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Re: iTunes Windows - First Impressions

Originally posted by Macrumors
...
Other potential issues mentioned in discussion forums across the web include high memory and CPU utilization by the new Apple application. These complaints, however, are not universal -- with several users reporting excellent performance and unremarkable RAM utilization. Obviously, user experiences appear to be variable at this time.
...
Welcome to Windows.
 
iTunes PCversion

I have downloaded it yesterday evening, installed it in few seconds on my PC, then imported my musicmatch music files (around 400 MP3) into iTunes in a matter of seconds (here talking about importing names and references, no physical location change of the music files). no information were lost during the transfer.
After playing By the way from the RHCP, I immediately noticed a big difference with the sound quality between iTunes and the other Pc apps I have been using (WinAmp, MusiMatch and realPlayer), I mean really a big difference, iTunes sounds just far away better, deeper sounds,.... so I though I was biased by my love for Apple, so I went to macbidouille.com forum (well I am French...) and realize that many other users also noticed a better sound quality with iTunes...so I went to PC web site (French) and from PC users same version, iTunes sounds better...
Now speaking RAM , CPU usage, reactivity...
it is very reactive, the CPU usage is really low (around 2% CPU usage every 10sec with a P4 2GHz FSB 533MHz), for the RAM I did not check, but I did not notice any serious effect on the overall PC reactivity... I have 512 MB RAM DDR 3200.
Now I have burn my first playlist at 24x on my LiteOn 32x using iTunes, done in few minutes, quality perfect....
After one hour of test, I have uninstall MusicMatch, WinAmp and RealPlayer....
Of course the only problem I have now, is that I feel really like getting a new mac now; my last mac died a year ago, and still want to wait G5 rev2 and money before to go...but really it is good to feel a bit of this magic GUI and easy of use from Apple on a PC... just feel like getting a G5 right now.....or an iPod ...actually it will be cheaper..
 
you are right

Originally posted by markie
Oh, and yeah, iTunes for Windows was slow for me at first (just the music store), but by nightfall it had improved dramatically. I think the server was taking a hard hit.

even I was in France and could not evaluate the iTMS, it is clear that the server in charge of the iTunes download was really loaded with requests, my download took quite a long time; whereas when updating QT fro example, I usually get the max of my 512kb ADSL line..
 
WORKS GREAT ON MY PC

Been awaiting a long time to get Itunes for my PC. I've used it since day one on all my macs and I just love it. Never had a problem with it even using os X server. Installed it yesterday ASAP on my PC and the music has been playing all night without any flaws. I just minimize Itunes and I dont even know its there. No chugging on the computer what so ever. Great job apple.
 
iShop

After one hour of test, I have uninstall MusicMatch, WinAmp and RealPlayer....
Of course the only problem I have now, is that I feel really like getting a new mac now

That's what I mean, MasterMac. :)

I really would like Apple to get the iTunes-shop to work in Europe.
We have a firm in the Netherlands that's called 'FreeRecordShop', but that's a lie :)
 
Re: Re: iTunes Windows - First Impressions

Originally posted by Bear
Welcome to Windows.

There also appears to be some reported issues with iTunes for Windows and Norton Internet Security 2003 for Windows. Several users (myself included) are getting a message: Not enough memory. Now this is only happening when I try to access iTMS. So no buying audio till this is 'fixed' or a good workaround appears. Well I just have to use the Tibook for this ! :D
Closing Norton ISec 2003 fixes this, but of course this leaves your machine vulnerable.

iTunes works *GREAT* other than this. Not sluggish, and the radio stations seem great. It is a bit more responsive than my Tibook G4 667, but not a lot more responsive.

My desktop is an Athlon 1.2GHz, 320 Meg RAM, 400Gig HD space. :) (I need more RAM, I know !)

I haven't tried to burn a CD yet, probably try it tonight.
 
Fast User Switching

Follow the link for the support note on fast user switching. Can't have multiple people with it open.

How will itunes on the Mac deal with this feature when that comes out in Panther.

I'd love to have my wife's copy and mine open a the same time so we can share playlists (from within computer and other computers in the house)
 
Re: Re: Re: Hmmm, iSmile

Originally posted by MasterMac
I really wonder why people don't want [X] support in iTunes... I personally would like to see iTunes have support for WMA, Real, Ogg, etc just so I don't have to either A) have other apps do it for me or B) waste my time trying to convert it to MP3 or whatever..
I'm gonna talk a little bit out of my ear now, but iTunes is based on QuickTime for encoding and playback. And QuickTime is component-based. You can drop components into /Library/QuickTime (on OS X, obviously) and use different codecs for encoding and playback through QuickTime Player.

