# iTunes 11 is terrible **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607 "2012-11-30T20:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/1 "2012-11-30T20:38:38Z")
First: we’ve all heard your comments about how the problem is using iTunes in the first place, or that the remedy is to uninstall. Yes that may be true, but it gets old. Feel free to vent, though. I still haven’t played with it enough to see what else was wrecked. I guess they’re trying to integrate the interface with iPad or something, but it comes out ugly. The menu is invisible unless you hit Alt, like internet browsers. They nixed Cover Flow for some reason (don’t see it, and internet agrees), and the interface is changed drastically. And of course, they changed some functions that previously had a text name to a cute icon. And no tooltip comes up when you hover over it, so you have to click to find out what exactly it does. Shuffle is obvious, but I still shouldn’t have to guess. Now there’s a new icon, a cloud? A rock? And another one that looks similar but more cloud-y, and doesn’t do anything when I click. I want Cover Flow back. It might be accused of being slow or something, but that is moot considering that their new text-only interface lags something fierce. That is the worst part. Thanks, Apple, for creating features nobody knew they wanted. I’m gonna drop down to 10.7 for the time being, until their planned obsolescence catches up to me. Are there any serviceable alternatives, aside from WinAmp? ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/2 "2012-11-30T20:54:28Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > First: we’ve all heard your comments about how the problem is using iTunes in the first place, or that the remedy is to uninstall. Yes that may be true, but it gets old. Feel free to vent, though. > > I still haven’t played with it enough to see what else was wrecked. I guess they’re trying to integrate the interface with iPad or something, but it comes out ugly. The menu is invisible unless you hit Alt, like internet browsers. They nixed Cover Flow for some reason (don’t see it, and internet agrees), and the interface is changed drastically. And of course, they changed some functions that previously had a text name to a cute icon. And no tooltip comes up when you hover over it, so you have to click to find out what exactly it does. Shuffle is obvious, but I still shouldn’t have to guess. Now there’s a new icon, a cloud? A rock? And another one that looks similar but more cloud-y, and doesn’t do anything when I click. > > I want Cover Flow back. It might be accused of being slow or something, but that is moot considering that their new text-only interface lags something fierce. That is the worst part. > > Thanks, Apple, for creating features nobody knew they wanted. I’m gonna drop down to 10.7 for the time being, until their planned obsolescence catches up to me. Are there any serviceable alternatives, aside from WinAmp? Seeing as how both the new Podcast app and Maps app have completely blown, I don’t doubt your opinion for a moment concerning iTunes 11. Having said that, I HATED cover flow. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/3 "2012-11-30T21:08:23Z")
A [Slate writer’s take](http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/11/itunes_11_it_s_time_for_apple_s_horrible_bloated_program_to_die.html) on iTunes 11. The headline: “Won’t Someone Take iTunes Out Back and Shoot It? Apple’s horrible, bloated program needs to die.” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/4 "2012-11-30T21:30:27Z")
Itunes has a terrible case of “we’ll look obsolescent unless we come up with yet another update, so here’s the latest unnecessarily annoying version”. Maybe there’s something in the Software Writers Union contract that mandates putrid updates. I resist getting them whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/5 "2012-11-30T21:33:56Z")
It’s slower, harder to use, a pain in the ass, and overall fucking awful. Other than that I have no complaints. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/6 "2012-11-30T21:42:15Z")
After the last time I updated iTunes (to 10.7, I believe), the one where it crashed every 10 seconds, I reverted back to 10.6 and I’m not going to update it ever again. The only way I’ll get a new version of iTunes is when I buy a new Mac with the latest version pre-installed. The new features are all iPhone and iPad related and I own neither. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/7 "2012-11-30T22:17:13Z")
I think I like it, with some exceptions. Everything has moved, which is an annoyance and will undoubtably cause hostile reactions. CPU utilization is ludicrously high at times, and that can only be considered a stupid bug. New releases always suck. The new navigation reminds me of Rdio, which I like. It’s a lot better than the spreadsheet look of old versions, especially the album view. Searching is much better. Incidentally, View / Show Sidebar turns up a sidebar like old versions. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/8 "2012-11-30T22:20:18Z")
