Goodbye iTunes 11, Hello to Google Music

[psg2000]

After trying and trying (I really did try) to like iTunes 11 I have given up on the slow, sluggish, freezing, irritable, and downright awful piece if software.

I have tried (admittedly only for about a week or so) Google's Music service.

My initial impressions are:
1 I like the free service of uploading up to 20000 songs onto their cloud and being able to play them on my laptop & iphone 4 (on 3G network).
(FREE, not the extortionate amount apple want to charge me over my life time)

2 There's sometimes a little lag on playing a song but no spinning wheel, freezing of software and seems bug free.

3 It works. Is free. Is Simple. Doesn't have cover-flow but neither does itunes 11...

I notice a lot a people no longer believing in the Apple philosophy of I have paid a premium price for some hardware/software and expect a premium product.

The three areas I feel let down by apple are:
1their maps - Google Maps is superior
2 like most people- itunes 11
3 I don't like the new iphone 5 connector, I could understand if Apple had gone to miniUsb but this was a move that has made me not upgrade (I have too many accessories)

#rant over#

[maflynn]

Originally Posted by psg2000

The three areas I feel let down by apple are:
1their maps - Google Maps is superior
2 like most people- itunes 11
3 I don't like the new iphone 5 connector, I could understand if Apple had gone to miniUsb but this was a move that has made me not upgrade (I have too many accessories)

#rant over#

1. Apple maps has nothing to do with my decision to use iTunes
2. I think stating "most people" may be an exaggeration, I for one don't mind iTunes 11. It did take some getting used to, but I'm fine with it now.
3. The iPhone 5's connector has nothing really to do with iTunes, its a Mac application.

I can understand you're desire to move away from the apple ecosystem but using those reasons for you dropping iTunes seems a little odd. I'm not using iTunes any more because Google maps is better.

Use what ever application/phone/computer you feel that best fits your needs, I'm not married to apple, but they still produce great products that are well integrated that its a no brainer to keep using them.

[Kebabselector]

Maps has it's problems, but I tend not to use it much, when I do I find postcode (zip) works fine in the UK

Not had issues with iTunes 11 to be honest - it does what I want, import, sync and plays stuff via iPad or Apple TV

Dock connector an issue? - Maybe at first with the shortages. Micro usb has always been fiddly and crap (o.k. its cheap but that's the only plus)

[ozaz]

Might be interested in Google Music (I have one or two frustrations with iTunes match). But....its not very clear to me exactly what Google music does and does not offer:

Can I scrobble to last.fm?
Can I play my music on iOS devices?
Can I cache tracks for offline playback?

I get all these things with iTunes match.

[Evoken]

I keep iTunes on my computer and use it there but also use Google Music for my Galaxy S3 and Nexus 7. It syncs perfectly from my computer and it all works great.

----------

Originally Posted by ozaz

Might be interested in Google Music (I have one or two frustrations with iTunes match). But....its not very clear to me exactly what Google music does and does not offer:

Can I scrobble to last.fm?
Can I play my music on iOS devices?
Can I cache tracks for offline playback?

I get all these things with iTunes match.

Yes you can scrobble to last.fm and you can play on iOS with the browser. The app for Android allows for offline playing and let's you download songs. Not sure if there is some app for iOS that connects to Google Music.

[Risco]

The download limit of 2 makes it a non starter for me.

[Mr. McMac]

I just started using Google Play yesterday. Uploaded 18,000 songs from my iTunes library. So far I'm really liking it. It's a lot more responsive than crappy iTunes 11.

[ozaz]

Originally Posted by Evoken

Yes you can scrobble to last.fm and you can play on iOS with the browser. The app for Android allows for offline playing and let's you download songs. Not sure if there is some app for iOS that connects to Google Music.

Glad to hear it supports last.fm, but inability to cache songs for offline playback on iOS basically rules it out for me.

Originally Posted by Risco

The download limit of 2 makes it a non starter for me.

Can you clarify this? Does it this mean that any given track can only be downloaded to 2 devices at the same time?

[SingularityG]

Originally Posted by psg2000

After trying and trying (I really did try) to like iTunes 11 I have given up on the slow, sluggish, freezing, irritable, and downright awful piece if software.

If your iTunes 11 behaves like this, there must be something wrong with your setup.

Originally Posted by psg2000

I notice a lot a people no longer believing in the Apple philosophy of I have paid a premium price for some hardware/software and expect a premium product.

I notice a lot of people started to believe in the Apple philosophy, so I guess that makes it even.

I have paid for a number of Apple products over the last six years. None needed to be serviced and they all work as the day I bought them.

But yeah, I am sure google will be happy to have you.

[tzus]

Very happy with iTunes 11 and I personally prefer the look of Maps over Google Maps. I have an iPhone 5 and the change to Lightening has not me caused any problems. The wife has an iPhone 4 and iPad 3 and they each came with a USB lead and we have many power points in the house! BTW how many times has Samsung changed their leads? Answer: Many times.

