Apple to Start Offering iTunes on the Windows Store

[blaze756]

Now they need to re write it, so its not slow on windows..

I'm fairly sure that Windows Store apps have to be written in UWP (Universal Windows Platform) which would mean a complete rewrite of the application. So who knows maybe it'll improve
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If they re-write it from the ground up so its not so bloated, then this would be a good thing to do. However, I do not see that happening anytime soon.

Let's just wait for the rumored replacement of iTunes, perhaps that'll be a complete rewrite.

 

[devsfan1830]

This what is causing it. Every song you listen to on AM creates a *.m4p file cache for faster playback. The problem is that it does not delete the old files automatically. Before I knew how to check on it figured it out my self as googling was utterly useless as always I found over 2GB of files. So now every few days I manually delete those *.m4p files so they don't grow.

I just checked my appdata folder and I dont have any of those files. I searched my music folder and I have a couple there but they're actual music files. A quick google reveals them to be "M4P stands for MPEG 4 Protected (audio). The M4P file extension is seen in an Apple iTunes purchased song which uses Apples “Fairplay” DRM (digital rights management). " Which itself is odd because theyre random songs from different albums and I thought all apple music was drm free.

Edit: Oh actually I re-read what you said. I don't have those files because I don't have an Apple Music sub. I just buy albums individually still. So something else is slamming my disk activity.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Hopefully they use this as a reason to completely rewrite the app. It's just terrible on Windows.

 

[UL2RA]

iMessage and FaceTime on android, I would switch to a galaxy so quick,

I wouldn't, cuz then I'd be on Android.

This is good news for those that are planning on using Windows 10 S. Some of the things they're boasting are so ridiculous though. Like "20 second boot times" ... great ... Chrome OS boots in like 5 seconds. How is this comparable? Anyway, going off track here.

 

[MacHead84]

Now if only they could bring iMessage to Android and Microsoft to fix group chats!

iMessage and FaceTime on android, I would switch to a galaxy so quick,

We already got that. It's called What'sApp

 

[pratikindia]

Apple should make few of its apps available for Android and Windows.

 

[SeaFox]

To point 3, totally agree thats possible. Windows 10 has support for either just selling a normal win32 app in the store, or porting a win32 app to the store app format (im oversimplifing). This in no way suggests an actual rewrite.

It was pointed out on comments elsewhere programs on Windows 10 S must use the system Javascript engine and HTML renderer. So web browsers on Win10 S would be like those on the iPhone -- just a skin over Edge in this case. I'm having a hard time believing Apple go with being forced to undo WebKit rendering of the iTMS. They totally are getting a pass.

I have no issues with iTunes as is myself aside from the massive disk activity hit my system takes when closing it. I would really love to know what and why iTunes is writing to disk and insists on sucking up all my system bandwidth on EVERY close. I suspect it has sonething to to with the database file it uses to maintain the library.

Yup. That's it. From the way it acts (and what happens if there is a sudden system crash while iTunes is open) it seems to wait until the program is closed before recording changes in the library. That includes new music added, apps bought or updated, individual song play/skip counts (since it tracks those for every song in your library). If you have a nice long sitting to listening and working in iTunes that's a lot of changes that get queued up. At least edits to song tags and such are done immediately and no simply noted for actual writing to disk later.

 

[H2SO4]

Unfortunately, that's the only time I need to install iTunes bloat is to do a DFU recover on my iPads but afterwards I have to waste a lot of time not only uninstalling iTunes but also search for and uninstall all the subcomponents that it litters my system with like malware.

That’s why I just leave it in place, I’d always have the nagging feeling that me removing an apparently innocent component will break something else. (Same goes for the Mac App Store).

 

[Marx55]

Apple should implement a true resume playback feature in iTunes (quit iTunes, open it and it resumes from the song it left on last playback), as SoundJam MP (from which iTunes was developed) had in 2001. That is the most important feature of a music playback application, still missing in iTunes after more than 16 years!

 

[alexgowers]

The restrictions to get stuff in the windows store are tough for most useful software to adhere to.

Chrome would have to use the edge engine so would become a skinned version of edge and not chrome.

Adobe apps would have to loose all their interoperability and much more, also subscriptions might not be valid too.

iTunes in the store is a surprise as I assumed most windows users don't even know there is a windows store in the first place. I've never used it once and can't see a reason to want to sandbox an app unless you're a paranoid tech retard.

 

[maflynn]

I'm hoping this announcements means that we see a streamlined and better app for windows. I never really cared for iTunes on Windows. I found the OS X version to be easier and better.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Between the worsening UI disaster with each update, and at heart being an over-featured under-developed junkyard, itunes is a bloated, lethargic, three-legged pig on the mac, and is maybe the #1 detractor to the mac experience.

It belongs in the windows store.

 

[iRock1]

It's kinda crap on a Mac too, used to be a great Music player in the beginning, now it's a load of whatever.

Yup. I would be embarrased to highlight that piece of crap in other store.

 

[kyleh22]

no! why?! Mac is awesome!

I'd agree with you if we were living in 2010

 

[kemal]

If Apple want to convince Windows users of the superiority of the Apple experience, they should hide the waft of raw sewage iTunes has become.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Forget about Linux.

