# I pit iTunes!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 28, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407 "2015-07-28T17:25:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/41 "2015-07-29T21:45:24Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > I used to love iTunes, but not I despise it. Somewhere along the line it converted all my playlists into one single folder full of thumbnails which can’t be viewed as lists. Moreover, I can’t figure out how to unmark the songs I’ve already listened to. Whenever I click on a new song, _it plays the list instead and appends the song I selected to the last of the list._ Why, oh why, does it do that? Does Apple WANT to alienate its user base again? Why can’t I just group select the songs I want to listen to LIKE I USED TO? Even Windows Media Player is better. Never ever thought I would recommend anything Windows over Apple. While I do fault Apple for making what _they want you to want_ as the default, I think you just need to change your preferences. They try to hide, to make you forget the old way is still there, but it is. I still have all my playlists, uncheck-ability, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/42 "2015-07-29T23:11:56Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Yes, you can now operate iPhones as stand-alones, as my mother bears witness. You will have to use iCloud for backup, and do make sure you get one of the high memory capacity ones (64G or 128G) and leave yourself a hefty cushion, because iOS updates suck up wicked Gigs. A 16G iPhone is de facto still computer-dependent if you don’t keep it spare and spartan in apps and media content. How does that work? What software are you using for music library purposes? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/43 "2015-07-29T23:18:31Z")
I abhor iTunes. It simultaneously does everything I don’t want it to do while preventing me from doing what I do want to do. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/44 "2015-07-30T02:25:46Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > The joke here is that people have been upset with iTunes since forever, just like the Office ribbon (now 8 years old). Pittings of such are as useful and timely as shaking your fist at the rain. it was useful for me. I finally got rid of that fucking U2 album. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I abhor iTunes. It simultaneously does everything I don’t want it to do while preventing me from doing what I do want to do. Yes, exactly. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/45 "2015-07-30T03:43:22Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > How does that work? What software are you using for music library purposes? Mother doesn’t use a home computer \*at all \*and her music library’s format is mostly flat and circular with a hole in the center. So her iPhone’s music library, if she wanted one, would be whatever she got over the air off iTunes Store/AppleMusic (and far more likely, the young folks at the place she volunteers will set up Pandora for her and she’ll be fine with it). For her the iPhone is NOT a music library device. It’s a palmheld computer-cell phone-PDA-pocket camera/recorder. _In that role_, the iPhone can work as a standalone, with iCloud as restoration backup and the AppStore as source of updates over the air, and any of various alternatives for third party cloud storage. Now, if you want to sync music libraries from your home hard drive to an iPhone, well Apple’s got some bad news for you, Sunshine: you get iTunes, either hardwired or via WiFi. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/46 "2015-07-30T06:59:57Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I did not find it possible. I’d say “no” and it would still change my defaults. And even if you are successful, it still asks you every time if you want to make it default. It’s easier to give in than fight. Resistance is futile. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/47 "2015-07-30T18:28:34Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Mother doesn’t use a home computer \*at all \*and her music library’s format is mostly flat and circular with a hole in the center. Gotcha ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/48 "2015-07-30T18:39:40Z")
Personally I’m fond of the way iTunes takes audio files of three different sorts (books, podcasts, music) and puts them on three different pieces of software on the phone. All three do the same thing (play stuff) and none of them want anything to do with each other. This makes perfect sense, it was awful to have all my audio files easily accessible from one application with which I could compile playlists of podcasts AND music. Not sure what the difference between “Saved Episodes” and “my episodes” is, though. Or why these things are necessary. I guess “here’s the list, the items you’ve downloaded have a dot next to them” didn’t give the software people at Apple enough to do. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/49 "2015-07-30T19:30:34Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > iTunes is the resulting diarrhea when a monkey eats diseased elephant shit… > You can drag and drop all you want. Connect the iPhone to your computer, go to the iPhone set up section in iTunes and check the “Manually manage music and videos” box. Amen to both of these sentiments. I’ve always done everything manually on iTunes since day one… on my Mac Cube, on my Powerbook, up until now, when I finally gave up my mp3 player and got an iPhone. In an average week, I use my phone to listen to a half dozen audiobooks, a bunch of music (ripped from CD’s or crappy mp3’s, and some purchased from Amazon or iTunes), and lots of Radiolab and How Stuff Works podcasts. Oh, and I might make two or three phone calls… **The point is, click “manually manage music” and start listening** … instead of playing Apple’s little games. Oh, and I handle photos manually, backing them up to an iMac with Image Capture. And I don’t update 'til I have to (iTunes 10 is still the easiest for me, but I did go with 11.1 on my new used MacBookPro). Sorry, gotta get back to ‘Carsick’ (John Waters hitchhiking across America)… ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/50 "2015-07-30T19:47:33Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > This makes perfect sense, it was awful to have all my audio files easily accessible from one application with which I could compile playlists of podcasts AND music. 😕 I just tried this and it created a playlist of both podcasts and music with nary a peep. Sure I had to switch source windows as I changed program type, is that what you meant? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/51 "2015-07-30T20:32:33Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Sorry, gotta get back to ‘Carsick’ (John Waters hitchhiking across America)… _That_ John Waters? Hope you’re on commission.😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/52 "2015-07-31T05:12:16Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > 😕 I just tried this and it created a playlist of both podcasts and music with nary a peep. Sure I had to switch source windows as I changed program type, is that what you meant? No, I’m talking about making playlists on the phone, not through iTunes. This wasn’t a problem when there was one music player. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/53 "2015-07-31T05:18:48Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > The joke here is that people have been upset with iTunes since forever, just like the Office ribbon (now 8 years old). Pittings of such are as useful and timely as shaking your fist at the rain. > > Here you go, though: > [A brief thank you to Microsoft for all the changes in Office 2007. - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=427568) > [Fuck Microsoft Word 2007 and the fact that I'm forced to use it - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=451583) > [Microsoft = Spawn of Satan. - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487728) > [Does anyone else think Word 2007 Sucks? Badly!! - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545060) That doesn’t mean we have to accept it. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/54 "2015-08-02T01:42:51Z")
Update: I actually got iTunes to load some music onto my phone. The only problem is, I’m not sure how I did it. The HELP file should be called the H file, as three-quarters of the information I need is not there. Somehow I got into this screen where it listed playlists and asked what I wanted to put onto my phone (I assume this is what “sync” means in AppleSpeak). Then I had an epiphany: I had to tell iTunes not only that I wanted to _add_ some music to my phone, but that I wanted to _keep_ what was already on there, on there! This is totally bass-ackwards of anything I could have ever devised. But if I figure out how I got on that screen, I’ll be, if not golden, at least gold-filled. BTW, the “That’s Bullshit” video was HILARIOUS. So were the rest of his videos. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407/55 "2015-08-03T19:48:34Z")
I have a 64GB iPod Touch which is frankly great and I played with it for a solid year when I got it years ago. I now use it as a music player in my car but I haven’t updated it in over a year because I haven’t infected my new copy of Windows with iTunes and don’t expect I will. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-itunes/726407.md?page=2)