Mockup of new iTunes 8.0 interface published

[AppleInsider]

With his iTunes 8.0 reports receiving support over the weekend, Kevin Rose has gone on to publish an interface mockup of the new media cataloging software now expected for release Tuesday.

According to the drawing (below), an area of the iTunes sidebar currently reserved for smart playlists will be replaced with Genius Playlists, while a new Genius sidebar on the right-hand side of the application will recommend music from the iTunes Store that a user doesn't already own.

The iTunes Genius is said to be activated or deactivated by an interface button near the bottom right-hand side of the application.

iTunes 8 will continue to offer users three distinct "views" of their music library, though instead of List, List with Artwork, and Cover Flow, version 8.0 will offer List, Grid, and Cover Flow. Grid view will display album covers in an aligned matrix and offer playback controls via mouse-over, according to the mockup.

A slider will reportedly control the size of the album artwork in the grid view, and users will be able to sort their music via Album, Artist, Genre, and Composer.



Rose also claims that Apple will employ a recently acquired third-party Magnetosphere plugin (below) as one its new iTunes visualizers.

Magnetosphere revisited (audio by Tosca) from flight404 on Vimeo.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[teckstud]

Just what we need- a visualizer that looks like Time Machine on acid?

[digitalclips]

I will be flying all day tomorrow and miss the fun Oh well maybe by tomorrow night the feed will be available.

[sausage&Onion]

So the Genius only recommends you the music you already own? What a bunch of shit.

[ascii]

2 sidebars? P off.
The iTunes Store already has 2 sidebars so when you're in there it will be 4 all up!

[ColeSQ]

Originally Posted by sausage&Onion

So the Genius only recommends you the music you already own? What a bunch of shit.

...perhaps it will afford users of the new subscription service to see additional recommendations from the library, a la Pandora, which will actually be downloaded. Or perhaps recommendations will be streamed with an easy option to buy if you like them.

There are a lot of possibilities here and on the iPhone that could effectively eliminate the need for a Pandora-like app at home or on the road while promoting new sales, either through the subscription model or via existing purchase model.

[solipsism]

I hope that isn't it for the new iTunes.

In a completely unrelated story, MS announces that the Zune Software will offer Playlist Gurus in it's next update in 2012.

[ColeSQ]

Originally Posted by ascii

2 sidebars? P off.

That part kinda sucks. I was hoping for a massive update to make the app a little simpler, like what devs have to do with iPhone real estate. Between all my playlists for all the different media and all the different devices from old to new iPods, and iPhone or two, and Apple TV (then maybe other computers if they did it right), it would have been nice to maybe segment things a little more. Maybe have an iTunes app for audio, a video app, and a device app or something like that.

On the surface I know it sounds lame, but we already have multiple apps exposing data for all these devices and it's getting a lot more cluttered and confusing when you really sit down and develop good playlists/albums/etc. with 15,000 songs, a couple hundred movies, 25,000 photos, and lots of TV shows.

[agentlion]

How about they implement this one interface change:
Move the "browse" button to the main toolbar!! And second, change it from that strange eye icon.

I have talked to several people who claim they don't like iTunes because it's hard to find music by a certain artist, a certain song, a certain album, etc. I tell them when you use the Browse feature, it's easy. "What's that?" is the most common reply. So, i tell them to click the "eye button" down in the lower right, which makes the iTunes interface infinitely more user friendly.

I have no idea why 1) Browse-mode isn't enabled by default (when you install itunes for the first time, it just gives you a big long list), 2) it looks like and eye (i "get it", conceptually, but surely they can create a better icon), and 3) why it's buried in the lower-right corner, where very few people look. It should be promoted in a prominent spot in the main toolbar!

[IrishMac]

Album Grid view sounds good to me.

[belunos]

Kind of 'meh' for a major update, isn't it? I assume the genius junk will make suggestions for songs in itms. Meh

[Virgil-TB2]

I'm getting sick of all these leaks.

People complain that the event is going to be boring, but one of the major reasons it might be is everyone breaking or bending their NDA's to tell everyone what to expect. What is it about tech journalists that they can't just shut the f**k up once in a while?

Kevin's info here in particular doesn't really add anything to the story, yet it threatens to take most of the enjoyment out of the announcement tomorrow. Would it have hurt him to sit on it for a day? No.

And the worst thing about it is that no one would have cared if he *did* wait. The only possible reason he has for doing this is click-whoring and personal aggrandisement. How sad.

