Apple have just released the latest major update to their media player, music and movie store interface, and syncing program for iPods and iPhones. iTunes 10.0 includes a few new and updated features like Airplay, which allows you to play iTunes via any Airplay compatible speakers around your home, better syncing for portable devices like iPhone, and updated AppleTV features to coincide with the release of the new Apple TV.

Perhaps the most unexpected and novel feature of iTunes 10.0 is "Ping", which is tagged as being "A social network for music."

Discover new music by going social with Ping. Learn even more about your favourite artists and friends starting with their bios. See what they’ve been up to — even listen to 30-second previews of music they like. Find out when and where artists and bands are on tour and check out photos and videos they’ve posted. With Ping, a community of the world’s most passionate music fans is just a click away.

Learn more about Ping here, read about all the new iTunes features here, and download it by going here. promoted forum item

sigh, I remember when iTunes was like a 4Mb download or something, now it's 70Mb for every bloody update

Find the odd one in this image:

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/3019/screenshot20100902at111.png

I know this is my inner graphic designer / OCD coming out but the icon s***s me off. Even if the CD icon didn't technically fit this day and age, it fitted in with the rest. If you do a search for iTunes 10 logo on Google you get heaps and heaps of complaints that it's just... s***.

Also:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8403zFPqo1qbhif9o1_250.png

last edited by 3dee at 08:13:32 03/Sep/10

People always take a while to adjust. I think it's good, and I think other people will too after about 48 hours :p

apple are getting design tips from windows 7 engineers

Oh, I'm open to change, but I think Apple hasn't changed it for the better, they've gone and ignored their own much-touted Human Interface Guidelines which specifically describe why these are an abomination. Here's the one for icons.

Interesting page, but I can't see easily where they ignored their own code of design?

Well apart from the rest of Mac OS X containing three dimensional or realistic object based icons, here's the tips they give.

• For great-looking icons, have a professional graphic designer create them.

• Perspective and shadows are the most important components of making good icons. Use a single light source with the light coming from above the icon.
Use universal imagery that people will easily recognize. Avoid focusing on a secondary aspect of an element. For example, for a mail icon, a rural mailbox would be less recognizable than a postage stamp.

• Strive for simplicity. Try to use a single object that captures the icon’s action or represents the control. Start with a basic shape.

• Use color judiciously to help the icon tell its story; don’t add color just to make the icon more colorful. Smooth gradients typically work better than sharp delineations of color.

• Avoid using Aqua interface elements in your icons; they could be confused with the actual interface.

• Don’t use replicas of Apple hardware products in your icons. These symbols are copyrighted, and hardware designs change frequently.

• Don’t reuse Mac OS X system icons in your interface; it can be confusing to users to see the same icon used to mean slightly different things in multiple locations.

It's not that the icon isn't made professionally or anything, it's that it doesn't fit with the entire rest of the operating system. It's as if Apple's gone and hired some random off the street and given him Photoshop and said make us some music icon, thanks.

I'd be using this if they supported global hotkeys without the need for a bloody 3rd party software addon. As it stands right now the only time itunes ever gets opened is when I need to sync my ipod. Which is a shame as i'm looking for a winamp replacement.

lol, you take s*** so serious 3d :p

also WTF social s*** in, what is essentially started it's life as a glorified mp3 player and music library ...

itunes seems so bloaty to me, I have an older version and never click upgreade as the songs on my ipod don't change all that frequently and the old version still does what I want it to do

It's interesting that you see it that way. I look at it and think that it looks much more streamlined and in line with their other icons. For example, if I was to merge the icon for TimeMachine and the Pages or Finder icon, it would look like the new iTunes icon. Maybe part of simplifying the icon is to try to break free of the stigma that iTunes is bloaty and hard to use :)

Find the odd one in this image:

I agree, the green leaf looks retarded and out of place.

