iTunes windows review/comments...
Yesterday I finally got my 20GB iPod, as well as began integrating my entire music collection with iTunes for Windows. I have a p4 1.6, with 512mb of RAM, so I am above the specs required, but found that iTunes was a real system hog - both with CPU power and RAM usage. To resolve this I updated the firmware in my iPod, which seemed to have a substantial effect on its integration with my computer.
Plugged into my computer through firewire, I noticed that it transferred pretty fast. It did take me a while to convert my music collection, as well as orient myself with iTunes (all in all it has probably taken me about 5 hours...luckily I don't have classes on Fridays)
After upgrading the firmware I did notice substantial differences in my computers' performance, but I also realized that when the iPod is in my cradle it shows "OK to disconnect" with a checkmark. Aggravated by this, I inspected my iPod and computer, and realized that this cannot be changed. The iPod now sits permanently on in the cradle, rendering my line out unusable, and unable to switch to the menu. All this needs is an update, which I would expect pretty soon...
As for iTunes, my brother and sister both use Mac's, so I am somewhat familiar with it. It has the same feel as the Mac version, and is pretty stable (though I know that the Mac rarely crashed). It did take me a whole to realize how to sync the iPod properly seeing as my music collection is over 40GB, and I only have the 20GB version. The setup is great, and is spectacularly convenient. Though it will take me a hell of a lot of hours to reorganize the files I have to suit the categories and properly set up my music collection. With non-Mac consumers using this piece of software Apple will attract many more Mac users, and sell more iPods - which is their goal. As well, the crossover of iTunes from Mac to PC will help ease PC users over to Mac, who sees how simple the software is.
I see many more add-on's for the iPod, and see it displacing many other products, like a PDA (which I also have - A Visor Deluxe) It's ease of importing contacts as Vcards (which I also did) makes it a snap to use.
All in all, I think Apple needed to release the software before Napster came live, to grab more market share. Perhaps the software was a bit pre-mature, but most of the core functions are excellent. All Apple needs to do is update a few tweaks, which should come in a week or so, and they will have a solid piece of software.
Cheers to Apple!
Plugged into my computer through firewire, I noticed that it transferred pretty fast. It did take me a while to convert my music collection, as well as orient myself with iTunes (all in all it has probably taken me about 5 hours...luckily I don't have classes on Fridays)
After upgrading the firmware I did notice substantial differences in my computers' performance, but I also realized that when the iPod is in my cradle it shows "OK to disconnect" with a checkmark. Aggravated by this, I inspected my iPod and computer, and realized that this cannot be changed. The iPod now sits permanently on in the cradle, rendering my line out unusable, and unable to switch to the menu. All this needs is an update, which I would expect pretty soon...
As for iTunes, my brother and sister both use Mac's, so I am somewhat familiar with it. It has the same feel as the Mac version, and is pretty stable (though I know that the Mac rarely crashed). It did take me a whole to realize how to sync the iPod properly seeing as my music collection is over 40GB, and I only have the 20GB version. The setup is great, and is spectacularly convenient. Though it will take me a hell of a lot of hours to reorganize the files I have to suit the categories and properly set up my music collection. With non-Mac consumers using this piece of software Apple will attract many more Mac users, and sell more iPods - which is their goal. As well, the crossover of iTunes from Mac to PC will help ease PC users over to Mac, who sees how simple the software is.
I see many more add-on's for the iPod, and see it displacing many other products, like a PDA (which I also have - A Visor Deluxe) It's ease of importing contacts as Vcards (which I also did) makes it a snap to use.
All in all, I think Apple needed to release the software before Napster came live, to grab more market share. Perhaps the software was a bit pre-mature, but most of the core functions are excellent. All Apple needs to do is update a few tweaks, which should come in a week or so, and they will have a solid piece of software.
Cheers to Apple!
Comments
I laughed when I went to the Apple site and saw that they call itunes the best Windows app ever. Now I am enjoying a playlist full of Beck and I think those sons of bitches might be right.
Originally posted by Eugene
http://www.penny-arcade.com/news.php3?date=2003-10-17
Also,
I'd read on WinInformant before I left that iTunes for Windows was imminent, and sure enough it's there now. I keep hearing it's holy or whatever.
He'll know, soon enough. They'll all know.
Originally posted by dstranathan
I just heard that Microsoft bashed it and called it "limited" and referred to AAC as "closed"...
Yeah,... that's the kind of feeling one gets when one is competing with a highly successful product., and have nothing else to complain of...!!
