Okay Geek Farm
Simplifying iTunes not Bloating it up
Ricardo Trejo
Today, Apple released iTunes 9. Its newest features include added Social networking tie in's, revised Genius Bar suggestions, and asthetic tweaks to the UI. But not everyone is happy with this overhaul.
On my PC I use Winamp — have for years, love it. I understand I can’t have a carbon copy, if you will, on OS X, but at the very least give me a program that isn’t 80% features I will never use...
...Many Mac users chime in angrily whenever I have the nerve to mention bloat in a precious, perfect Apple product. Is it really such a stretch of the imagination to believe that some people might just want to play their music, or perhaps organize and browse it differently from how iTunes lets you? I think for every person who is excited to let Genius pick their party’s music, there is someone who can’t stand how playlists work. And for every person who likes the way iTunes organizes albums and tracks, there’s someone for whom its method of displaying their collection is frustrating and backwards.
-Devin Coldewey, TechCrunch.com
I think Coldewey is onto something. Practicality and simplicity has been the name of the game in the recent digital age. iTunes is lucky that there isn't much of a contender out there in the music desktop application market, since bloating itself up with more and more add on's just might make some people look for alternatives.
If you think about it your Walkman just played your music, same with your CD player, but now iTunes and iPod have given unprecedented control over the notes being heard over your speakers and headphones. Apple needs to be careful here. Some people just want the simplicity of clicking play and listening.
[Via TechCrunch]