I'm sure many people don't care or even notice the new icon, but it's already one of the most talked about and disliked changes in iTunes. I don't care if they made a different icon, I just woulda thought Steve Jobs would have puked at what they came up with...

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2968/64364932.jpg

also WTF social s*** in, what is essentially started it's life as a glorified mp3 player and music library ...

I'll actually use this feature a lot especially if my friends get on board. It's a great way to discover new music for people like me who don't listen to the radio.

Better than that though, if you "follow" your favourite artists, it'll have updates for stuff like tours/concerts, (I hope) as well as live recordings etc...

As an artist (well part of a band), I'm wondering... How the hell do indie artist get their profiles created? We have our EP up their but no one really knows how its done.

People always take a while to adjust. I think it's good, and I think other people will too after about 48 hours :p

Steve Jobs scheduled to tell people to like it in 48 hours is he?

Zing!

Oh wow, way to go Apple: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/09/itunes-says-artist-profiles-on-ping-by-invitation-only.html

Say what you will about iTune's new social network Ping, but it's going to be a great place to market music. So imagine the frustration of the many indie artists - many of who are selling music on iTunes - when they learned that there was no obvious way to create an an artist profile in Ping.

Apple Responds: "By Invitation Only"

that new icon is lame

I'll actually use this feature a lot especially if my friends get on board. It's a great way to discover new music for people like me who don't listen to the radio.

Better than that though, if you "follow" your favourite artists, it'll have updates for stuff like tours/concerts, (I hope) as well as live recordings etc...

I like the sound of the band updates etc, but if you are a fan you'd be on their mailing lists, or go to their site regularly enough or 'like' (lol) them on FB etc etc

sounds half decent I guess, but I am not upgrading to itunes 10 any time soon.

I like the sound of the band updates etc, but if you are a fan you'd be on their mailing lists, or go to their site regularly enough or 'like' (lol) them on FB etc etc

sounds half decent I guess, but I am not upgrading to itunes 10 any time soon.

I must be a complete noob because way too often the first time I hear about my favourite bands touring is when they are about to arrive, long after the tickets have been sold out. Same goes for most of my mates. Like I said, I don't listen to the radio either, so iTunes will hopefully be a good way to stay in touch with my fav bands.

Heh I get an XP warning installing version 10; they didn't do the testing process and get it approved - I guess they're winding down their Windows XP support

Can someone upload the new logo for me somewhere? As good quality as possible, want to use it in the news post.

There you go: http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3885/itunesb.png

thanks dude!

I don't care if they made a different icon, I just woulda thought Steve Jobs would have puked at what they came up with...

Instead of a music note on a silver circle, its a music note on a blue circle!

I agree though, iTunes is for way more than Music now - shouldnt it get a more generic icon? Hell they should probably rename the entire program to iPortal or something

I agree, the green leaf looks retarded and out of place.

Haha I thought exactly the same thing.

Well, that's not an Apple app, but it is a little.

Instead of a music note on a silver circle, its a music note on a blue circle!

I think you're missing the point of how Apple (used to anyway) designed their icons and logos. They're usually high quality rendered objects or based on real things (like the Console app), not just a boring circle with some Photoshop layer effects and a vector logo in the middle.

http://infosecurity.us/images/apple_timemachine.png http://www.deepestmuzik.com/Social_btns/itunes-icon.png http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3885/itunesb.png

Even the Time Machine icon isn't just a circle, it's more like a metallic port window.

last edited by 3dee at 11:09:05 03/Sep/10

Heh I get an XP warning installing version 10; they didn't do the testing process and get it approved - I guess they're winding down their Windows XP support

Hasn't Microsoft stopped supporting XP as well though?

ITS A f***ING ICON 3dee

get over it

NO!

iTunes is faster though I will say.

The snobby jerks Apple helped create now upset at Apple about not fitting their own jerk standards. Delicious.

Also, I like the new icon.

Well apart from the rest of Mac OS X containing three dimensional or realistic object based icons, here's the tips they give.



