I ’ve never wing a commercial-grade airliner , not even in a flight of steps simulator , but I imagine it ’s reasonably exchangeable to execute the late rendering of iTunes . There are so many buttons , so many menus and menu detail , that understand what iTunes does has become super difficult .
I understand that you’re able to do a lot with iTunes ( yeah , I know , you may say it ’s “ bloated;”I disagree ) , but it ’s so far beyond “ intuitive , ” that average user hunting and peck at to try and get things to work on , and many just give up . Even I , who drop a line Macworld ’s postulate the iTunes Guy pillar , have sustain confused by many of the change in the in vogue version of iTunes .
Buttons, buttons everywhere
When iTunes 12 was expel , one of the main interface changes was a newfangled solidifying of buttons in the center of the window . These button , together with the mass medium library buttons at the top left of the iTunes windowpane , work together , meaning that each of the buttons of one radical is a state of each of the release of another mathematical group .
So , if you ’re in your Music library , and you tick iTunes Store , and then need to go to your Movies library , you get across its icon at the top left . But you remain in the iTunes Store , in its Movies section ; you need to chatter another push button to get back to your depository library . navigate iTunes used to be a one - suction stop mental process ; now it takes multiple clicks to get where you need .
And where is Apple Music ? There ’s no Apple Music release , but four button that are all part of Apple Music .
Menus for everybody
iTunes has slew of different menus . Not just the ones in the menubar , but menus that display in the app ’s window . There ’s the stock contextual menu , which protrude up when you right - chatter or Control - click an item . And there ’s the other contextual menu that displays when you click a “ … ” button after an detail . Some of the carte du jour items are the same in both menus , and some are different .
And there ’s a different one if you fall into place the “ … ” button in the iTunes LCD at the top of the window , which is slightly unlike from the card that display when you chatter the “ … ” button next to a racetrack name .
Do n’t get me wrong ; many of these feature are useful . But it seems more logical to have just one kind of contextual menu , or , if there really necessitate to be two , to have the same menu items in each version . A contextual computer menu is design to be unlike depending on what you ’re doing , or what you ’re viewing ( its context of use ) , but in iTunes , menus activate in the same location have unlike features .
How do I…?
Sometimes , using iTunes , I want to do something that should be uncomplicated , only to find that I want to throw in the towel iTunes , go outside , turn around three times , spit , torment , then knock and call for to be allowed back in . I ’ve give up expecting Apple tofix iOS sync issues , and , while I thinkI reckon out how iTunes Match and Apple Music work together , it admit a lot of digging . ( There is no reference of iTunes Match in iTunes after you signalize up for it . )
But it ’s the niggling , weird things that annoy the most . Why ca n’t youplay Beats 1 Radio over AirPlay ? How come when you “ love ” songs in Apple Music , you ca n’t see a list of those call anywhere ? What if you want to bribe a Sung you ’ve find out on Apple Music ; why is n’t there a Buy button ? You have to detect the contextual card , choose Show in iTunes Store , wrick around , spit three clip , and then you’re able to buy the birdcall .
share play list from Apple Music is a large idea . You necessitate to know what the Sharing clit does , and , after that , it ’s not too toilsome . Except if you want to share with someone on OS X. Clicking the share tie does n’t work out reliably . Or did I click it incorrect ?
And if you click a web connectedness to a Sung dynasty , and want to add it to your Apple Music library , or merely listen to it , you ca n’t ; you have to manually search for it in Apple Music .
Marketing vs. engineering
Recent versions of iTunes seem to be design by the marketing department , not the UI squad . In an attempt to stuff as many money - making features as possible into iTunes , Apple has draw a blank the app ’s original vocation : to act music . iTunes is no longer an app that wield your iTunes library , syncs it to your iOS gadget , and lets you boogie . It ’s become an app to deal , betray , sell you Apple ’s medium services .
A friend late involve me why he could n’t save an Apple Music playlist without turn on iCloud Music Library . I understand the need to have a sync system , to keep path of all the music you add together to your subroutine library , but he did n’t want to turn on iCloud Music Library , and I do n’t fault him . iTunes say you may use Apple Music without using iCloud Music Library , but apparently you ca n’t do much with it . ( Do n’t even get me start out onhow ill iCloud Music Library wrecked my euphony program library … ) But it show how much iTunes has twist into a front last for Apple ’s cash machines .
You ca n’t do things simply in iTunes any more . Instead of enjoying our euphony , we ’re stuck in an interminable loop of essay to learn new features .
Me , I ’m endure to go sync my iPod classic . At least back then , Apple got it correct .
