Poll: Favorite new feature of iTunes 4.5?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: Favorite new feature of iTunes 4.5? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=406)

[nagromme]

The jewel case printing with the art mosaics really is VERY cool--and easy, and intelligent, and flexible.

And fun :) Enough to make me finally catch up on making CDDA backups of my iTMS purchases.

[wordmunger]

The five computer limit is just in time for my planned iBook purchase. Then we can authorize our three home computers (including my writing computer), plus a computer in my wife's office and lab.

[MacFan25]

I like all the new features of iTunes 4.5, but I think the free weekly download is great! :D

[King Cobra]

That free weekly song thing is probably something I'm going to forget often...

Now, I expected that for the album cover pic. prints that I would be able to use that feature of iTunes like Discus RE (comes with Toast 6).

[Mr.Hey]

all of the above! :)

[Nermal]

Lossless encoding :D

I requested this on their feedback page, good to see someone's listening :)

[howard]

i'm not jumping up and down with excitement because of any of these features however the partyplaylist i might use once and awhile, and also i may end up using 5 computers, at least its nice to know that you can.

also the free song is a great idea

[claytonbench]

free weekly download and 5 computer limit

[Wonder Boy]

i dont have a favorite, they are all pretty cool.

(still angry about the lack of an ipod battery software update)

[rikers_mailbox]

Having the little arrows next to the song/album/artist is something I requested awhile back. . . I love using it to go from playlist --> library.

Although Party Shuffle is sooo cool, I've been playing with it all day. So much for work! :)

[dubbz]

Apple Lossless is neat, although I whould've wished for FLAC support instead.

[dmaestro3]

Why would someone want to use the Party playlist feature? What's an example of it in action?

[Armsreach]

I seriously am surprised that everyone is ignoring the wishlist feature. Make a playlist, browse the music store. See a song you'll want to buy, drag it to the playlist. This is seriously awesome. now if only they could sync itunes up to mail so you could mail your wishlist playlist to family and friends.

[awinn233]

wishlist playlist!!! I've requested this twice or so.

[coumerelli]

Now I don't have to quite iTunes before I switch users, and I can share my library between my wife and me on the same computer! woohoo! Something I've wanted since multiple users (pre-panther). My question was always, why does it have to be hard or why do I have to have two copies of the library? Hmph! Yeah apple!

[jcshas]

Party shuffle is my fave - I have 9,000+ songs in iTunes, and party shuffle keeps things fresh with little effort. :cool:

[MacNut]

The jewel case printing is cool but i want to know a way to get artwork for my personal cds that i burned from my collection. Is it possible to get artwork for actuall cds.

[redAPPLE]

Why would someone want to use the Party playlist feature? What's an example of it in action?

i might only be tired. i might understand it tomorrow, but not right now. the party shuffle is a playlist. i could add and remove songs before too. so what is the big deal?

i voted lossless, but this would mean one thing. my iPod would have to carry less music.

[Calvinatir]

well, my least favorite is the lack of network sharing with sub 4.5 users.. :(

[Tommy Wasabi]

My favorite feature (OTHER) is that it now loads much faster on my PC. 4.2 was slow to load.

[wordmunger]

The jewel case printing is cool but i want to know a way to get artwork for my personal cds that i burned from my collection. Is it possible to get artwork for actuall cds.
As long as ITMS carries the album, you can use the grab utility to capture the artwork from ITMS. Then save as a .tiff, and drag it into the artwork box in iTunes.

[slowtreme]

I voted WMA, I complained about it alot when itunes for windows came out. Arguably it's not GOING to be my favorite, once I get everything converted. But it will be my best friend for the next few weeks. Woo hoo, here I come with 300 CDs worth of WMA rips for my iTunes listening pleasure.

And yes, that means I ripped 300 CDs to 192K WMA with WMP, and set all the ID3 tags and everything. The free converter means I dont have to re-enter everything. The main reason I didn't re-rip everything as ACC.

Yes there are other converters out there. the good ones cost money I didnt want to spend.

[Trowaman]

Free song each week!

[bennetsaysargh]

wishlist is cool, and so is the cd label printing. one thing i want is automatic artwork downloading from apple built into itunes, so every time you get a new cd from the regular music store (:eek: ) they don't have to go to amazon or use some other stupid method. i know there are apps to do this, but i don't like those.

[lind0834]

Free Weekly Song. Hands Down.

[HenMaster6000]

I do NOT like how it is not compatible with get/myTunes! :mad: :mad: :mad:

[mms]

No particularly useful features for me. The only thing I would use is Party Shuffle, which I believe is the same as Controls-->Shuffle in previous versions. Even worse, installation was more troublesome than usual. Software Update crashed on me in the middle of the download, so I had to go download it myself:( I guess I'm spoiled, though, being a Mac user, and being used to everything working the way it should.