It's not that the icon isn't made professionally or anything, it's that it doesn't fit with the entire rest of the operating system. It's as if Apple's gone and hired some random off the street and given him Photoshop and said make us some music icon, thanks.

You should know this by now with Apple, do as I say and not do as I do. heh.

PS Both icons look good.

Chiming in with the obligatory "iTunes is s***" post. Surprised it took this long.

Haha icon rage!

The old iTunes icon was one of the very few things I actually liked about iTunes, and I only ever install it to put stuff on my iPod anyway (yes I know alternatives exist but I cbf).
New icon sucks. Yes, it matters. A large part of the Apple appeal is nice-looking things, so if the icon looks stupid, it detracts from the whole image.
Billy: no, I won't like the icon in 48 hours, and I still think the 'new' Google favicon is s***.

Also wtf at Ping? Invite only? And who the f*** named it?

the new icon does look crap but i dont care enough to whinge and moan about it.

I think the other icon is old and outdated, I don't mind this one

Also wtf at Ping? Invite only? And who the f*** named it?

Obviously wasn't someone from Apple, it doesn't have an 'i' in front of it.

Raging about a f***ing icon. God this is delicious.

iLudavico?

Raging about a f***ing icon. God this is delicious.

I'm a graphic designer and developer. I see everything. I applaud the people who don't have to live with this. :P

Something like this.

It's next to no effort just to change the icon back anyway in Mac OS? Or don't you want to do that?

last edited by Jayman at 16:52:32 03/Sep/10

http://rocketdock.com/addons/search/itunes/popular?p=6

Just use an icon from there, I've got the original cd itunes icon on my windows rocketdock.

I agree the new icon does look kind of bland, it looks like one of those icons you see in a freebie app made by some dude in his spare time. Maybe instead of a boring circle they should have put an ipod clickwheel there or something.

Obviously wasn't someone from Apple, it doesn't have an 'i' in front of it.

maybe they called it iPng but the people behind the png graphics format cried.

out of curiosity I got bored & opened photoshop, a couple of layers, a gradient fill and a lighting effect later and I pretty much had their icon. How much time did they spend on it? 5 minutes? Jeez.

last edited by Whoop at 18:35:31 03/Sep/10

You can get the original icon from the post 3dee made last page too if anyone want's it. For anyone who doesn't know how:

"Get info" on itunes.app in you applications folder, drag the image 3dee linked last page from your browser to the top icon in your "get info" window (should see a green + on your pointer when it's worked). If you ever want the original back, "get info" again, select the icon at the top and press delete.

PS. You'll need to restart the dock or drag out the old iTunes from the dock and re-add it to see the change.

last edited by Jayman at 18:07:15 03/Sep/10

i quite like iTunes and use it for my music. couldn't give a flying f*** about the icon.
the only thing that really s***s me is the massive MB for updates all the time. wtf is the go with that?

My guess is they don't just release an update, they release the full thing.

then why call it an update....misleading!

Well it is an update, it's just not delivered as a patch (Apple never does it this way).

another reason to hate on apple ;)

I guess I'm used to it. Pain in the ass on ADSL1. (just got cable ^_^).

Another reason to hate on apple is that with the new version whenever itunes opens an mp4 that only contains audio it opens up another f***ing window with nothing but black, looks like the quick time player window. Now I've gotta go rename all my audio only mp4 files to m4a. IDIOTS.

Also don't ask me why I have audio only files with mp4 extensions because the answer is: I'm lazy.

The new icon is clearly better than the old one.

I like the new icon and I'd like to say that I can't believe that people are complaining over such an insigificant thing but people are stupid.

looks like a 50s jukebox

Oh, I'm open to change, but I think Apple hasn't changed it for the better, they've gone and ignored their own much-touted Human Interface Guidelines which specifically describe why these are an abomination. Here's the one for icons.

