whilst keeping the same pricing. I'm no economist, but shouldnt the massive iTunes media surplus supply reduce the prices significantly?
- whatusername 17y agobecause the physical inventory was only a small part of the cost. recording costs, promotion, etc haven't gone down. plus you are paying for convenience. and as is pointed out here often -- price!=cost , price==value
- Readmore 17y agoI'm so sick of TC whining about every freaking thing! If you want a dead simple music player for OS X then freaking write it! Maybe it will work about better than that 'dead simple web tablet' we're still waiting for.
- endtime 17y agoI'd be happy with a version doesn't randomly delete a song file (not just a library entry, but the actual file) every few months and doesn't make my X4 940 feel like a Celeron.
- joubert 17y agoSo if you didn't add new music, over time you'd have nothing left?
- endtime 17y agoI suppose I might, given a few centuries...
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- e40 17y agoI have a lot of complaints of iTunes, but that (file deletion) has never happened to me and I've never heard that complaint.
- endtime 17y agoWhen I felt like complaining to reddit about it I went and found several forum threads of people with the same problem: http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/9catv/ask_reddit_itunes_alternative_for_windows_with/ http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/9catv/ask_reddit...
- ghshephard 17y agoSwitch to Mini-Player? (Cmd+Shift+M)
- bena 17y agoPersonally, I'd be happy with an iTunes that worked well, was more intuitive, and more responsive. I like my iPhone. I think the MacBook I use for work is swell. However, iTunes remains one of the most horrible applications that I've ever been forced to use.
- msie 17y agoNeed one say it in so many words?
- jsz0 17y agoThis guy is certainly entitled to his own opinion but I wonder why he's even using iTunes in the first place. Obviously it doesn't meet his needs or desires. He seems to be having some sort of mental breakdown over iTunes 9 specifically but he's choosing to use any of the alternatives. Why not use VLC? If you can't be bothered to download something new just use QuickTime. Better yet how about Cog? It's open source and 3.8MB. I bet he could dig into the source and slim it down to a cool 3.0MB on the dot. Just for fun I decided to see how minimal I could make the iTunes GUI: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2594/3906199116_89fecdd502_o.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2594/3906199116_89fecdd502_o.... Took me about 2 minutes and these are all permanent settings. Change it once, forget about it. Or just be a normal, emotionally stable, human being and make choices that suit your own personal needs.
- junklight 17y agoyes for all the grumbling - there things like Cog that seem to do exactly what he is asking for. I have to say I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum - I use a great deal of the features in iTunes - I keep video in it, I keep TV in it , I have a massive music library , I have several machines round the house that I and the family use to listen/watch stuff. I have an iphone. I buy things in the store. In all I love the fact it is all integrated and works together without me having to think about it (apart it, must be said, for stupid DRM on video which is a pain). When I used to run winamp on a PC back in the day I used to need a collection of perl scripts to manage the library...
- derefr 17y agoiTunes has basically become "Stuff-that-can-be-synched-to-an-iPhone Manager." It could be broken down with little effort—Quicktime Player would get the movie/TV store; iPhoto would get the menu for synching photos; Software Update would get the App Store (and hopefully make it a Mac App Store in the process, because that's really not that much more work), and a new "iDentity" app would be created to handle all the other crap (because I use Gmail's web interface, not Mail.app, but want my Notes synced anyway, goshdarnit. Or they could just make a free reduced-capability version of MobileMe.) The only thing that's stopping them from doing this is that, right now, you only need to download one thing in order to use an iPod or iPhone on Windows, and that one thing is completely owned as part of the Apple experience. After the conversion, you'd need quite a few more apps, some of which, due to just working through APIs, could usurped by badly-written, no-UX-consideration-given preinstallware that would give Apple a bad name (I can just imagine the "Dell App Store client"—oh, how Apple would rage at that.)
- ZeroGravitas 17y agoWhat he said. Apple would not design iTunes like this, if not for the need to deliver it on Windows. It breaks many of its own design rules. The saddest part for me is seeing the open source desktops head down the same path when this could be a key differentiator for them. Like Apple they bundle a full working desktop with apps that can work together and build on the same libraries. But they don't. Instead the future appears to be continuing with the totally inappropriate iTunes clone but switching to one that comes with it's on Mono VM and is becoming an independent development platform. It's latest feature is built in photo management! When I read that it was one of those satire is dead moments.
- CrazedGeek 17y agoWhat app are you talking about in your last paragraph?
- moe 17y agoAnalyzing gapless playback information...
- lurkinggrue 17y agoiTunes was painful to me the first time I installed it on windows and it got worse over time. I never picked up the iTunes habit.
- derekj 17y agoIt amazes me that I read through all of these comments and didn't see one mention of the Zune software. Yes, it's Windows only. Yes, it only syncs with Zunes. BUT, it offers a far better music-playing and music-finding experience. It's laid out better, looks better, is easier to use, has folder monitoring (I can't believe that's still not in itunes), doesn't try to move or edit any of your files or metadata, and overall just performs better. I actually have a virtual machine of XP just so I don't have to install iTunes on my host Win7 box. I only open it maybe once a month to check out new podcasts that aren't in the Zune marketplace yet. Because of this, I don't want ituneshelper, quicktime, safarai, bonjour, etc etc. installed on my system and put in my Startup group just so I can open iTunes. It's just unnecessary. I cringe every time I see someone struggling with iTunes.