"Forget about Linux", really? Do you do a Google web-search? 100% of their servers run Linux. Do you shop at Amazon? 100% of their servers run Linux. Do you look at things on eBay? 100% of their servers run Linux. Are you a narcissist that thinks what you say is important so you post on Facebook? 100% of their servers run Linux. Perhaps you want to to do it with fewer characters so you use Twitter. 100% of their servers run Linux.
"Forget about Linux" Please....

 

[Shirasaki]

"Forget about Linux", really? Do you do a Google web-search? 100% of their servers run Linux. Do you shop at Amazon? 100% of their servers run Linux. Do you look at things on eBay? 100% of their servers run Linux. Are you a narcissist that thinks what you say is important so you post on Facebook? 100% of their servers run Linux. Perhaps you want to to do it with fewer characters so you use Twitter. 100% of their servers run Linux.
"Forget about Linux" Please....

You forgot my last sentence completely. Linux will be a niche desktop platform for quite a long time. I never say Linux is a niche platform as I am fully aware that Linux is pretty dominant in server and enterprise market. Only authoritarian countries would force their own citizens to use such a system.

 

[devsfan1830]

Yup. That's it. From the way it acts (and what happens if there is a sudden system crash while iTunes is open) it seems to wait until the program is closed before recording changes in the library. That includes new music added, apps bought or updated, individual song play/skip counts (since it tracks those for every song in your library). If you have a nice long sitting to listening and working in iTunes that's a lot of changes that get queued up. At least edits to song tags and such are done immediately and no simply noted for actual writing to disk later.

That makes a ton of sense to explain it. Its doing single rewrites of the database file for each and every time some little thing in the metadata changes and does it all at the end rather than on the fly. So it could very well be opening editing and saving the same file hundreds of times before it finally quits. I've dabbled but don't have much detailed experience with programming but that just seems to be the absolutely laziest way to do things. In this post-jobs era I honestly doubt they will ever fix it or even recognize it as an issue at all. Just more of the "We're Apple. Do it our way. F*k you" mentality.

 

[/V\acpower]

I assume it's related to Windows 10 S and the Windows App Store restriction that come with it.

They want to be available on every versions of Windows.

 

[Tech198]

Windows 10 only has the app store, and u can download Windows version from the website anyway..

 

[kinster]

You forgot my last sentence completely. Linux will be a niche desktop platform for quite a long time. I never say Linux is a niche platform as I am fully aware that Linux is pretty dominant in server and enterprise market. Only authoritarian countries would force their own citizens to use s lovuch a system.

Don't you just love it when they do that and then post something the majority of people know anyway?

 

[CPark98]

As Steve said, It's like giving a glass of water to someone in hell.

 

[mi7chy]

Linux will be a niche desktop platform for quite a long time. I never say Linux is a niche platform as I am fully aware that Linux is pretty dominant in server and enterprise market. Only authoritarian countries would force their own citizens to use such a system.

Both Linux and MacOS are considered niche desktop OS' but between the two only Linux is supported by high end professional software like OrCAD, ANSYS, Exa PowerFlow, etc. used by Tesla, SpaceX, NASA, etc. The other benefit as someone else mentioned is Linux probably powers over 90% of the internet, cloud, data centers, network infrastructure, security appliances, etc.

https://www.cadence.com/content/dam...nts/support/cadence-platform-support-plan.pdf

http://www.ansys.com/-/media/Ansys/...platform-support-by-application-181.pdf?la=en

 

[Shirasaki]

Both Linux and MacOS are considered niche desktop OS' but between the two only Linux is supported by high end professional software like OrCAD, ANSYS, Exa PowerFlow, etc. used by Tesla, SpaceX, NASA, etc. The other benefit as someone else mentioned is Linux probably powers over 90% of the internet, cloud, data centers, network infrastructure, security appliances, etc.

https://www.cadence.com/content/dam...nts/support/cadence-platform-support-plan.pdf

http://www.ansys.com/-/media/Ansys/...platform-support-by-application-181.pdf?la=en

However Apple would not divert resources to develop iTunes for Linux, at least any time soon. Being supported by multiple professional software (such as MATLAB and Mathematica) does not mean anything to iTunes release.
Or, more precisely, Linux is niche on home desktop use. I don't see lots of guys using Linux as daily driver OS.
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Don't you just love it when they do that and then post something the majority of people know anyway?

I don't say I love Apple not releasing iTunes on Linux. I cannot care even less about whether Apple will release iTunes to Linux.

I post something everyone "supposed to be knowing " because one comment seems to forget that fact.

 

[allan.nyholm]

Strict app requirements on the Windows Store? Ok... Like how is the store any different than the Mac App Store in "strict app requirements" The image thumbnail below is an example of todays view of the search for 'archive' and picking a low rated app. Do that for the Mac App Store and it will be no different. So .. where does that leave iTunes on the Windows Store? In the depths of 1 star rated programs for sure - because that's how people are going to rate it. Watch this space.
The program even on the Mac is bloated and very annoying at times. With its one stop progress indicator for when downloading apps from the App Store Purchased section and you're playing music too.. You'll have a hard time dismissing the "downloading x app from the app store" message and it will F*ck up your zen mode.