About iTunes.

They've removed it from right click from what I've seen but file>convert isn't too hard to find is it? Maybe it takes a bit of a dig to go into preferences>general to get to the import settings but they pop up automatically when you want to import a CD. Personally I use 256k AAC, I just can't tell the difference between it and lossless and I need all the space I can get on my hard disc these days.

 

You're 100% factually wrong. You clearly don't read this forum or are incapable of doing any research using Google where you'd see millions of CDs sold by artists such as Adele. Big difference between your made-up figure of zero and millions, wouldn't you say?

Of course not. That'd require the ability to realize your experience doesn't mirror every other person's. Sadly, this appears to be beyond your grasp.

 

@Strat-Mangler

It would really help your points, if you wouldn't come across so aggressive and dismissive. This is not about curing cancer, it's just a piece of software for music management. No need for the ad hominems.

 

I have my iPhone set to "automatically convert my music to 256 AAC" as well to save space but I do keep the ALAC files on my computer's hard drive. Hard drives cheap enough at this point that I don't sweat that.

Ed

 

You must have some problem grasping straight forward simple English. Please see above where I enumerated some of the issues I have with the iTunes updates.

This thread is to discuss what we don't like about iTunes. Hardware is required to implement software, I do not like the changes in the hardware that facilitates my use of iTunes. It makes it harder for me to utilize iTunes in the way that I prefer. All that is valid criticism.

If you hate physical media why are you hanging around this forum? Do you just want to try to antagonize people?

 

When you say Artist Icons are you referring to album artwork? I've never seen a generic pink or blue microphone icon in my iTunes library with 25,000+ songs.

If it is Album Artwork are your files that are missing artwork download purchases from the iTunes Store or CDs that you have ripped?

 

No problem with iTunes. Early adapter with the first iPod so lots of use. The problem I have is the "Remote" app Apple used for "i" devices; it sucks, and they recently made it worse by removing some of the critical functionality like searching by song or artist and selecting "play." That no longer works since the latest "upgrade."

 

I absolutely agree that there are those who would push upon others the "get an Apple" solution as I have seen posts but that is a much different position than bashing other alternatives such as MicroSoft and Window OS as an example. In general that is what I don't see in comparison. Even in you reply you chose to use phrases that more attack personally, "are you blind", "most reasonable people" than discuss the issue and that my post is "hilariously inaccurate" I would ask what is hilarious and what is inaccurate? In another post you call people "zealots". I don't think I have found it necessary to attack people personally rather than to just try stick to the issue. Yes you have every right to post your opinions. Again I simply don't see this to the same degree towards other successful products with their own failings and it is that point I ask to understand.

 

I don't know that ALAC is compatible with every platform and it only became open sourced about 2011.

 

I am not certain about this but I think you can add songs or albums to a device without doing the synch process. Doing this I think would not change the current content of you iDevice. In iTunes highlight a song or a complete album of songs and right click and use the "Send To Device" function. I'm not a heavy user of the Synch function as I don't always have music on my iPhone. But I tried this moment ago and it did transfer to my iPhone without effecting what was already on the phone.

 

I will approach this thread as a software developer with over 25 years of experience.

In my job, it is a constant chore to come close to satisfying a company of about 8,000 employees with our software solutions. Imagine scaling that up to a customer base of millions. iTunes is essentially Software as a Service (SaaS) and not a custom solution. My company always re-evaluates our SaaS solutions when the contracts are up. We stay nimble in order to switch providers if we are no longer happy with the software. As music hobby consumers, we must try and do the same thing.

IMHO, iTunes has no more/less quirks than any other mass-use software. The synch process is key to interfacing with your computer. Essentially, one creates a playlist of music that is wanted on the iDevice then configures it to only sync that set. So adding just one more song to the device is essentially add song to playlist, connect device, press synch, wait a few moments, then done. Sure, it must go through the sync process, but it should only take a few moments to get that one song on there. Besides, the synch process also brings back to iTunes important (at least to me) metadata like play/skip counts/dates, etc.

One final note, the iTunes store file structure is designed to be abstracted from the end user. There is no need to go messing around with it. However, it is pretty easy to understand if one needs to leverage it for things like music servers, CD burning, etc.

 

I'm only reading what you choose to post. Quoting me and figuratively smirking while I vent my frustrations at a situation does little to illicit any empathy or restraint in how I will formulate my response. Maybe next time, you should consider not quoting a user's rant and state (twice) that you're amused at its contents.

And I submit there's no difference whatsoever in bashing a platform and insinuating that what the user currently has is garbage whenever anybody posts issues they have. It's disrespectful, idiotic, and doesn't help. In any way. If somebody said "I'm having trouble with my Rega turntable" and a slew of people would barge into the thread and write "Dump Rega, it sucks! Buy a VPI", you'd think to yourself "Boy, what a pointless post and a class-A jerk move." But "Get a Mac", a comment that means the same exact thing, gets a pass from you. It's a double standard, plain and simple.

 

I am known as an Apple Fanboy, though I would like to be platform agnostic, as I manage lots of PC's and my professional life would be much simpler if I just went that way, but the Apple ecosystem just makes life at home so much simpler. That said it certainly is not without it's quirks. The biggest to me is that while while there are workarounds for almost any aggravation, they are not always obvious or well documented. In some cases they can be misleading. The iTunes sync process is one of those areas. I mentioned the "Manual Manage my Music setting" earlier. What I didnt think to mention is that if you use Apple's iCloud Music Library service, that choice goes away. Then when you turn it off (on the ipod/iPhone) you get a terrifying message that all your music is to be deleted. Once off you can drag and drop to your heart's content and fill up your device. Of course next time you turn on iCloud Music Library it will tell you that it will erase all your beloved music - which it does not (in my experience anyway).

Of course, the secret of life is to find what you like and run with it. For me that has been Roon. I've tried about every program out there and each has it's quirks. I must say that the only thing good about my Pono dying is that it made me look at the l;atest jRiver which is worlds better than the old version but I just wiped my Mac clean and I am trying hard not to fill it up with every app known to man.

Of and I'll got with the "Dump Rega" side, but I might not be the best arbiter of which turntable one should choose.

 

ALAC takes more computer resources.

This is so funny!

Classic example of fanboyism. Well, FLAC doesn't provide of DRM, and it uses fewer resources. And, most of all: FLAC isn't proprietary. ALAC was until 2011. That put it behind the curve, and caused it to be the almost exclusive lossless format for Apple.

Two things: thanks for confirming that the process is more hidden than ever. I stopped using iTunes altogether at version 11. Second: You are not getting accurate rips by ripping in iTunes. Better to use some other program.

He's responding to the equally aggressive and dismissive comments of the OP.

It's pretty obvious that this is a troll thread.

 

Is it ?

 

Well, meet me.

Oh yeah. Indeed.

I don't mind. But thanks anyway !

Seems.

Actually I don't ! At all.

Fanboyism ? wtf. I was just asking. I agree with the "proprietary" argument.

Friendly reminder : I do not work for Apple, nor am I an Apple fanboy. I don't actually care that much about iTunes. All this is purely for the sake of discussion.

Oh, and while we're there :

I'm actually one step beyond.

 

Yes it is, and I think you know it.

While it is a good discussion for describing the problems some people have with iTunes, your posts don't seem to promote that. It seems like you set it up by asking the question, then counteract every post of someone telling you why they don't like the program. That's trolling 101.

This thread is useless if you are going to sit there and contradict every post that doesn't agree with your way of thinking. It's even more of a troll thread since you now say that you don;t even use iTunes.

 

Prepare for thread shutdown in 10, 9, 8, 7....