I'll let you in on a little secret...
iTunes has become a complete joke of a software application. It is an antiquated, bloated mess and was badly in need of updating. iTunes is literally the worst thing Apple is associated with. It's even worse than their earbuds.
Trying to improve the absolute worst thing they provide is a good thing. It was in desperate need of a redesign.
I'm sorry, say again? Your post contradicts itself 100%.
If this is a secret (and it certainly wasn't "known" to me), that means that people weren't aware it needed an update, which means IT WAS WORKING FOR PEOPLE JUST FINE!!!