[Eden Aurora]

I had a discussion last night with some friends about iTunes. We all agree it's a great software application.
We also all agreed that it would be great if iTunes was renamed do to its multi-purpose functionality.

iTunes was originally a music only program or at least 99% music.
But now it's much much more. From music, to videos, to phone & ipad syncing and everything else......it should really be called iEverything. (I'm open to different names). iTunes is too limiting.

Apple even changed its name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. when it realized its products were much broader.

Similar type of change is needed for iTunes.

Do you agree?

[Oisín]

Yes, apart from the part about iTunes being a great piece of software. It’s becoming bloated and slow, and its various ‘genius’ features are becoming increasingly like that annoying little Microsoft Word paper clip helper with every update.

[Spheric Harlot]

Hate the bloat, hate that it gives me the spinning beachball all the time (iTunes media on a networked drive will do that), but Genius is actually pretty cool.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

It’s becoming bloated and slow.

Exactly. iBloat™

It needs to be written in Cocoa instead of Carbon to start with!

I would actually use iTunes a lot more if it was not so bloated and slow.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Andy8 

Exactly. iBloat™

It needs to be written in Cocoa instead of Carbon to start with!

Leading question, as it's been done to death, but: what do you think that would change?

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Leading question, as it's been done to death, but: what do you think that would change?

Actually I would like to see iTunes spilt up into smaller separate applications, as now it is trying to be everything for everyone and at some point its going to burst Monty Python style.

[Wiskedjak]

I launch iTunes to update my podcasts and iPod and then I shut it down as soon as possible. I *never* use it as a music player ... it's way too bloated for such a simple task. iTunes should be separated into content management/purchase and content consumption.

As for the original question of renaming iTunes to accurately reflect it's function ... doing so would represent a much bigger brand shift than the renaming of Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. Apple has *a lot* invested in the iTunes brand.

[Spheric Harlot]

Oh, I actually think it's a *great* music player (except for the beachballing).

Video, though…not so much. Nor even so little.

[Oisín]

I have to agree: it’s a decent music player. It’s just everything else that’s far too bloated at (iTMS, App Store, iPod/iPhone/iPad updating, video, etc.). If you use only the music playing functionality, it works quite well. I don’t have any networked music, it’s all locally stored, so I don’t usually get the SBOD when just playing music.

[turtle777]

Let's rename it iMusic, just to irk people even more

-t

[Drakino]

I like the iBloat idea. It's the only app on my system that makes even a Mac Pro seem slow. It's also the one app that doesn't feel very Mac like either. It keeps everything in "Music" even though I have a separate "Movies" folder created by the OS. It syncs my devices even though the Mac comes with iSync. It uses one processor core out of 8 to convert music down to 128kbit. And it can't even play a video without stuttering if an iPhone is plugged in.

Jobs (legitimately) complained that Adobe was slow to convert from Carbon to Cocoa, wonder what his excuse is for iTunes. I hope iTunes X fixes that, and actually takes advantage of all the new stuff in Snow Leopard like GCD and other Cocoa niceties.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

As for the original question of renaming iTunes to accurately reflect it's function ... doing so would represent a much bigger brand shift than the renaming of Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. Apple has *a lot* invested in the iTunes brand.

You hit the nail right on the head. Kind of asking BMW to rename the mini as it is anything but mini.

'New iTunes' is not a viable option.

[Spheric Harlot]

Did someone mention the Bavarian Golf?

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Leading question, as it's been done to death, but: what do you think that would change?

The rewrite helped the Finder despite the naysayers. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that it was rewritten than the fact that it was rewritten with Cocoa APIs - but either way the rewrite did decrease the beachballs in the Finder.

Oh and the obvious answer: 64-bit iTunes that can hold my entire song library in RAM!!!!!1111one

[Salty]

Why would you want iTunes to take up over 4 gigs of RAM? Isn't everyone already complaining about bloat?

As for iTunes, I'm running it on a Core Duo 2Ghz that's four years old, it's constantly running in the background and rarely takes up more than a couple percent of one of my cores. It'd be nice if it was MP aware because when it is syncing it does become annoyingly unresponsive. A rewrite in Cocoa would be nice. In general just getting rid of the non standard scroll bars and a few other weird things would be nice. Perhaps a few interface updates... why isn't the Get Info window one of those nifty translucent black ones? Why is the interface just piled on top of itself constantly?

As for the name, while iMedia, iConsumables, iM a Media Company's Whore, etc might be nice, the fact is the iTunes brand is incredibly strong, and they're gonna sell more media by having everything linked together.

[richwig83]

I cant say i have any problems with the speed of iTunes running a 55GB library... seems to work fine for me!