[odditie]

i might only be tired. i might understand it tomorrow, but not right now. the party shuffle is a playlist. i could add and remove songs before too. so what is the big deal?

i voted lossless, but this would mean one thing. my iPod would have to carry less music.

Here's my take on why I love it...

1. You can set it up to play more songs you like then your mediocre songs (big plus for me, I share my music with my fiance, and she has about 1/2 the songs in it, and a lot of them I don't like)
2. You can remove a song from playing in the future, as well as reorganize the songs so you can play a song sooner.
3. Just the general ability to set up a few random songs on the fly. A few clicks and you can have 100 songs you want to listen to ready to start...and you don't have to worry about deleting the list, ect later...

Nice feature, I like it a lot.

One feature I see as something I'm scratching my head about is the iMix...I have a strong believe in Jobs, and Apple, but I'm not sure exactly how this will really be beneficial for 95% of all people...I think it would be better to have the ability to set restrictions on finding songs...like being able to see top 100 songs downloaded off ITMS that came out before 2000...ect Just to give you the ability to find your favorite old songs.

They did what I hoped with the arrows, and the wish list, but I have not seen what my roommate was crying for, which is the ability to burn multiple playlists as folders for MP3 CDs.

Chris

[macFanDave]

I seriously am surprised that everyone is ignoring the wishlist feature. Make a playlist, browse the music store. See a song you'll want to buy, drag it to the playlist. This is seriously awesome. now if only they could sync itunes up to mail so you could mail your wishlist playlist to family and friends.

I was just thinking about how nice a wish list would be the other night. Diana Krall was on Letterman and my wife and I liked the song she played, so we considered buying the album (oops, CD). But my wife conked out before we listened to a couple of samples. Typically, I might forget the artist's name and never hear their music again. This also happens often to people I hear profiled on NPR. I hope it's implemented nicely.

[beatle888]

i like the video gallery at the store...and the movie and dvd trailers. oh. and the weekly free song download.

[sorryiwasdreami]

The jewel case printing is cool but i want to know a way to get artwork for my personal cds that i burned from my collection. Is it possible to get artwork for actuall cds.

Much of my music is indeed not available in the iTunes music store. However, I love seeing the cover artwork for my albums and songs. Here's the way I grab the art.

Go to the All Music Guide website, www.allmusic.com and type in your artist, album, or even song name (you can choose using the radio buttons). Then when the song comes up (it will, believe me; they have EVERYTHING) just snatch the .jpg of the album and drag it down to iTunes. You may have to save the .jpg to a folder.

The .jpg off of the All Music Guide fits perfectly into iTunes.

[TomSmithMacEd]

I would say wma - aac, but it only works on Windows!! what is with this??

[Fuchal]

I would say wma - aac, but it only works on Windows!! what is with this??

It requires the h4x0rability that only Windows can provide.

[Trowaman]

I would say wma - aac, but it only works on Windows!! what is with this??

probably because Apple figures we've had 5 years to figure out our own way to convert wma's to mp3 or whatever. . . . That or we're Macies, we don't touch Microsoft products. :cool:

[rdas7]

You didn't put an option for: ALL of the above!! (and you missed out wishlist, enhanced AAC encoding, etc. etc.)

Apple have really knocked it out of the park with this update. If I were in the business of making portable music players, or online music stores, I'd be handing in my resignation letter to my boss right about now. It would read something like: "I regret to inform you that I am terminating my employment with your company since the latest release of Apple's iTunes, as in my professional opinion there is no way our company can provide a reasonably competitive product compared with the iPod/iTunes/iTMS trifecta. They've got us pinned to the mat. The best we can do is a poor immitation, but they've copywritten all their core components (UI, etc.). We tried valiently, but it takes guts to admit defeat. More power to them. I will be using my severance pay to buy a blue iPod mini. Have a nice day."

:)

Well - maybe not exactly those words, but... you get the picture.

My question is - once Apple rule the world, will everyone rag on them like they do on Microsoft? Or will we just all inflate our ego's knowing that the world is waking up to what we've known since 1984?? :)

R.

[wrldwzrd89]

I would say wma - aac, but it only works on Windows!! what is with this??
Stupid Microsoft forgot (or refused) to release an SDK for Windows Media for the Mac. iTunes for Windows uses the SDK hooks in Windows Media Player to read the WMA data so it can convert the data to AAC. The Mac version of Windows Media Player lacks these hooks, so conversion is not possible. My favorite feature is Apple Lossless - I haven't used it yet, and I don't import CDs very often or use the iTMS, so I may not make much use of it. I haven't experimented with the Party Shuffle feature yet, and the free weekly song/other iTMS improvements don't interest me.