While apple has been pushing for AAC format with DRM, Microsoft has been pushing the WMA/WMV format with DRM....
While AAC has received lots of favorable reviews all over the net, there are hell lot of complaints about how lame the wma/wmv format is...!!!
While there are lots of products available in the market supporting wma format, there is only one I know of supporting aac format...[the ipod!!!] However, iPod has been and is obviously the successful product in the market... till now...
Very funny, that Microsoft talks about "closed" format when the very OS they write is itself closed....!!!
Funnily enough a lot of their misgivings are the same as people had about the Music store for macs. Can't download AIFF. What can/can't we do with the copyright protected AAC files. What happens if we sell our computer...what happens if it gets stolen. There's a lot of learning happening;-)
The other thing that a lot of them are quickly learning is that it's best to submit to the iTunes file organization rather than manually trying to do it yourself as they've got so used to doing with Windows. If these über windows geeks are any indication of other PC users opinions, iTunes is going to be a huuuuge success.
the day it was released, the dorms here had a buz about iTunes...it was very very odd for me to see this going on. amazing how word spread. tons of people are using it now. some love it, another kid said it "sucked" cause he's just too used to the WinAMP way in which i proceeded to just tell him he was a $*$**%%( idiot.
no shares have popped up at my dorm but someone was connected to me last night.
doesn't seem they want to use the store. most have been like, huh? why not use Kazaa? can i use Kazaa? I heard with itunes u have to buy music and i cant use my old music? why would i want that when u have to pay for the music?
soooo, not sure how successful windows iTMS sales will be but as far as player downloads....should be insane.
Originally posted by applenut
no shares have popped up at my dorm but someone was connected to me last night.
I think the sharing feature is too hidden. Most people probably aren't even going to realize that they can do that. Once other people figure it out, and see other people's list shared, they'll want to do it too....hopefully.
Man I wish I was still in college. It would be really cool to see that many shared libraries and get to sample so many different kinds of music.
Back in my day all we had was Hotline
Originally posted by Willoughby
Back in my day all we had was Hotline
Hotline? I used AppleTalk and Dave.
i have 7 roommates...
all of them have PCs...
all 7 have downloaded and love iTunes...
the killer feature was sharing libraries...
now we are working on converting the rest of the floor...
sharing was a little hard to enable... but once you show them, its not hard at all.... solution? someone make a video of how to do it, upload it to an iDisk and post the informative video to message boards and the like... hopefully apple will get wind of it and start to have good tutorials...
also, not many people understand how EASY it is to just let iTunes worry about the music for you... and if their ID3 tags suck... they will HATE it...
Originally posted by Eugene
Hotline? I used AppleTalk and Dave.
Shit, we had to configure SLiP to dial in and get internet access. Networking? hahaha
Hopefully someone won't crack it like they did with the previous version...
Originally posted by Paul
......
sharing was a little hard to enable... but once you show them, its not hard at all.... solution? someone make a video of how to do it, upload it to an iDisk and post the informative video to message boards and the like... hopefully apple will get wind of it and start to have good tutorials...
....
Our good apple guys have already thought about it. They already have a really GREAT tutorial - complete with videos., on how to do everything with iTunes....!!! and I loved it!!
Find the tutorial here::
Windows iTunes tutorial
I don't understand why it is not advertised...
And spread the good word!!! 8)
Originally posted by Paul
also, not many people understand how EASY it is to just let iTunes worry about the music for you... and if their ID3 tags suck... they will HATE it...
I've been recommending people run their mp3s through the MusicBrainz Tagger (www.musicbrainz.org) before importing them into iTunes.
It actually listens to the first 30 seconds of the song and then grabs the tags from the internet. It compares the correct tags with what's there already (tags and filenames) and fixes the tags automatically if there are just minor differences or typos and lets you confirm and/or change them if there is any doubt.
The best bit for most windows iTunes users is that all their tracks by an artist will have the same artist name, rather than the 50 different variations of, for example, "Booker T & The MGs" you get from downloaded tracks (or even the iTunes CD lookup). If you don't have that then smart playlists and browse can really suck.
Originally posted by penseive
Shit, we had to configure SLiP to dial in and get internet access. Networking? hahaha
Didn't do that in college, butused MacSLiP plenty to connect to our free middle/high school ISP.
Originally posted by Eugene
Hotline? I used AppleTalk and Dave.
I meant for Mp3s specifically.