[ColeSQ]

Originally Posted by belunos

Kind of 'meh' for a major update, isn't it? I assume the genius junk will make suggestions for songs in itms. Meh

...or at least that's what I keep telling myself. I'd be embarrassed as hell if I'd put all that junk up on the side of a building for a nano and some grid thingy.

Then again, if they can fix all these bugs running around the iPhone and return iTunes to something as elegant and simple as 5 years ago we might have something.

Time to get rid of some features...

[Booga]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I hope that isn't it for the new iTunes.

In a completely unrelated story, MS announces that the Zune Software will offer Playlist Gurus in it's next update in 2012.

According to c|net, Microsoft quietly released this feature late last week in a new "slim" Zune. It's just that no one (still) cares.

[ColeSQ]

Originally Posted by Booga

According to c|net, Microsoft quietly released this feature late last week in a new "slim" Zune. It's just that no one (still) cares.

And no one will care here if it's just a simple feature add without meat. Here's hoping there's a tie back to either a stream or subscription function - would personally like both.

[caliminius]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

People complain that the event is going to be boring, but one of the major reasons it might be is everyone breaking or bending their NDA's to tell everyone what to expect. What is it about tech journalists that they can't just shut the f**k up once in a while?

Maybe because its HIS JOB as a journalist to report the news. And part of a journalist's job is getting his site/publication/station/whatever more readers/viewers/whatever so that it makes more money. And one of the best ways to get that extra traffic is by breaking news stories BEFORE everyone else. Otherwise, it becomes OLD NEWS no one really cares about.

Kevin's info here in particular doesn't really add anything to the story, yet it threatens to take most of the enjoyment out of the announcement tomorrow. Would it have hurt him to sit on it for a day? No.

If it meant that much to you, why did you click on the link to read this story? Oh right, because you wanted to know about iTunes 8. I guess Kevin did his job pretty well then.

And the worst thing about it is that no one would have cared if he *did* wait. The only possible reason he has for doing this is click-whoring and personal aggrandisement. How sad.

Whoever writes his paychecks might have cared. He has a JOB to do simple as that. He's trying to make money just like anyone else with a job.

If you don't want the surprise ruined, don't click the link. It's not rocket science.

[coolfactor]

Originally Posted by agentlion

How about they implement this one interface change:
Move the "browse" button to the main toolbar!! And second, change it from that strange eye icon.

The browse button used to be on the main toolbar a few versions back. They moved it down below because it wasn't being used all that much, mainly by people familiar with it.

I think the search field is easier to use to find music by artist and album than browse is. I mainly use Browse when I'm searching a particular genre or TV series.

[Ireland]

So basically there's nothing interesting in the new iTunes 8.

[coolfactor]

If this Genius bar is real, then it's just a remake of the current Mini-Store feature already built into iTunes. I think most people disable that feature and then forget about it. I know I do.

I think it's got to be bigger, or smarter (ie. more fun to use) than that. One of the biggest draws of iTunes has been how easy and fun it is to use. They have iTunes Live festivals, run contests (well, they used to), integrate seemlessly with 3rd-party gear, vehicles, etc.

I will be disabling the Genius bar if its sole purpose is to sell me more music.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Ireland

So basically there's nothing interesting in the new iTunes 8.

This article is claiming that is the only new thing in iTunes 8. In 26 hours we'll find out.

[adha3881]

Originally Posted by agentlion

How about they implement this one interface change:
Move the "browse" button to the main toolbar!! And second, change it from that strange eye icon.

I have talked to several people who claim they don't like iTunes because it's hard to find music by a certain artist, a certain song, a certain album, etc. I tell them when you use the Browse feature, it's easy. "What's that?" is the most common reply. So, i tell them to click the "eye button" down in the lower right, which makes the iTunes interface infinitely more user friendly.

I have no idea why 1) Browse-mode isn't enabled by default (when you install itunes for the first time, it just gives you a big long list), 2) it looks like and eye (i "get it", conceptually, but surely they can create a better icon), and 3) why it's buried in the lower-right corner, where very few people look. It should be promoted in a prominent spot in the main toolbar!

wow... even i never noticed it and ive been using a mac for abt 2 years now

[teckstud]

I wish iTunes8 would let us rip DVDs directly in iTunes for ATV and iPods- wishful thinking.

