More iTunes 5 Info?

[JayBee]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly
I agree, which is why I'd guess iTunes for Windows will support the conversion-on-import of WMA to AAC or MP3, not playing WMA. The ability to play WMA does Apple little good, unless the iPod will also be updated to play WMA files.

Hmm. As someone already said, conversion from one lossy format to another would be a bad idea. The ability to play WMA may do Apple little good, but the inability to do so will probably do iTfW a lot of bad.

iPod will be updated to play WMA files, iTfW will play WMA files, but will not be able to encode WMA files.

That's my bet, and I reckon that any other solution mentioned so far just isn't Apple enough. That's including the "convert on the fly" idea. Nice for geeks, but too slow and cumbersome for "the rest of us", plus degraded quality will lead to "Hey, this file sounds great in WMP, but sucks in iTfW. I'm sticking with WMP, not that second-rate Apple wannabe" first impressions.

This isn't going to be about releasing an almost-iTunes experience on Windows and saying "Hey, buy a Mac and it'll be even better!". This is going to be ALL ABOUT first impressions. MAKING users do ANYTHING more than loading the software will lose a lot of potential converts.

 

[jettredmont]

Originally posted by greenstork
If they added a quene to iTunes, that would be perfect. Then you could browse your library and add a bunch of music that you want to listen to without having to sit down out the computer after every song.

edit: I know I could just make a playlist but I I want something more innovative than that, something less permanent. More importantly, I want this feature on an iPod.

I don't get this. Playlists are as "permanent" as you make them. Personally, I have a playlist titled "zztemp" (the "zz" keeps it always at the bottom of my "permanent" lists) that I drag a bunch of songs to when I want to listen to them, and either start at the song I want to listen to or periodically clear out (esp if I want to have iTunes play random over a bunch of songs that day).

More importantly, this feature is already on the iPod's last I heard -- on the fly playlists.

Also, I love the interface in iTunes but it would be cool to set it up like the column view of the finder. I have 20 gigs in my library and not every artist fits on my playlist column. I would love to surf through the collection like in the finder.

Then have iTunes manage your library, and use the Finder's column view to find your tunes, then drag them from the Finder to your iTunes playlist ... iTunes is pretty smart about that kind of thing. Personally, I prefer just the regular iTunes interface. You do know about the Browse interface (Apple-B), right? An automatic playlist by artist or by album, kinda sorta.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by JayBee
iPod will be updated to play WMA files, iTfW will play WMA files, but will not be able to encode WMA files.

That would be my guess as well, though quite a few people around here will be pretty upset if Apple supports WMA in this way.