[Eden Aurora]

People aren't loyal to the brand "iTunes". People are loyal to the application. Change the name and don't look back. It could be called iBloat and you would still use it because it's the best at what it does.

Or, you keep iTunes as the music player and separate out all the junk into a new program called iJunk

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Eden Aurora 

People aren't loyal to the brand "iTunes". People are loyal to the application. Change the name and don't look back. It could be called iBloat and you would still use it because it's the best at what it does.

Or, you keep iTunes as the music player and separate out all the junk into a new program called iJunk

heh! If *anyone* is brand-loyal, it's Apple customers.

[Salty]

Fact is if you spin the store off into a separate app, store usage would drop 60% probably. As soon as people see a new app launching in the dock, or a new window opening they'll get confused and unsure. The more happens in one window the better for user confidence.

[lpkmckenna]

I heard a rumor recently that Apple was gonna convert the iTunes store into a website. Removing all the store functionality would significantly reduce the bloat, and if Apple really plans on moving to an all-Cocoa application framework, it would be a lot easier to re-write a much more focused app.

But I kinda like having one app for syncing everything on my iPhone. And iTunes is a really great name, with powerful branding. I can't see Apple dumping that name.

[imitchellg5]

Sure, everyone assumes that's what they'll do with Lala.

[Eden Aurora]

bring back iSync; its not complicated.

imagine, you plug in your iPhone and then iSync launches. It then syncs all the photos from iPhoto, music from iTunes, apps from iApp, junk from iJunk, tea from iTea and whatever else they come out with.

simple to me.

[Simon]

If I weren't forced to use iTunes for my iPhone, I'd delete it at once.

It's bloated. It's slow. It's hangs for no obvious reason. It's full of psuedo-AI crap reminiscent of MS' stupid paperclip. It tries to be a store, an app manager, a media server, a media player, a device manager, and a jukebox all at the same time. Outlook anyone?

And it's a piece of junk for those of us who didn't grow up with MTV mashups and who'd prefer to listen to classical music the way it was written.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by Simon 

If I weren't forced to use iTunes for my iPhone, I'd delete it at once.

Exactly.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Simon 

And it's a piece of junk for those of us who didn't grow up with MTV mashups and who'd prefer to listen to classical music the way it was written.

Live?

[Simon]

Hehe. Almost.

[The Final Dakar]

I like iTunes, but I wouldn't mind seeing the store separated from it somehow. I'd also live with the iPod syncing via another app if that'd allow iTunes not to hang once it was connected.

[P]

On OS X, it would be best if there was a syncing app - call it iSync, sure - that handled the task of keeping the iPod/iPhone synchronized with some shadow on the host Mac. The trick becomes downloading your files so that they are found by this syncing app, but this isn't an insurmountable problem. Easiest is probably one app for each purpose - App store, iTunes, some movie app, whatever - that are really just a shell over Webkit but knows to put the downloaded files in a certain position so that the syncing app can find them. This way, a third-party app could use the same mechanism to sync its documents from inside the app - more useful for an iPad than an iPod, I guess.

The issue comes on the Windows side. A lot of people are annoyed that iTunes comes with Quicktime - what would they say if they needed 5 apps to sync their iPhones? No, it needs to stay one app, even if iTunes is a silly name for it.

FWIW, I've never had problems with iTunes. I use a standard installation, but without letting iTunes organize my music for me. I'm not the world's heaviest user, though.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Simon 

And it's a piece of junk for those of us who didn't grow up with MTV mashups and who'd prefer to listen to classical music the way it was written.

Select album, hit play.

That's how I generally listen to music when it's not on vinyl (which, I agree, iTunes does a shitty job at).

A problem I fail to see.

[QuadG5Man]

iTuness has become a ubiquitous word in our society, like "YouTube" or "Facebook."

For this reason Apple should not change the name. iTunes is the app that made Apple into the company it is today.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

vinyl (which, I agree, iTunes does a shitty job at).

Downright horrible, even.

[Eden Aurora]

I had no idea so many people were unsatisfied with iTunes.
my original post was merely to change the name.

What music software is out there that's better than iTunes for the Mac?
For those of you who hate iTunes, what are you using instead?

[DarkStarRed]

I like it except for restrictions on the iTS even here in Europe with supposed boarder-less commerce
I would wish for.

Has for the name doesn't bother me but if asking then no less then iEntertain but this comes back to Tunes has in tune in, be tuned, in tune (all relating to Radio, TV, Music & audible Voice-books podcasts & tune out for App's or Games which is all invoked by iTunes.

[Eden Aurora]

still, nobody has said which music players for the Mac they like better than iTunes.

[P]

There are no music players on the Mac other than iTunes. When iTunes was launched, it was based on SoundJam MP, one of the two leading MP3 players back then. The other was cancelled as it couldn't compete with Apple, and just like IE, iTunes stagnated.