[richstovy]

The thing I'm wondering is, will this genius playlist thing be on the iPhone as well as iTunes?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by teckstud

I wish iTunes8 would let us rip DVDs directly in iTunes for ATV and iPods- wishful thinking.

I'm guessing you know why this won't happen in iTunes. At least there is HandBrake and VisualHub.

[farmer2]

Originally Posted by ColeSQ

That part kinda sucks. I was hoping for a massive update to make the app a little simpler, like what devs have to do with iPhone real estate. Between all my playlists for all the different media and all the different devices from old to new iPods, and iPhone or two, and Apple TV (then maybe other computers if they did it right), it would have been nice to maybe segment things a little more. Maybe have an iTunes app for audio, a video app, and a device app or something like that.

On the surface I know it sounds lame, but we already have multiple apps exposing data for all these devices and it's getting a lot more cluttered and confusing when you really sit down and develop good playlists/albums/etc. with 15,000 songs, a couple hundred movies, 25,000 photos, and lots of TV shows.

I mentioned this in the other itunes 8 thread. I would also like it if Apple moved some of the features of the app into a seperate app. I've always like smaller apps specifically tailored to their purpose.

Itunes just feels heavy now.

[Galley]

Here's hoping we can browse by Album Artist.

[Gee4orce]

They'd better leave in List w. Artwork mode as that's the one I use !

[Gee4orce]

Originally Posted by sausage&Onion

So the Genius only recommends you the music you already own? What a bunch of shit.

I dunno - I keep listening to the same stuff because I forget what I've got, and whether or not it's any good...

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by caliminius

Maybe because its HIS JOB as a journalist to report the news. And part of a journalist's job is getting his site/publication/station/whatever more readers/viewers/whatever so that it makes more money. And one of the best ways to get that extra traffic is by breaking news stories BEFORE everyone else. Otherwise, it becomes OLD NEWS no one really cares about.



If it meant that much to you, why did you click on the link to read this story? Oh right, because you wanted to know about iTunes 8. I guess Kevin did his job pretty well then.



Whoever writes his paychecks might have cared. He has a JOB to do simple as that. He's trying to make money just like anyone else with a job.

If you don't want the surprise ruined, don't click the link. It's not rocket science.

This is a pretty crass and shallow argument.

You are saying everything anyone does is OK "because it's their job?" Right. And also everything he or any other journalist does is similarly OK because it's about all about "making money?" That's pretty much what your comments amount to. I guess I know which USA Presidential candidate you favour then, with logic (and an attitude) like that.

Oh, and what about the guys breaking their legal contracts to give the info to Kevin? Are they "just doing their job?" I think not.

My point was mostly about the leakers, not Kevin per se, but the bottom line is that if he didn't leak this, and people found out tomorrow that Kevin had an idea about the interface layout but did not reveal it, no one would have cared. The only reason he released it today was to make money and get a little personal fame. You seem to be okay with that kind of reasoning. I, (and many others) are not.

We're .... what's that word? Oh yeah, considerate.

[HighDynamic]

Oh, stop whining...

[Johnny Mozzarella]

Originally Posted by agentlion

How about they implement this one interface change:
Move the "browse" button to the main toolbar!! And second, change it from that strange eye icon.

I have talked to several people who claim they don't like iTunes because it's hard to find music by a certain artist, a certain song, a certain album, etc. I tell them when you use the Browse feature, it's easy. "What's that?" is the most common reply. So, i tell them to click the "eye button" down in the lower right, which makes the iTunes interface infinitely more user friendly.

I have no idea why 1) Browse-mode isn't enabled by default (when you install itunes for the first time, it just gives you a big long list), 2) it looks like and eye (i "get it", conceptually, but surely they can create a better icon), and 3) why it's buried in the lower-right corner, where very few people look. It should be promoted in a prominent spot in the main toolbar!

It actually used to be in the main toolbar and was a big colorful eye.
I agree that tucking it away in the lower toolbar has made the itunes less intuitive.
Also iTunes should definitely default to being in the browse mode.

[kim kap sol]

Unless there are some MAJOR changes to iTunes for OS X, it'll be the same old bloated piece of shit that it's been since iTunes 4.

By major change, I do not mean putting more bloat in. I mean, trimming the app by separating what's video into a new app.

I do not expect major changes. I fully expect more bloat. I fully expect Apple to complete destroy this once beautiful app.

RIP iTunes.

[HighDynamic]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

I'm getting sick of all these leaks.