Maybe the solution is more obvious than you think.
 
iTunes for PC is mediocre

I agree with the review at OS news. iTunes has some good things that work well, but the UI is very slow for me, frequently not responding for 10 seconds or more, sometimes to the point where I think the whole app has crashed. For example, if I minimize the window to the toolbar when it is in its smaller window size, it takes 10 seconds to refresh to the screen. Often the "metal" interface is not refreshed properly, and I see the standard windows theme beneath it. Wierd behavior, certainly not the best PC program I've ever used. Winamp has been the bomb since forever, it's been pulling off the non-standard windows GUI with style since Windows 95!!
 
Re: Re: Hmmm, iSmile

Originally posted by Porshuh944turbo
Geez I hope not!!!!

Does it seem funny to anyone else how Apple is calling it "quit" instead of "exit" and I've only seen the term "Fast User Switching" on Panther. I don't think it is called that on WinXP, but could be wrong. Just a way to throw out Mac terms?

It is called 'Fast User Switching' in WinXP, and they had it first. :D
 
Re: iTunes PCversion

Originally posted by eric67
....After one hour of test, I have uninstall MusicMatch, WinAmp and RealPlayer....

I really like iTunes, but Winamp has a visualization plugin that so far just dosen't have an equal.
Geiss

In particular Version 2 has a feature that is just amazing. It turns the visualization into your wallpaper !! Yeah it does
slow down the system a bit, but apps open overtop of it. Even with several 4+ apps running it was responsive enough to
use. Now this is a feature that I would *KILL* for in iTunes !!!!!!!!!


* art *
 
Re: Re: iTunes PCversion

Originally posted by artmc
I really like iTunes, but Winamp has a visualization plugin that so far just dosen't have an equal.
Geiss

In particular Version 2 has a feature that is just amazing. It turns the visualization into your wallpaper !! Yeah it does
slow down the system a bit, but apps open overtop of it. Even with several 4+ apps running it was responsive enough to
use. Now this is a feature that I would *KILL* for in iTunes !!!!!!!!!


* art *

My friend made that plug-in when he was in school here.

He now is being paid by Nullsoft ;)
 
Re: iTunes for PC is mediocre

How much memory do you have in your machine?

Also processor speed?

I've had absolutely no problems in running Itunes at work, 1.6Ghz, 512meg ram.

Haven't tried it at home on my 1gig athlon yet, shall try it tonight.

As far as I'm concerned, iTunes for Windows is excellent, first class piece of software. All as good as the mac version.

Originally posted by Oats
I agree with the review at OS news. iTunes has some good things that work well, but the UI is very slow for me, frequently not responding for 10 seconds or more, sometimes to the point where I think the whole app has crashed. For example, if I minimize the window to the toolbar when it is in its smaller window size, it takes 10 seconds to refresh to the screen. Often the "metal" interface is not refreshed properly, and I see the standard windows theme beneath it. Wierd behavior, certainly not the best PC program I've ever used. Winamp has been the bomb since forever, it's been pulling off the non-standard windows GUI with style since Windows 95!!
 
Originally posted by ShadowHunter
I would like to see more contemporary christian selections (I just didn't see many).

Yeah, I wish they had some of that, too. I like most of the other music selection, especially classical, but Apple is still slow in attracting labels like Sparrow records, et all (which carry most Christian artists).
 
No problems with Itunes

I cant agree more. Like I said not one problem so far with my machine. Not sure what types of machines people are running that are having performance problems, or maybe they just dont know how to properly maintain there systems. You never know. But I've tried it on 2 PC's now and not one slow down or notice of loss in performance.
 
Relatively smooth over here

After some hick ups at installation (few error messages) I installed it on my Win2000 server and it runs very nicely.

So it's goodbye to good ol' WinAmp :)

I hope the shop will be coming round soon...
 
Re: iTunes for PC is mediocre - really weird

Originally posted by Oats
I agree with the review at OS news. iTunes has some good things that work well, but the UI is very slow for me, frequently not responding for 10 seconds or more, sometimes to the point where I think the whole app has crashed. For example, if I minimize the window to the toolbar when it is in its smaller window size, it takes 10 seconds to refresh to the screen. Often the "metal" interface is not refreshed properly, and I see the standard windows theme beneath it. Wierd behavior, certainly not the best PC program I've ever used. Winamp has been the bomb since forever, it's been pulling off the non-standard windows GUI with style since Windows 95!!

sorry guy but a few additional point on my current test.
the reactivity is definitely not due to Apple iTunes, but more with your config or other apps conflicts. I did not experienced it at all

another additional point in my test of iTunes vs Win MediaPlayer :
RAM usage :
some people claims 30-40MB of RAM for iTunes, well I am just testing here with WinMediaPlayer :
when starting playing the song on a CD, RAM usage = 30MB, then doan to 5MB if the WMP windiw is minimized, but back to 7-8MB of RAM if the window is active with some visual effect.
CPU usage
I have tested itunes already, and as I already reported before , iTunes use around 2% CPU of a P4 2GHz 533MHz in average (can be down to 0% for up to 10 secondes...)
now for WMP :
with WMP window displayed and visual effect = 10% to 25% CPU usage!!!, if minimized, usage between 5% and 15% with an average around 8-10%!!!

so in conclusion iTunes might use more RAM, but from my test it definitely use less CPU ressource than Windows MediaPlayer

and I still do not understand teh slow reactivity of some users....
config : P4 2GHz, 533MHz FSB, 512 MB RAM DDR
 
Buy Music w/American credit card in Asia?