That said, I'm not terribly dissatisifed with iTunes, but then my demands are perhaps lower than some.

[Eden Aurora]

Well, then its kinda sad that there is anything to rival iTunes. I like options.
An entire software platform only has 1 good music program. that's scary!

That is exactly why a lot of people don't want to switch from Windows to Mac. Software selection is limited.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Eden Aurora 

That is exactly why a lot of people don't want to switch from Windows to Mac. Software selection is limited.

Yes, but you also get unlimited crappy apps that really have no raison d'être.

Not to speak of unlimited viruses, malware, and other crap.

-t

[TheoCryst]

Still, a WinAmp-like app for the Mac would probably be fairly popular. I wonder why no one's made it yet. Hmm...

[angelmb]

You still can download the free Panic's Audion 3 here. It's PPC but works under 10.6.3 on my Mac Pro.

[Aegis]

There are some good alternatives out there, especially if you prefer a playlist based player.

Cog: Cog - News (Get the development build, it's stable and the main app hasn't been updated in an eternity)
I've used Cog on and off for some time. It can achieve a nice minimalistic look and it has solid playlist functionality. It also supports most audio formats. The one drawback that kills it is the lack of an equalizer.

Vox: Vox :: The Lightweight Music App for Mac OS X
I find it rather ugly and oversized but it has a very nice range of effects you can apply and like Cog it supports about every audio format out there. It's main drawback is the lack of a proper playlist. At least it makes an automatic playlist of the files in the folder you're currently playing from.

[Curiosity]

Originally Posted by P 

There are no music players on the Mac other than iTunes. When iTunes was launched, it was based on SoundJam MP, one of the two leading MP3 players back then. The other was cancelled as it couldn't compete with Apple, and just like IE, iTunes stagnated.

That said, I'm not terribly dissatisifed with iTunes, but then my demands are perhaps lower than some.

That is not really true. Quicktime plays music, although it has no playlist. If you include players that do not come with Mac OS but work with it, there are Cog, VLC, and QMidi, and probably others that I have not heard about.
I have had no problems with iTunes, but I did not install the music on it, but only the information. I left the music files themselves in the normal file system so that I could play them with other players.

[Eden Aurora]

These other "music players" you've mentioned are a joke compared to what iTunes can do.
Yeah, Quicktime can play music...but you have to insane in the membrane if that was your main music player.

This is great for Apple as they have a monopoly on iTunes, but if someone said i hate iTunes and i want to use another program....i couldn't highly recommend anything.

[TETENAL]

Songbird

[Lateralus]

There's also the new OS X port of Banshee. It has the most iTunes-replacement potential of anything I've tried. But at the moment, the port is very new and chalk full of Linux bits that seem to have relegated the app to a wounded-elephant level of 'snappiness'.

Open source coders are superhuman though so I'm sure it'll shine soon enough.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Eden Aurora 

This is great for Apple as they have a monopoly on iTunes, but if someone said i hate iTunes and i want to use another program....i couldn't highly recommend anything.

I don't really get you.

Apple delivered a pretty good music player; so good in fact, that nobody bothered to come up with something better for the Mac.

So what exactly are you complaining about ?
Why do you want to use something else ?

-t

[Eden Aurora]

I don't want to use anything else. I love iTunes. Many people posting here said it was bloated and terrible.
But on a 'global' perspective, we need to see a much broader choice of software for the Mac platform.

[Spheric Harlot]

Wrong approach.

Two really good apps is vastly superior to four hundred crappy ones.

Competition is good, but is by far not the only thing, as it doesn't automatically lead to vastly better products.

Crap that's slightly better than the competition is still crap. See mp3 players before the iPod and smartphones before iPhone.

[Brien]

If Apple is willing to put videos in the "Photos" app on the iPhone 3GS, then they're willing to let iTunes be a bloated barely-music player.

That being said, if they can move most of the functionality into the cloud and slim down the app, I'd be sooo happy.

[Sarc]

Originally Posted by TheoCryst 

Still, a WinAmp-like app for the Mac would probably be fairly popular. I wonder why no one's made it yet. Hmm...

There was a time such an app. existed, it was called SoundJam MP.
It was published by a small company named Casady & Greene, then in 2001 the software was acquired by a bigger company and became known as iTunes 1.0.

Also, the Panic Blog has some behind-the-scenes details from their competing MP, Audion.

I still have the only OS X beta build of SoundJam MP.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Brien 

If Apple is willing to put videos in the "Photos" app on the iPhone 3GS, then they're willing to let iTunes be a bloated barely-music player.

That only applies to videos made on the road with the built-in camera being added to the camera roll.

Everything else goes through the iPod app.