iPod Things you wish iTunes/iPods software had...

[wwooden]

I wrote into Apple with feedback for the iPod probably a year ago about how I thought they could improve shuffling on the iPod. I thought what should happen is when you go to a playlist or an album, when you hold the select button, a menu would pop up. On this menu would be "Add to On-the-Go Playlist" and "Turn Shuffle On/Off". I think this is really easy to implement and still keeps everything really simple. It would also be great if it only keep that setting for that particular playlist/album. If you were in that playlist, you would just have to go back one menu, hold the select button and select Shuffle.

That is my biggest problem with the iPod because, like others, I like to turn shuffle on and off all the time and having to go through all those menus is a big pain in the butt.

 

[dr.shrunkel]

Manually adjustable custom EQ-settings.

I have a pair of airbuds really heavy on the bass side, where the buil-in EQ-presets won't quite do the trick.

 

[milo]

I'm guessing you don't have iTunes 7 yet then? It supports this...

Nope. It only works with songs bought from the iTunes store.


I'd like to see easier access to the shuffle switch.

Adding songs to the On the Go playlist while they are playing.

Simple, but a big one - I'd love to be able to have iTunes just play one song. Just play it and stop. I know you can make a playlist with the one, but I want a simple way.

It has this already.

But even if the shuffle switch is at the top level, that's extra navigation. I'd like to be able to switch shuffle from within a song, make it an extra option in the song views (rating, art, etc). I really like the idea of having a shuffle preference that can be set per playlist.

I thought I was the only one who noticed this.
The Music Video category needs to be added to the bar, like, yesterday.

Can't you just make a smart playlist with all music videos?


Here's a big one that would be an easy fix - in iTunes, if a playlist (or smart playlist) is all videos, the browse window should switch to headers of show and season (like in the shows category) instead of artist and album. In mixed playlists it should be switchable.

 

[Rojo]

In iTunes, I'd love more options or a way to customize elements for when you print out a CD cover. I'd love a way to add more info to a song listing JUST FOR THE CD COVER only. Or to be able to include personalized notes somewhere, or a way to include lyrics if available. It would also be great to manipulate/resize the album cover art, or use other images.

 

[apachie2k]

i would like to see greater sharing enhancements, including chating and such, for us kids at the uni...

 

[decksnap]

In iTunes, I'd love more options or a way to customize elements for when you print out a CD cover. I'd love a way to add more info to a song listing JUST FOR THE CD COVER only. Or to be able to include personalized notes somewhere, or a way to include lyrics if available. It would also be great to manipulate/resize the album cover art, or use other images.

I like that idea. Just do it like iPhoto does books. It'd be cool if you could order custom booklets for CDs in the same way you order iPhoto books, so they look all slick.

 

[bursty]

Maybe this has already been mentioned in the thread, but this is frustrating the hell out of me at the moment.....I wish iTunes could automatically sync with certain playlists, but still allow you to manual add songs. I have a smart playlist that contains new music that I have added to my library within the last week. I wish I could have iTunes sync just that one playlist and allow me to manually add the rest of my music.

Ugh....

 

[balamw]

Maybe this has already been mentioned in the thread, but this is frustrating the hell out of me at the moment.....I wish iTunes could automatically sync with certain playlists, but still allow you to manual add songs. I have a smart playlist that contains new music that I have added to my library within the last week. I wish I could have iTunes sync just that one playlist and allow me to manually add the rest of my music.

Ugh....

Perhaps I'm missing something...

Just create one or more "dumb" playlists (e.g. one called manual) and add songs to that playlist manually, then sync that playlist along with your smart playlists. Works for me.

B

 

[Zmmyt]

[*]The ability to press the center button while listening to a song and after the scrubbing/rating/full album art view/etc. be able to change the audio balance. I'd like this feature because sometimes when I'm listening to my iPod and someone tries to talk to me.. I have to either pause, unplug my phones, or take one out of my ear.. this way I could just free up one ear by leaving the buds intact. Simple feature, yet still not included for some reason.. [/LIST]

Sorry, but I find it a bit easier to take a plug out of my ear. But I always take both of them out, because I don't find it very polite listening to people while music is still rocking my brain.

"Are you paying attention or do you enjoy your music?"

 

[bursty]

Perhaps I'm missing something...

Just create one or more "dumb" playlists (e.g. one called manual) and add songs to that playlist manually, then sync that playlist along with your smart playlists. Works for me.

B

I guess I could do this, but it just seems soo unnecessary. I just wish I could manually manage the bulk of my music, but have iTunes automatically sync one single playlist. Oh well, guess I'm in the minority on this one.

