Should Apple have a different iTunes for Mac users? Windows users?

[AdamZ]

Do any of you think that Apple should have a different iTunes for Mac users? I realize one of the best features of the iPod, iTunes experience is that it works similarly on both platforms, it has helped in getting more iPod customers. But with Tiger and its core audio image and video features, iTunes could really be something special. Isn't it time for Windows users to recognize the current version as a really good standard in jukebox software, but as cool as it is, look at it on a MAC! It kinda is that way to some extent because of the OSX, but they are pretty much the same experience. Remember when iPods where shipping to Windows users with Musicmatch software instead of iTunes. All the reviews pointed out the fact that if you wanted the coolest experience you gotta buy a Mac.

Do you guys think we should have our own very special version of iTunes? With Tiger and a new iLife package comming, they just have to!

Also in the next version of iTunes could we please be able to drag down and away the options at the bottom of the main window that control the great Party Shuffle mode. The options to change the Source:, & Display: are taking up space in the main window. Especially when my family uses 800x600 resolution for couch use with an iMac G4 swiveling around on a coffee table. I don't change these options that much, if at all, and it would be nice to at least have the option of hiding them.

 

[AmigoMac]

as for the original question... No!

why, iTunes is an example of the facilities of OS X and a business... they wouldn't screw customers like that... iTunes + iPod + iTMS are a good call for Peeceers...

 

[Timelessblur]

to answer the question no. Apple is still paying the price for their screw up on quicktime for windows which is a joke and a POS. it is good for looking at webpages and that is it. as a stand alone player it is a POS. Do that to iTunes and I will walk away and never buy a mac out of spit. As it stands I plan to get my first mac in a year or 2 when it is time to replace my laptop tick me off before then I just replace it with another PC laptop

apple can not afford to screw up on itunes for windows. Right now apple can put apple script on there itunes windows can not use. Plus iTunes for the make is getting a lot of bonces from itunes for windows. Expesly on a collage network. I currently have 12 people librays that I can listen to music from of that list only 2 of them are macs rest of us are on windows PC's. Bettween that and ourtunes it really helps out as well getting people to move over to itunes

 

[Koodauw]

I think it could be very successful idea. If you create a version of iTunes, that takes advantages of the Tiger OS, features which would not be possible on Windows machines, it can only help people switching over. Similar as to how expose works very well on a mac, due to quartz extreme, but would not work that great on a Windows box. If you think about it from the point of iPods make people want to buy Macs, which is the model I do believe, it makes even more since. iTunes first was a Mac only program. As we iPod at first. Both were eventually ported to the Windows world. Why not do that with a greatly updated version of iTunes?

 

[stuckwithme247]

No, I believe the whole point of it being the same program is that people will get to see the quality of Apple apps and may decide to eventually switch to a mac when they purchase a next computer... brilliant strategy.

 

[AdamZ]

I think it could be very successful idea. If you create a version of iTunes, that takes advantages of the Tiger OS, features which would not be possible on Windows machines, it can only help people switching over. Similar as to how expose works very well on a mac, due to quartz extreme, but would not work that great on a Windows box. If you think about it from the point of iPods make people want to buy Macs, which is the model I do believe, it makes even more since. iTunes first was a Mac only program. As we iPod at first. Both were eventually ported to the Windows world. Why not do that with a greatly updated version of iTunes?

Absolutly. I think at some point it has to change. So all iapps will be a standout except iTunes? Apple won't update the app cause of Windows inoperability. The solution is not that it works differently, but that it looks so much better using Mac OSX Tiger or whatever is in the future. Using Dashboard to control iTunes is a step but Apple could make the app look so beautiful that they would just klll to switch. It has to happen at some point. It all ready seems like a hinderence. Did the apparent unelegance of the decision to use iTunes for syncing the iPod photo have anything to with getting along with Windows users? Probably not, but it seems like the kind of thing that should be in a beefed up iSync app or iPhoto. I'm just saying that as the popularity grows, Apple has to at somepoint change gears so their computer users are not feeling controlled by the iPod department.

 

[MisterMe]

.... I'm just saying that as the popularity grows, Apple has to at somepoint change gears so their computer users are not feeling controlled by the iPod department.

Who are these Mac users who feel that they are controlled by the iPod department?

 

[Yvan256]

No, I believe the whole point of it being the same program is that people will get to see the quality of Apple apps and may decide to eventually switch to a mac when they purchase a next computer... brilliant strategy.