[marktronics]

Totally agree on iTunes 11. A completely abysmal update. I didn't go to Google Music though; I just reverted to iTunes 10. I'm dreading the day when Apple will force me to update iTunes for the iPhone VI-IX.

[Michael Goff]

You do realize iTunes simply does more than Google Music, right?

Yes, you can buy movies and music on Google Play Store.

iTunes has more content, though.

[Risco]

Originally Posted by ozaz

Glad to hear it supports last.fm, but inability to cache songs for offline playback on iOS basically rules it out for me.



Can you clarify this? Does it this mean that any given track can only be downloaded to 2 devices at the same time?

Yup, you can only download an track twice.

[ozaz]

Originally Posted by psg2000

After trying and trying (I really did try) to like iTunes 11 I have given up on the slow, sluggish, freezing, irritable, and downright awful piece if software.

Originally Posted by marktronics

Totally agree on iTunes 11. A completely abysmal update. I didn't go to Google Music though; I just reverted to iTunes 10. I'm dreading the day when Apple will force me to update iTunes for the iPhone VI-IX.

Have to say, although I have a couple of frustrations with iTunes match, I have no issues with the iTunes 11 desktop app. I actually feel its more responsive than 10, and once I put the sidebar back I have no problem with the interface.

[cheisA1A]

I am not completely happy with iTunes 11 either. I do use Google for my GSIII and it works ok. But I still think iTunes is slightly better. A couple minor complaints, but still ahead of Google for my uses. I am sure other peoples uses are different and I would call anyone a liar that says either one is vastly superior to the other.
Just my two cents.

[marc11]

Have to say iTunes 11 is slow and buggy and the interface, while pretty looking own so dumbed down its unintuitive as you hunt and peck to find features and functions. Yeah I know you can go back to the old one but that wasn't the point of the upgrade.

Between the mess that Apple made with iOS iTunes, the iTunes store and now odd iTunes I am starting to question if Apple actually uses the software they design.

You know the beauty of Apple was the quality of the hardware working perfectly with great software, that is becoming less and less true recently.

[Mackilroy]

Originally Posted by marc11

Have to say iTunes 11 is slow and buggy and the interface, while pretty looking own so dumbed down its unintuitive as you hunt and peck to find features and functions. Yeah I know you can go back to the old one but that wasn't the point of the upgrade.

Between the mess that Apple made with iOS iTunes, the iTunes store and now odd iTunes I am starting to question if Apple actually uses the software they design.

You know the beauty of Apple was the quality of the hardware working perfectly with great software, that is becoming less and less true recently.

How is it unintuitive? What features and functions are difficult to find? I've had no trouble finding anything I've needed to under iTunes.

iTunes 11 has also had zero problems working with either my iPod touch or iPhone.

[marc11]

Originally Posted by Mackilroy

How is it unintuitive? What features and functions are difficult to find? I've had no trouble finding anything I've needed to under iTunes.

iTunes 11 has also had zero problems working with either my iPod touch or iPhone.

Glad it works for YOU, for me its crap. Slow, buggy, crashes, etc. IOS version has the be the slowest junk I've ever used and the layout of search results is pathetic. Don't get me started on the bugs in match like why it keeps turning off on my mbp or why I delete songs but they keep coming back on my iPhone. Or how about having to have desperate apps for music, shows and podcasts or why my podcasts do not download automatically even though I keep selecting them to automatically download.

This is a few annoyances there are many many more.

[Mackilroy]

Couldn't say why it's happening for you, though I wish it didn't. Definitely not normal behavior, I haven't seen it on multiple machines.

[spacepower7]

Originally Posted by psg2000

After trying and trying (I really did try) to like iTunes 11 I have given up on the slow, sluggish, freezing, irritable, and downright awful piece if software.

I have tried (admittedly only for about a week or so) Google's Music service.

My initial impressions are:
1 I like the free service of uploading up to 20000 songs onto their cloud and being able to play them on my laptop & iphone 4 (on 3G network).
(FREE, not the extortionate amount apple want to charge me over my life time)

2 There's sometimes a little lag on playing a song but no spinning wheel, freezing of software and seems bug free.

3 It works. Is free. Is Simple. Doesn't have cover-flow but neither does itunes 11...

I notice a lot a people no longer believing in the Apple philosophy of I have paid a premium price for some hardware/software and expect a premium product.

The three areas I feel let down by apple are:
1their maps - Google Maps is superior
2 like most people- itunes 11
3 I don't like the new iphone 5 connector, I could understand if Apple had gone to miniUsb but this was a move that has made me not upgrade (I have too many accessories)

#rant over#

Without me sounding like a fanboy I don't have any of your issues.

