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How iTunes Is Changing on PC

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Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#231

Has iTunes on Windows ever been good? I think I tried it in 2003-4, and it was garbage then, so I uninstalled it. In the intervening 20 years, I've never heard anyone say "it's good now!", so I never re-installed it. I assumed that if you were a dedicated Windows user, you just wouldn't use iTunes, and if you weren't a dedicated Windows user but loved your iPhone, you'd do what Apple wanted you to do in the first pla…

No they tried to bully us to buy music by not letting us import things like album covers etc. I used Media Monkey mostly

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#232
I was briefly excited to hear they had separated media synchronization from the atrocity of iTunes. I just experimented with the "Apple Devices App" for PC. Unfortunately, the experience has been poor, which is what I should have anticipated given Apple's track record for PC software.

First, the linked documentation provides no information about where to get the Apple Devices App. It turns out, it's only available from the Microsoft App Store. Fair enough, but odd that the documentation never says that. Second concern: yikes, this synchronization app is 188 Mb in size. But whatever, I have tons of storage on my PC, so let's proceed.

The final and biggest issue: the app simply never recognizes my phone. The phone is unlocked and has trusted the computer. It shows up in Windows Explorer as a storage device (significantly hobbled by Apple's needless file system obfuscation, but that's not new). The Apple Devices App never stops saying "Connect a device to proceed."

All told, a typical Apple software experience.

If Android weren't so awful, I'd be much happier. The way Android devices appear as just a standard storage device with a normal file system is so much easier to deal with.

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#233
I gave up on iTunes on PC and Apple Music in general a very long time ago (iPhone 3 era).

iTunes is just a mess. It's the software equivalent of a badly executed all-in-one printer, scanner and fax. Has it improved? No clue. I haven't bothered with it other than for backups.

My complaint about Apple Music is very simple: For some incomprehensible reason they make playing an entire album or albums, in order, as recorded, impossible. Take works such as Brandenburg concerto and a bunch of classical work or most of Pink Floyd's albums. In Windows Media Player I can listen to this work as intended, in the order the album was recorded. I can easily create a playlist of albums and play them back as recorded. With Apple Music, last I looked, this was still impossible.

I own a large library of CD's. I transferred all of them to Windows Media and clan play recorded works as intended without having to handle the physical media. Again, last I looked, this is impossible with Apple Music. The couple of attempts I made over the years were nothing less than disastrous exercises in futility.

Not sure what ideological or business basis Apple uses to effectively destroy an artist's creation and refuse to deliver it as intended. It is clear that selling single songs might be one of these motivating factors. OK, I get it. And this might even make sense for much of the large body of popular music. However, there are works of art that are not one hit wonders and, in my opinion, deserve the respect, consideration and option to experience them as intended.

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#234

Has iTunes on Windows ever been good? I think I tried it in 2003-4, and it was garbage then, so I uninstalled it. In the intervening 20 years, I've never heard anyone say "it's good now!", so I never re-installed it. I assumed that if you were a dedicated Windows user, you just wouldn't use iTunes, and if you weren't a dedicated Windows user but loved your iPhone, you'd do what Apple wanted you to do in the first pla…

I loved iTunes back then, it was the easiest way to clean up metadata and navigate music.

I only switched away from iTunes when I switched to subscription-based streaming.

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#235

The phrase “everything you needed to be entertained” is indicative of the biggest problem that I see with Apple today: a focus on consumerism and passive consumption. Twenty years ago, iTunes’ emphasis was on collecting, experiencing, and enjoying an art form. It’s a very subtle difference, but it speaks to the attitude that Apple projects today. When was the last time the intersection with the humanities was mention…

Well for one, they released an app separate from Music entirely focused on listening and enjoying and discovering classical music.

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#237

Has iTunes on Windows ever been good? I think I tried it in 2003-4, and it was garbage then, so I uninstalled it. In the intervening 20 years, I've never heard anyone say "it's good now!", so I never re-installed it. I assumed that if you were a dedicated Windows user, you just wouldn't use iTunes, and if you weren't a dedicated Windows user but loved your iPhone, you'd do what Apple wanted you to do in the first pla…

> Has iTunes on Windows ever been good?

No. It has always been awful.

I was briefly excited to hear that media synchronization had been separated from iTunes. That gave me hope that I would be able to put media on my phone without a cloud intermediary and without the crippling mess of iTunes. But, sadly, my experience is that the Apple Devices App simply doesn't recognize my phone at all, so it's non-functional for me.

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#238

Has iTunes on Windows ever been good? I think I tried it in 2003-4, and it was garbage then, so I uninstalled it. In the intervening 20 years, I've never heard anyone say "it's good now!", so I never re-installed it. I assumed that if you were a dedicated Windows user, you just wouldn't use iTunes, and if you weren't a dedicated Windows user but loved your iPhone, you'd do what Apple wanted you to do in the first pla…

I cherish the memory of using the local music streaming feature on iTunes, until the day they introduced unreasonable restrictions.

The sentiment surrounding the iTunes release for Windows was notably intriguing. I recall that quite a few people seriously considered taking a day off just for its launch!

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate wireless headphones because they are a strictly worse product. They cost a lot more, can be lost, and need to be charged. But the only advantage they offer (being wireless) isn't actually useful. So I use wired headphones, because they are flat out better in every way that matters.

Not having a wire is an obvious advantage, even if the negatives you listed are true. Obviously this only applies to me, but having to avoid yanking or catching me headphone cord significantly impacted my range of motion if I was doing anything other than walking or sitting down.

Indeed Apple AirPods are such a step above in usability of even other wireless headphones, let alone wired, that they're almost a separate product category.

They're so much better than what we had before that once you've used them for a few days it's hard to go back.

Re: How iTunes Is Changing on PC

#240
post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the years, I've had success with both of these third-party apps on Macs and PCs to do exactly that: Transfer Music from iPhone, iPad, & iPod to your Mac or PC https://macroplant.com/iexplorer/tutorials/how-to-transfer-m... Transfer iPhone & iPod Music to your Computer or to iTunes https://imazing.com/iphone-music-transfer

This question seems a little dumb, perhaps less so in terms of our DRM world: by "transfer" does that mean move or copy ? Because we're hoping to copy, not move.

The files are copied to the Mac or PC rather than moved; the originals on the iOS device remain there.
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