[virividox]

lossless is cool, but since i dont use itms yet cuz im in europe or asia depending time of the year i cant make use of the artwork and new integrated searching and all that

sooooooooooo i would have to say probably the party mix hehe

[crazedbytheheat]

My favorite parts are really mostly in iTMS. I love the radio station charts. I never can remember the names/artists of the songs I hear and like. Now I just go to the station list, click on preview to make sure it's the right one, and click on buy. Very cool!

(Oh, yeah, the free stuff is awesome, too. I've already set up my computer to remind me every day/week to go download.)

[j33pd0g]

Will a 1st gen iPod work with iTunes 4.5? If I knew with certainty that it did, I would update. I think iMix is a cool concept. I have to vote for WMA -> AAC Conversion though. I don't have any WMA files but think it was a good move on Apple's part.

[medea]

Is it just me or can you no longer send Feedback on iTMS, I was going to request a certain artist but can no longer find the link.

[reaper]

I know it's just a minor point, but not having to control-click the iPod to eject it from iTunes anymore is a very nice feature. Just makes iTunes that much nicer.

- reaper

[mkaake]

fast user switching.


just set up panther bout two weeks ago and was miffed by the fact that itunes could a) only be run by one person at a time, so if i logged out while it was running, my wife was left out in the cold, and b) it was difficult to get it to be okay with sharing my music with other users.

now iphoto...

it just seemed rather un-apple like that i had to tell my wife that if she wanted to use the same pics and music as me, that when she watned to use itunes or iphoto, she had to log in as me...

matt

[parrothead]

Wish List?! I didn't even know there was a wish list until I read this thread. I haven't gotten to play with iTMS since it was updated. I have been really wanting a wish list feature since the store opened. Now if there were only some way to sync itunes libraries of two different computers...

[advocate]

My favourite feature is FairPlay 2. No, wait, I'm not crazy, and I'm not a foaming-at-the-mouth antipiracy nutcase. The reason I like the improved protection is that they're showing the right way to enforce copy protection: with technology, not with lawyers. Fighting technology with lawyers is getting into the "if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" scenario. Fighting technology with technology leads to increased choice: if we don't like Palladium, we won't buy Palladium, and they'll have to find something else that makes everyone happy.

[sjk]

Go to the All Music Guide website, www.allmusic.com and type in your artist, album, or even song name (you can choose using the radio buttons). Then when the song comes up (it will, believe me; they have EVERYTHING) just snatch the .jpg of the album and drag it down to iTunes. You may have to save the .jpg to a folder.Thanks for that tip. Drag+drop from Safari to iTunes works fine without saving an intermediate file. I just wish saved internet radio streams had an album ID3 tag.

[coolsoldier]

After reading this hint (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20040429122915489), the arrows next to the songs are now my favorite.

I like the 5 songs thing, but I don't really consider that a "feature of iTunes 4.5" (the program) but more like a new feature of the music store service.

[wdlove]

I voted other. Since we have a wireless system it will be nice for both of us to share the same songs. The ability to print jewel covers is also a nice asset. Does anyone know if the software available at the Apple Store will be needed? Or will it just be purchasing Avery labels?

My wife told me about the feature of viewing a Trailer in iTunes should be great also. :)

[crazytom]

<sarcasm>

My favorite new feature is that my iPod will no longer sync with iTunes.

</sarcasm>

Actually, there's a number of people on the mac boards that are hopping mad about this. I can get the iPod icon on my desktop, but nothing else will recognize it: not System Profiler, iSync, iTunes, or iPod updater. It's really frustrating and Apple is very silent about the whole thing. :mad:

I actually voted for the lossless compression. I probably won't use it much, but it's a nice option to have.

[bankshot]

Hmm, nobody's mentioned this yet. By far my favorite new feature is the ability to select another playlist as a criterion for a smart playlist. I requested this some time back and they finally added it. Now the possibilities for smart playlists are truly unlimited.

Say I want a playlist with all of my Jazz and Blues songs that haven't been played in the last month. Previously it couldn't be done because the "genre is Jazz or Blues" part reqires that you do "match any", while adding the last played part doesn't work unless it's match all. Now I make 2 playlists. "Jazz or Blues" has these 2 genres with match any. "Fresh Jazz or Blues" has the "Jazz or Blues" playlist along with last played not in the last month, match all. You can get arbitrarily complex with this nesting, and the beauty is that it doesn't complicate the interface AT ALL.

It's also great when you have a hand-picked regular playlist and you want to make a smart version that only includes songs that weren't recently played. Then you can shuffle that playlist over the course of a week or something and it won't repeat until all songs have been played. Nice. :cool:

Now my only big wishlist for 5.0 is true gapless playback (iPod too). Bring it on, Apple!! :D

[cb911]

i had to vote for Apple Lossless format. :D that should be great... probably not that i'll use if much, or notice the sound difference. but i was confilicted when deciding on that or the WMA to AAC conversion. that's ssoooo good! :D

[DigDug]

Having the little arrows next to the song/album/artist is something I requested awhile back. . . I love using it to go from playlist --> library.