The icon is bad, but it has nothing on the disgusting thing they did with the minimise/maximise/close buttons, that just goes against every point in the HIG. The vertical alignment is just plain f***ing wrong, hell, we've gone off at undergrad designers for doing the same s***.

You can make it usable again by doing this in terminal (osx at least):
"defaults write com.apple.iTunes full-window -1"

For the icon, some fixed versions here:

http://dribbble.com/system/users/784/screenshots/51763/shot_1283474697.png?1283474697
http://dribbble.com/shots/51763-iTunes-10-Round-Version?list=index

http://dribbble.com/system/users/1474/screenshots/51446/shot_1283416296.png?1283416296
http://dribbble.com/shots/51446-iTunes-10-Replacement-Icon?list=index

http://dribbble.com/system/users/2706/screenshots/52099/shot_1283551702.png?1283551702
http://dribbble.com/shots/52099-iTunes-10?list=index

That last one looks like a smiley face that has just been goatsed, or 2girls1cupped.

where the hell is this ping I keep hearing so much about? my itunes has no ping. Is it a mac only feature? (haven't updated my mac itunes yet)

ok never mind, looks like you have to click on 'itunes store' before it appears.

last edited by Whoop at 02:51:23 05/Sep/10

f*** ping. I'll continue using last.fm.


I was a winamp fan for years and years, then when I started using macs & ipods more and more I eventually moved to iTunes.

BUT the one thing that s***s me to no end is not being able to quickly queue up songs without having to create a playlist. I used to love scrolling down my entire list of songs in winamp and just hitting Q to enqueue a song, but iTunes wants you to create some bulls*** on the go playlist, or something similar, it's balls.

isn't the on the go playlist pretty much the same thing though? winamp would just auto save your playlist to a temp one where itunes isn't that automated.

Why do people whinge about how big a download is?

I mean, it's not like it's any extra work for the downloader, you still just click a button - is it just that it may take a few moments longer?

I can understand if people complaining if it meant extra work, say mowing 70 acres instead of 20 acres but downloading 70mb instead of 20!?!

BTW iTunes is where it's at.

The beauty of iTunes is that you don't have to create playlists on the go - just use the Genius feature!

Ping looks/feels a lot like Facebook, but a mate found this interesting article:

According to sources familiar with Facebook’s platform, the social networking giant essentially denied Apple’s Ping access to application programming interfaces that would allow it to search for an iTunes user’s friends on Facebook who also had signed up for Ping.

Taken from here: http://kara.allthingsd.com/20100902/facebook-blocked-api-access-to-ping-after-failure-to-strike-agreement-so-apple-removed-feature-after-launch/

The beauty of iTunes is that you don't have to create playlists on the go - just use the Genius feature!

Tell me more. I have never clicked genius because I dunno I am wary of it for some reason and I hate making playlists.

Tell me more. I have never clicked genius because I dunno I am wary of it for some reason and I hate making playlists.

Well the first time you turn it on you'll have to wait a while for iTunes to get all of your personal music data and send it off to the Apple labs ;) BUT, it works quite well - well enough at least to stop me f***ing around with making playlists. You pick a song that you want to be the basis for a playlist, and then hit the genius button and it'll magically pick a whole bunch of songs that match your original song.

See now that wouldn't work on me for 2 main reasons and probably a lot of little ones. One is that I don't think I want apple knowing what I listen to, although I'm quite sure even without genius they still know (it's not paranoia, I just have awful taste in music) and the other is that my current playlist is a variety of stuff from all different genres so I doubt having a base song of say this would get itunes to also include this, both of which really are in my playlist right now.

I've never used that genius option either, maybe I'll give it a go....

Genius is all automated. It's basically a bunch of heuristics etc based on a global database of music listening tastes from users of Genius. And it's anonymous anyway.

I actually now use Genius exclusively when I'm listening to music on my iPhone. I just scroll across to whatever mix I want and listen. Guaranteed way of hearing a range of songs.