I am in Japan right now and miss my Mac :(

But I have iTunes! Yippee!

Suggestion:
I think they should consider taking away the graphical rendering resize and just make it outline resize like old OS 9 or 8.

In fact, I read a workaround not too long ago about a trick to get this to work in OS X. Anyway, I don't think PC users really care about real-time graphical window rendering during resize.

Question:
When starting up iTunes Music Store, it tells me that it's not in my country yet (to be expected) but mentions something with credit cards and billing address being in the same country...

...does this mean that, since I do have an American credit card, that I can purchase iTunes music, even while in Asia?! :D
 
Re: Buy Music w/American credit card in Asia?

Originally posted by mproud
I am in Japan right now and miss my Mac :(

But I have iTunes! Yippee!

Suggestion:
I think they should consider taking away the graphical rendering resize and just make it outline resize like old OS 9 or 8.

In fact, I read a workaround not too long ago about a trick to get this to work in OS X. Anyway, I don't think PC users really care about real-time graphical window rendering during resize.

Question:
When starting up iTunes Music Store, it tells me that it's not in my country yet (to be expected) but mentions something with credit cards and billing address being in the same country...

...does this mean that, since I do have an American credit card, that I can purchase iTunes music, even while in Asia?! :D

Dear friend

go to www.hardmac.com (english version of the french web site www.macbidouille.com) and you will learn that indeed it was possible before (having an Americam credit card, but using it from outside US) to use iTMS outside US with a credit card edited in the US. many users reported that it was working in France, till recently ...apparently Apple has read the story and found a way to block this usage
 
Re: iMWA

Originally posted by Mattnh
Compromises are not wrong when it comes to helping people out. ;)
When people have a lot of WMA and check out iTunes it's not gonna work.
De-install and never try it again (Jet-audio! Winamp!).

Alternatively the iTunes site displays a big box with this http://www.convert-mp3-to-wma.mp3-converter.org/ then instead of deinstalling iTunes the Windows user installs this wma to mp3 convertor - which is just one of loads from google, try out a few tunes and then decide if they want to dump iTunes.

Isnt that an equally helpful strategy? ;)

Edit, sorry sailfish never saw your post.
 
iTunes on my PC at home works fine. It works beyond well and into the amazing catagory. I really love this App. Now I can ditch WinAmp for once and for all. Plus, I'm going to convince my parents to set up an allowance on the Music Store. ;)
 
Who cares

Another toy for well-to-do (this time) Windows users. As a European, why should I care?

I'm sick and tired that 'available to all' means just the US.

Ah well, and downloading songs illegally is 'bad karma' ? Right Mr Guru Steve, and how are you in a position to say so. That's a little simplistic isn't it ? Well, anyway, I disagree mostly but then I'm not a member of the Steve jobs school of marketing (sorry, 'thought'). Yes, I'm also tired of religious terminology being trivialized for marketing ends.

'Illegal' downloads are the only option for most of us and I don't think it's a bad thing.
The only good thing for corporate America is to get as rich as possible. Well, it may surprise you to hear but I don't think that's good, indeed, I don't even think it's legitimate and unhealthy if one looks at the big picture and not just one Ego.
It's good karma to share what should be available to all. It's only bad if you're praying to the god of 'infinite accumulation of material wealth' but certainly not in any spiritual sense.

I have to admit though that signing up Indie-labels is a great thing. I'd gladly pay for those songs and I think it's good. Still, I can't and, seeing how Sherlock is still US only, I don't expect to be able to in the next couple o' years. But then, there will be alternatives.

I believe what we over here in Europe are hoping for is a good non-american OS some time, which is most dersirable, both politically and economically.
 
WRONG WRONG WRONG. Most of the Dell machines uses the same parts as Mac machines, just look at the tech specs. It's not the OS, it's the crappy 3rd party programs (itunes) that people load onto the machines.
Originally posted by markie
"Obviously if you have a build-it-yourself, or any low-end box that is sabotaged for price you'll have %*#)@*! performance."

Not so obviously for the build-it-yourself. There really aren't many good, well-built, Windows systems with good components. You can build by far the best and fastest Windows systems, AND get a better price (though rarely do you get a better price if you're using better components). Of course, the OS still is really cruddy.... But if you want a Linux system, of course then you have no software compatibility.
 
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