I second that; I often browse by date, or search by song name, or whatever, to find the right song, but then I want to listen to the whole album, and this lets me do that easily. Rock.

EDIT: Darnit! I totally misunderstood -- I thought those arrows would take me to my library, isolating that artist or song, not to the music store. Why would I want to go to the music store for an album I already own? This could have been a great feature. :mad:

[Nny]

Fast User Switching Sharing...

great implementation of a much needed feature!

[sjk]

By far my favorite new feature is the ability to select another playlist as a criterion for a smart playlist.Yep, instantly useful.

[sjk]

I thought those arrows would take me to my library, isolating that artist or song, not to the music store.See iTunes 4.5 (http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2004/04/itunes_45) for an explanation of the little arrows and many other useful tips.

[pimentoLoaf]

I like the jewel-case printing, as nothing is more boring than a bunch of silver discs that all look the same.

[Blue Moon]

I eventually went with printing album covers for the same reason as above but it was a toss up between that and the party shuffle. With a collection of over 10,000 songs from a wide array of genres, its come up with some pretty funky mixes.

[edenwaith]

<sarcasm>

My favorite new feature is that my iPod will no longer sync with iTunes.

</sarcasm>

Actually, there's a number of people on the mac boards that are hopping mad about this. I can get the iPod icon on my desktop, but nothing else will recognize it: not System Profiler, iSync, iTunes, or iPod updater. It's really frustrating and Apple is very silent about the whole thing. :mad:

I actually voted for the lossless compression. I probably won't use it much, but it's a nice option to have.

Really? Did these people install the new iPod software? I have a 2nd Generation iPod (10 GB, no dock), and when I installed iTunes 4.5, it also wanted me to install the 1.4 iPod Software (*sniff, sniff* no solitaire for me).

But for me, my favorite feature is the eject icon that shows next to the iPod and CD. That is just one step faster. One click, and it's done!

If there was a feature I'd like to see (and there is probably some work around for this), is a unified library for all users, on both Mac OS X and Windows 2000/XP. On my fiancee's PC, there are multiple users, and many of them like the same music. But it just becomes a waste if several people rip the same music over and over to the computer, where one unified library and file location would simplify this matter. There is sharing over multiple computers, but I didn't see sharing across multiple users for one computer.

EDIT: I just read up about some of the Real Fast Switching feature...however, I'll have to test to see if that is just for Panther, or if it works for Windows XP, also.

[DigDug]

See iTunes 4.5 (http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2004/04/itunes_45) for an explanation of the little arrows and many other useful tips.

Dude -- thanks!

[Counterfit]

Much of my music is indeed not available in the iTunes music store. However, I love seeing the cover artwork for my albums and songs. Here's the way I grab the art.

Go to the All Music Guide website, www.allmusic.com and type in your artist, album, or even song name (you can choose using the radio buttons). Then when the song comes up (it will, believe me; they have EVERYTHING) just snatch the .jpg of the album and drag it down to iTunes. You may have to save the .jpg to a folder.

The .jpg off of the All Music Guide fits perfectly into iTunes. I have a script that automates this, GetArtwork (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19354) (That's a VersionTracker link for those who care ;))

My favorite feature is... um... the Party Shuffle and CD Cover printing look pretty sweet, but I doubt I'll ever actually use them. The lossless is cool, but I won't use that either, as I don't think I'd be able to get my library on my iPod if I used it.

[Patmian212]

WMA AAC convertion definatley rocks!!!!!

[Patmian212]

Party shuffle is good too.

[topher]

While party shuffle is fun, my new personal favorite is the ability to use existing playlists as criteria for new smart playlists. I can now merge my most played with my least played, my new with my forgotten, and then all of my other workout mixes into my "ipod filler list." Then it can automatically fill it out to a perfect size regardless of potential fluctuation in these other lists....

This used to require a lot of copy/pasting...

[sjk]

While party shuffle is fun, my new personal favorite is the ability to use existing playlists as criteria for new smart playlists.And you can create a smart playlist of other playlists to use with Party Shuffle since it only supports selection of a single playlist.

[Misplaced Mage]

I can't believe no one's mentioned that 4.5 works through authenticating firewalls! There was no way for me to authenticate my machine at work to play protected files, or use the music store, or stream radio until 4.5 was released.

[bertagert]

I'm surprised to see all the votes for jewel case printing. I don't even use CD's anymore. The ipod has sovled all my problems of carrying around those silver disc. Do people who own ipods really make cd's? Other than back up I mean.