What has happened to iTunes?

[Dave2002]

iTunes updated recently. Now I'm seeing version 11.0 on my iMac. I really, really hate the layout of things on the screen - they take up too much space.

Usually Apple provide ways of resetting the appearance of their systems back to what it was before they made the change - for example with some recent changes to Finder in Mac OS X.

I don't think there's going to be any way I can live with the latest layout of iTunes, so if I can't tame it, or if Apple don't revert back to what things were like before, or provide an option to do so, then I'll have to find a Flac player and convert all my Alac files to Flac - or maybe there's another player for Alac files.

Maybe I'm over reacting, and just need to get used to the new version - but I don't think so. I don't want lots of icons - I just want to be able to see my listings. I may be getting old, but I don't need "easy to read" displays just yet, with lots of images of CD covers etc. This is a considerable nuisance.

There is a link to a review article about the new version here - http://www.techradar.com/news/softwa...atures-1080360

I'm trying to figure out what it is I really dislike. I think it's because there are displays of too many irrelevant items, CD covers etc. If I'm listening to Beethoven's 9th for example, I might want to see other versions of the same symphony, but not a random collection of seemingly unrelated covers. The icons on the screen also take up too much space, and although there is a tool to control their size it doesn't actually work. I can see the move towards a different style of interface, like Spotify or Napster, but right now I feel the Spotify interface is now better - once one has got past the flash screen which seems to be another commercial style advertising feature. The new iTunes interface just seems a mess to me, and provides a stressful interaction.

[Stunsworth]

The grid of covers is how I used to use the previous version, so it doesn't bother me - I realise that doesn't help you.

If you want to lose the covers then you can do so by clicking on the 'Files' button just above the grid display. From that you can sort by CD, Artist etc.

If you are finding searches are taking too long, click on the downward facing triangle to the left of the search box, and deselect the 'search all my library' - the text may well be different, I'm not at my Mac at the moment.

If you want to revert to the previous version of iTunes you can do so provided you have a backup of the catalogue before you installed iTunes 11 - note this is the catalogue that's loaded by the software, _not_ the music files.

[Resurrection Man]

Sorry to hear that, Dave. I don't think that Apple will change it back, to be honest. I have my Mac not to automatically update for this very reason. When it kept pestering me to ugrade to iTunes 11, I Googled to see what the 'vibe' was out there and many people were commenting in the same vein as yourself. Can you not rollback to an earlier version using TimeMachine? That way your library will also be brought back to the right version to support iTunes 10.

[Nick Armstrong]

My first reaction was the same as yours Dave, I hate the covers/grid format... but I've managed to get it back to pretty much how it was before, and in fact I like the fact that the default text is larger and easier to read.

The keys are I think are to

1. arrange the music list by 'songs' at the top of the page (and then - for me at least - arrange by album in the column headings)

2. in playlists, go to the little 'view' icon of a musical note and stave lines top right, click and select 'List' rather than the silly default 'Grid'.

3. then under 'view' at the top, select 'Show sidebar' (again, daft that the default seems to be to hide that).

The only thing I can't work how to get which I found useful in the last version, is the 'Downloads' item in the sidebar.

[robk]

I like to see the album artwork but not as a grid. The Genre view works reasonably well.

[Resurrection Man]

Would it be possible for any of you early-adopters to take a few screen grabs of iTunes 11?

TIA

[Stunsworth]

Would it be possible for any of you early-adopters to take a few screen grabs of iTunes 11?

If no one else has done this by this evening I'll post some.

[Frances_iom]

isn't this a simple example of the walled garden approach adopted by the control freaks at Apple - you don't own the software nor it seems even tho you bought the hardware do you have much if any control of what runs on it - they could easily change iTunes yet again and all your carefully crafted work arounds will be as nought.

[Resurrection Man]

isn't this a simple example of the walled garden approach adopted by the control freaks at Apple - you don't own the software nor it seems even tho you bought the hardware do you have much if any control of what runs on it - they could easily change iTunes yet again and all your carefully crafted work arounds will be as nought.

Not really. The walled garden , as you put it, is in the back-end software. Personally I don't have a problem with Apple's way of doing things since I do know that any Apps that are available from them have had some decent testing and so very unlikely to give my Mac a virus or similar. Unlike the Android market which seems to be a bit of a free-for-all.

The main criticisms about iTunes 11, as far as I can see, is to do with the visual presentation and user interface. True..that could change again in the future....just as any other vendor could change their user-interface. Just like Google-idiots who now force one to make a three-click digression to get pages from the UK, or pages within a certain timeframe. And all simply because they can't be bothered to write software that detects what platform the user is using to do the search on and reformat the screen accordingly.

[Nick Armstrong]

Personally I don't have a problem with Apple's way of doing things since I do know that any Apps that are available from them have had some decent testing and so very unlikely to give my Mac a virus or similar.

I'm with you on that, Rezza

Just like Google-idiots who now force one to make a three-click digression to get pages from the UK, or pages within a certain timeframe.

Yes!! Pain in the **** !! Took me ages to find it, too. Likewise the 'size' criteria, if you're looking for images.

[Nick Armstrong]

Would it be possible for any of you early-adopters to take a few screen grabs of iTunes 11?

TIA

What - just to show the layout you mean? Mine looks like this:

[Dave2002]

Caliban

That's similar to what I had before. That's what I want, more or less. I'll post a shot or two of the new layout, which is really bugging me, later, if I have time.

[Nick Armstrong]

Caliban

That's similar to what I had before. That's what I want, more or less. I'll post a shot or two of the new layout, which is really bugging me, later, if I have time.

But that's my point - mine's the newest version.

It's just the default new layout thats s***. You can tweak the view and get what I posted.

[Resurrection Man]

You've fallen a bit behind with reading your podcasts, Caliban

[Nick Armstrong]

You've fallen a bit behind with reading your podcasts, Caliban

It's the complete Desert Island Discs archive for those long flights to LA, plus a load of 'Night Waves' etc and French 'Matin des Musiciens' which I subscribe to but never get around to listening to!