People complain that the event is going to be boring, but one of the major reasons it might be is everyone breaking or bending their NDA's to tell everyone what to expect. What is it about tech journalists that they can't just shut the f**k up once in a while?

Kevin's info here in particular doesn't really add anything to the story, yet it threatens to take most of the enjoyment out of the announcement tomorrow. Would it have hurt him to sit on it for a day? No.

And the worst thing about it is that no one would have cared if he *did* wait. The only possible reason he has for doing this is click-whoring and personal aggrandisement. How sad.

Oh, stop whining...

[antiorario]

Originally Posted by coolfactor

If this Genius bar is real, then it's just a remake of the current Mini-Store feature already built into iTunes. I think most people disable that feature and then forget about it. I know I do.

[...]

I will be disabling the Genius bar if its sole purpose is to sell me more music.

Ditto. I'm expecting something way smarter than that for a Genius. And not smarter as in "no way to hide it."

[elroth]

"iTunes 8 will continue to offer users three distinct "views" of their music library, though instead of List, List with Artwork, and Cover Flow, version 8.0 will offer List, Grid, and Cover Flow."

If true, this is TERRIBLE. I use album view exclusively. All the songs are there in a list, but separated by albums (the large majority of my tracks are complete albums). There should at least be an option in list view to separate by albums (with cover art) - oh, I guess that's album view.

It's not surprising they would offer a grid, since Apple hired the developer of Delicious Library a while back. But Delicious Library doesn't appeal to me.

(They could make cover flow (and list view) more useful by putting separators between albums on the list. But I still would prefer album view).

[Ireland]

Originally Posted by elroth

"iTunes 8 will continue to offer users three distinct "views" of their music library, though instead of List, List with Artwork, and Cover Flow, version 8.0 will offer List, Grid, and Cover Flow."

If true, this is TERRIBLE. I use album view exclusively

So you're the "one".

[faeringen]

Looks fine to me. But really - isn't it about music above all? What I want is high quality music - not just 128 or 256 kbps AAC files - encoded as Apple Lossless files. This should be possible, as all files delievered by record companies or indie-musicians today are encoded in Apple Lossless. To be able to purchase music in this quality would be good news.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by sausage&Onion

So the Genius only recommends you the music you already own? What a bunch of shit.

Where did you get that info?

[Mr Underhill]

Originally Posted by ascii

2 sidebars? P off.
The iTunes Store already has 2 sidebars so when you're in there it will be 4 all up!

The iTunes library page design is independent from the page design in the iTunes store. So why would you think the store would have 4 sidebars?

[caliminius]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

This is a pretty crass and shallow argument.

You are saying everything anyone does is OK "because it's their job?" Right. And also everything he or any other journalist does is similarly OK because it's about all about "making money?" That's pretty much what your comments amount to. I guess I know which USA Presidential candidate you favour then, with logic (and an attitude) like that.

Please!!! (that's a sarcastic please in case you missed it). Thanks for your flawed inductive logic there. He didn't hurt anyone by posting the article. He didn't kill off an endangered species. It didn't take forced child labor for him to get his story. He didn't give away trade secrets. He didn't chase a princess down the road for a photo.

Again, answer the question: If you didn't want to know about iTunes 8 early, why did you click on the link?

Oh, and what about the guys breaking their legal contracts to give the info to Kevin? Are they "just doing their job?" I think not.

So you have proof that someone broke their contract? If not, then quit acting like it's fact. Not to mention that if iTunes 8 is coming out tomorrow, breaking their contract now is a pretty moot point. Everyone will know about in a little over 24 hours.

Maybe he grabbed a copy of iTunes 8 Sunday when it was supposedly accidentally posted on Apple's site like another article on this site purports it was. Then no contracts were broken unless the EULA now contains a NDA disclosure in it.

My point was mostly about the leakers, not Kevin per se, but the bottom line is that if he didn't leak this, and people found out tomorrow that Kevin had an idea about the interface layout but did not reveal it, no one would have cared. The only reason he released it today was to make money and get a little personal fame. You seem to be okay with that kind of reasoning. I, (and many others) are not.

Again, its his job. Doing his job harmed NO ONE except for maybe you because you apparently have such poor impulse control you HAD to click on the link despite the headline stating what the article was about. I don't see the many others posting here. Maybe that's more of your inductive logic, thinking that because you feel that way every else MUST also feel the same way.