I like the album view, and I like being able to temporarily add a song to a playlist in progress. As for the rest of the interface, I do not hate it any more than I have always hated it, so I guess this is an incremental improvement for me. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/9 "2012-11-30T22:28:54Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I like being able to temporarily add a song to a playlist in progress. Yes, that’s a good feature. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/10 "2012-11-30T23:29:01Z")
Seems faster on my computer than the last version. I’m fine with it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/11 "2012-12-01T03:28:33Z")
Okay, admittedly the “Up Next” button that tells you the next shuffle songs is kinda cool. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/12 "2012-12-01T05:52:15Z")
iTunes 11 is the steaming pile Apple’s put in our Christmas stockings. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/13 "2012-12-01T07:07:56Z")
I was looking forward to this because of the Play Next feature, but now I’m in no hurry to upgrade. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/14 "2012-12-01T07:23:00Z")
I teach Adobe and Apple software, but I hate all the bells ‘n’ whistles they keep adding. I use an old version of iTunes because, guess what, Cupertino? I want to play my music. And I don’t need Instant ESP SmartAss Playlists or a new interface for that. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/15 "2012-12-01T07:35:03Z")
Yeah, **digs** , they’re both obnoxiously fond of bloatware. I think the worst though is when you have Adobe Acrobat installed on an Apple Macintosh. Acrobat doesn’t do one popup urging you to upgrade. Nay, the Acrobat icon _jumps_ out of the Dock, telling you “Pay attention to me! There’s a new, pointless update!” Seriously, it has an epileptic fit about every 3 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/16 "2012-12-01T17:09:08Z")
Glad I saw this thread. I hated the last iTunes update on my iPad and have learned to be careful not to just accept any old “upgrade.” ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/17 "2012-12-01T17:20:24Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > First: we’ve all heard your comments about how the problem is using iTunes in the first place, or that the remedy is to uninstall. Yes that may be true, but it gets old. Feel free to vent, though. > > I still haven’t played with it enough to see what else was wrecked. I guess they’re trying to integrate the interface with iPad or something, but it comes out ugly. The menu is invisible unless you hit Alt, like internet browsers. They nixed Cover Flow for some reason (don’t see it, and internet agrees), and the interface is changed drastically. And of course, they changed some functions that previously had a text name to a cute icon. And no tooltip comes up when you hover over it, so you have to click to find out what exactly it does. Shuffle is obvious, but I still shouldn’t have to guess. Now there’s a new icon, a cloud? A rock? And another one that looks similar but more cloud-y, and doesn’t do anything when I click. > > I want Cover Flow back. It might be accused of being slow or something, but that is moot considering that their new text-only interface lags something fierce. That is the worst part. I can’t give you cover flow back. However, if you hit CTRL-B, it will turn on the Menu Bar. Then if you look at the View menu and choose “Show Sidebar” and “Show Status Bar” it will more closely resemble the previous versions. And of course, you want to turn on the Column Browser in your library. If you’re looking at your playlists, you get an icon in the top right that says “View options” and you can choose “Grid” view to display the album covers. If you really can’t live without cover view, you could try this: Make a new playlist, add every album you own, and then turn on the Grid view option. It’s not perfect but it’s something. I’ve always hated iTunes, but I think this version is more legible than the previous one. They got rid of that horrid pea green background on the Now Playing screen and the brushed metal was always stupid. It looks more like a Metro app now, too, fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/18 "2012-12-01T18:41:30Z")
I wish I had seen this thread before I updated 15 minutes ago. :smack: > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’m gonna drop down to 10.7 for the time being, until their planned obsolescence catches up to me. Are there any serviceable alternatives, aside from WinAmp? How do you do that? I like Cover Flow. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/19 "2012-12-02T05:15:57Z")
[http://www.oldapps.com](http://www.oldapps.com) I guess, seems okay. **Merneith** , I will check and report back. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607/20 "2012-12-02T07:02:44Z")
To be honest I’ve never liked cover flow, since most of my music doesn’t have album art. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-11-is-terrible/642607.md?page=2)