3. Lightning connector, do you want a connector that works with the things that you bought in the last 10 years or something that will work with the things you buy in the next 10 years. Do you want to restrict yourself to the limitations of USB2 or would you rather go with a forward looking technology?

Should there be a VGA port too?

As far as Google Music, it sounds great until you consider that you are giving your musical taste and listening habits to the biggest advertising company in the world.

Take it further, Eric Schmit, to paraphrase, said that everyone mid-20s and younger will want to change their legal name bc the stupid things they say that will never be erased via Google+ and Facebook. You want to give that guy your life?

[turtlez]

the iPhone 5 chose to use their own connector because the other ones looked FUGLY and I agree. mini usb looks tacky. The new connector has the combination of beauty and durability.

No problems with iTunes 11 for me either however the google version does look nice and I might consider trying it

[bt22]

spacpower7... I totally agree with you. I am referred to as the Apple guy where I work. Several co-workers like to flaunt their Android devices, but in the back of my mind I am saying exactly the same thing. I do like how some of the HTC phones look... Droid DNA and One X +... but I just can't use Android or Google.

[Madmic23]

I wouldn't mind giving Google Music a try, but it's not available in Canada yet.

In fact, that's one of the big advantages that Apple has here. They are the only company that has an online store for everything.

In the US, Amazon, Google, and Apple all sell the same stuff with music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books. In Canada, only Apple has everything.

Google is limited to movies, apps, and books while Amazon only sells Kindle books. I guess it doesn't really matter for Amazon though, as the Kindle Fire isn't available here.

It would be nice to have all of the other options, but until then, I'll be sticking with Apple.

[Aquaria]

Originally Posted by Mackilroy

How is it unintuitive? What features and functions are difficult to find? I've had no trouble finding anything I've needed to under iTunes.

iTunes 11 has also had zero problems working with either my iPod touch or iPhone.

Not everybody has the overpriced Apple devices du jour, cupcake.

Now can now tell me:

How I can open separate windows in iTunes 11, to make arranging playlists more SENSIBLE and MORE EFFICIENT--i.e., more INTUITIVE.

Where iTunes DJ is, the INTUITIVE way to make a playlist that everyone can take part in/vote on without compromising your library's security by giving everyone access to it via Remote Manager.

Where the gapless editor is--the simple and INTUITIVE way to determine how your tracks segue from one to another.

Where Cover Flow is, so that my 73 year old mother can use the right, left and enter 'buttons' to find and play her music INTUITIVELY on my laptop, rather than trying to use other views and the mouse/trackpad which confuse her, without having me hold her hand or do it for her, which is frustrating and annoying for both of us.

Where my album art is in the sidebar in Songs View--the only remotely decent view left in this garbage heap of an 'upgrade'. I went to a LOT of trouble to make sure ALL of my albums had album art. And now it's gone, unless I want to look at an ugly album art view and see kindergarten fingerpaint background colors that makes it impossible to read the tracks. Or look at a paint chip in a mini player. How is a paint chip INTUITIVE?

The album art in the corner was also THE FASTEST way to add album art to new tracks. Again where is my album art in the corner, to do the MORE INTUITIVE thing of dragging album art there for a track/album, from the internet or your scanner, or wherever?

I want to see the the volume control and the time progression of the track in my mini player, just like I do on a good CD player--the INTUITIVE way to the vast majority of people alive right now. I don't want to see a paint chip there. And I don't like the formless buttons, either.

How to keep iTunes from shifting to different views when I search or click on something. The INTUITIVE thing is to stay where I am.

How to shuffle a playlist and sync that shuffle to my iPod with ONE CLICK, the INTUITIVE way, without having to go through unnecessary EXTRA steps of creating smart playlists and randomizing them--which is NOT intuitive.

Be able to do the INTUITIVE thing of being able to get to the current song, without having to do it differently based on what library/playlist you're in. And no need for an extra script. iTunes 10 could do this--INTUITIVELY. I want it back.

How to get column view back the INTUITIVE way it was on iTunes 10, where it could be just about anywhere, and work.

Get the arrows next to songs to look for better versions in the iTunes store with a click and a selection based on artist/album/song--the INTUITIVE way?

How to categorize my apps, which I could do simply and INTUITIVELY by clicking on the columns bar with ONE CLICK in iTunes 10

How to keep my audiobooks sorted MY way--which I could do INTUITIVELY by clicking on the columns bar with ONE CLICK in iTunes 10.



I'll wait.

kthxbye

[chugg]

Google Music is awesome. I've been trying to get ways to sync my music between all my devices (Gaming PC, Nexus 4, MBA) ever since I got rid of my iPhone and Google Music has worked wonderfully. I tried to do the iTunes thing on MBA since I really like the remote feature but it just wasn't worth the pain.

I will say that Google Music definitely isn't for everyone because it is incredibly simplistic.