There's no Apple store anywhere we I live. Not for at least 200km. And I'm not going to Montreal simply to try a pretty Apple computer. I don't know anyone who has a Mac, so I can't try one that way either. That leaves Apple with only one option: bring the Apple experience to Windows users.

I started using computers with a Color Computer 2 (yes, cassette tapes), then went on a PC XT clone, then 286, etc, etc. I'm currently using an Athlon 2400+, 512MB, Radeon 9600XT, Windows XP (updated from a Celeron 700, 512MB and GeForce4MX 440 64MB simply to play FF XI, and now World of Warcraft). Besides games, I'm no power-user at all (I could even go as low as 233MMX if I had to, heck my laptop is a 166MMX thinkpad).

I was a WinAmp user since day one (heck, I was a WinPlay3 user on Win3.11, if that means anything to anyone. My computer and soundcard were so under-powered that I had to use 22KHz output).

I've always felt that Apple computers were nice toys for graphic artists until they moved to OS X (Unix core), added IBM into the mix (G5) and released iTunes for Windows. And wow, did iTunes open my eyes. I've never tought software could be this well-designed, this powerful. No, you can't do everything with it. But for what it does, it does it near perfectly. After living in a world of Extended basic, then MS-DOS, then Win3.11, then Win95OSR2, then Win98SE, then WinXP... well, you see my point (although XP doesn't crash, it still has an "old O/S" feeling to it, hard to explain).

Question: why is my computer running Windows XP and not Win98SE? (XP may be more stable, but all those new viruses and trojans won't even work on 98SE, which is good enough for everything I do).

Answer: I run WinXP simply to be able to run iTunes, or else I'd run Win98SE.

If iTunes wasn't as good as it is right now, I would never have bought an iPod, and I probably wouldn't be thinking about switching right now.

So, where's my eMac G5?

 

[Yvan256]

Who are these Mac users who feel that they are controlled by the iPod department?

The ones who think it's silly to transfer photos via iTunes instead of iPhoto?

 

[wPod]

iTunes completes the iPod. Without iTunes the iPod is just another mp3 player. The easy use of the interface (wich is incredable compared to most windows programs) shows PC users that apple is supierior. If Apple steped down its design and disapointed PC users then Apple would not sell as many iPods.

 

[cmvsm]

I think there should be two different software choices for Mac and PeeCee in terms of iTunes. Windows users can still get a cool experience from the current software, but Mac users should get something a little "extra". I have to say that I was a bit disappointed when the iTunes that I used on my PC was the same iTunes I use on my newly purchased Mac G5. I think someone on here stated that if the iTunes software were changed, they wouldn't buy a Mac. Give me a break. iTunes is just the beginning of the superiority.

Let the peasants suffer, and let the kings rule..

 

[urban1985_]

to answer the question no. Apple is still paying the price for their screw up on quicktime for windows which is a joke and a POS. it is good for looking at webpages and that is it. as a stand alone player it is a POS. Do that to iTunes and I will walk away and never buy a mac out of spit. As it stands I plan to get my first mac in a year or 2 when it is time to replace my laptop tick me off before then I just replace it with another PC laptop

apple can not afford to screw up on itunes for windows. Right now apple can put apple script on there itunes windows can not use. Plus iTunes for the make is getting a lot of bonces from itunes for windows. Expesly on a collage network. I currently have 12 people librays that I can listen to music from of that list only 2 of them are macs rest of us are on windows PC's. Bettween that and ourtunes it really helps out as well getting people to move over to itunes

Why would you get mad at a company for making something better for their own system and customers? Every company does it. Some one must offer something better otherwise consumers would never turn their heads to that certain product. It's competition.

Apple did a great job of introducing iTunes to the PC community. This opened a lot of eyes. iPods almost have a monopoly in the portable music player industry. There are lots of products I see now, but I can't help but think of them as iPod wannabes.

By making iTunes for the mac have more features, this takes advantage of mac's power. What different would it make from all the other mac apps that perform better than their windows counterparts/versions? It's just competition. If anything, Apple making iTunes better for macs should make you want an Apple laptop more.

Spite? You can't hate the way businesses work.

 

[Nermal]

I remember when iTunes for Windows was announced, Steve took great pride in noting that the Windows version wasn't limited in any way (I seem to remember a Musicmatch comment in there too). So I doubt that Apple will limit the Windows version in the future.