 

[milo]

I guess I could do this, but it just seems soo unnecessary. I just wish I could manually manage the bulk of my music, but have iTunes automatically sync one single playlist. Oh well, guess I'm in the minority on this one.

How is throwing all the stuff you want to add manually into the "Manual" playlist any harder than adding it manually?

 

[bursty]

How is throwing all the stuff you want to add manually into the "Manual" playlist any harder than adding it manually?

I never said it was harder, I just wish it didnt force you to chose either totally automated or totally manual.

 

[spicyapple]

iTunes:

Better sound check levels. It's current form is unusable. I'm using iVolume 2 to handle sound checking and it does a much better job than iTunes, although it leaves nasty comments in the tags.

Automatic 64Kbps - 128Kbps bitrate downsampling of songs when transferring to an iPod, while leaving the lossless or 320kbps AAC in the library.

 

[balamw]

I never said it was harder, I just wish it didnt force you to chose either totally automated or totally manual.

It doesn't. Methinks you didn't understand the method I suggested.

Full automatic = your entire library is copied to the iPod (or a subset if your library is larger than the iPod).

Full manual = drag all items to/from the iPod manually.

Semi automatic = "copy selected playlists to the iPod" automatically.

Tracks can be added to or removed from the dumb playlists manually. So you drag tracks you want updated manually to/from a dumb playlist instead of the iPod.

The net result when you hit "sync" is that some of your tracks are updated automatically, and others manually.

B

 

[RugoseCone]

I have to go with being able to stop shuffle on a particular track and have it play items from that artist/album only from that point forward on the iPod.

Specifically, I'm listening to my entire library on shuffle. "Burning Inside" from Ministy's "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" is playing. I press the center button and now the next eight tracks that play are from that album (since it's nine tracks). Shuffled or not, I don't care.

I never really wanted or even thought about this until a friend complained about not being able to do this.

 

[psycoswimmer]

Everything posted here sounds pretty good. Now just think for a moment; what if Apple included all of them?

One thing I notice quite often with my 4G Photo is that when pressing the menu button repeatedly to go back to the main menu or whatever, it lags. I can see half of the screen trying to move out. I don't know if this has been fixed in the 5G and Nanos but that's something I'd really like to see.

 

[ero87]

a shuffle switch on all the ipods! I started a thread about this once, most people agreed...

or if not a switch, maybe holding down a button would toggle the shuffle. this would be so nice!

 

[milo]

I never said it was harder, I just wish it didnt force you to chose either totally automated or totally manual.

But doing it with playlists lets it function as partially automated and partially manual. I don't see what your objection is to that method.

 

[Eraserhead]

Semi automatic = "copy selected playlists to the iPod" automatically.

Tracks can be added to or removed from the dumb playlists manually. So you drag tracks you want updated manually to/from a dumb playlist instead of the iPod.

The net result when you hit "sync" is that some of your tracks are updated automatically, and others manually.

Great idea, I think I'd use this. I think they should add an FM radio as it wouldn't make it more complicated and would allow people to listen to other music too which would be good. Other than that I'd like the iPod to come in Poo Brown (Only kidding).

 

[Tom B.]

One thing I notice quite often with my 4G Photo is that when pressing the menu button repeatedly to go back to the main menu or whatever, it lags. I can see half of the screen trying to move out. I don't know if this has been fixed in the 5G and Nanos but that's something I'd really like to see.

Unfortunetly, the 5G still lags in the fashion you describe, but the nano does not. But instead of repeatedly pressing menu, you can just hold it down, and it will instantly take you back to the main screen. Infact, if your iPod has the latest software, you may already be able to do this.

 

[rockthecasbah]

The first thing i would like is an option to have the 5th Gen iPods function in the same way 1-4 did which allowed the user to hold "Menu" to turn on/off the backlight. I often will fast forward or pause a song and have no need to turn on the backlight, so this type of option would be much better for users that don't need the backlight too often.

Another function that is missing would be involving searches. Currently when one searches "Songs" and clicks a song from this list it automatically plays. Many users have different versions of songs not designated by the title, or ones that are completely different songs that just happen to have the same title. A better way would be for all of the songs of this 1 name to show up in a list and then allow the user to select the artist (if applicable) or album that the song was pulled from if multiples show up.

 

[mike dunx]

Well I'm gonna bring it back..

This might have been mentioned, but I think you should be able to press the center button a number of times to come to a menu to turn on/off shuffle, and an option to play the rest of the album, or play from the beginning of the album. (Like if you were in shuffle and you came across a song and you wanted to listen to the rest of the songs in that album. This way those songs would start playing directly after the first song was done.)