Apple’s iTunes
I’ve been an iPod owner for about a year now. I’ve got one of the “old style” moving wheel iPod’s and take it with me everywhere. It saved my ass big time during my trip to England earlier this year. An 11 hour flight without it would have made me just slightly suicidal.
I’m a PC user, so I have the iPod for Windows. Originally the iPod for Windows users was shipped with software called MusicMatch, which you use to move files from your computer to your iPod and to manage your collection of music. Well, MusicMatch sucked. It has from day one. Bulky and clumsy, I used it only as a utility to move files onto my iPod. The management tool sucked. But I dealt with it.
Last week Apple released their excellent iTunes software for the PC. From what I recall they originally said they wouldn’t be developing iTunes for the PC as Apple wasn’t in the business of developing PC software, understandably. But, it appears they realized how badly Windows users wanted better software. I’m sure sales of their iPod for the Windows platform also pointed out how they were missing out on potential sales for their much talked about music store where you can buy popular music for $.99 cents a song.
As soon as I heard I downloaded the software and installed it. It’s ten times better than the ass-smegma that is MusicMatch. Far better user interface and it makes managing your collection of music much easier. The ability to change the ID3 tags of your MP3 files is so much easier here than with either WinAmp, my previous MP3 player of choice, and MusicMatch. Creating playlists is also much easier. The program rocks.
My next test was to try out their Music Store and buy some tunes. I keyed in on the song “Knowledge of Self” by BT. I registered and within seconds I had the song, but that was where I experienced my first bump. I couldn’t get it onto my iPod! DAMMIT! PIECE OF SHIT PIECE OF CRAP FUCK THING! Okay, not that big a deal. I soon realized that the file format was AAC, not MP3, and the firmware installed on my iPod didn’t support AAC. I checked the Apple Web site and found there was an update available that would enable AAC support. I downloaded the update, ran it and voila, my iPod now played the music I just paid $.99 cents for.
The iPod has become a major part of my daily life. I have a six-disc CD changer in my car I rarely, if ever, use. I take my iPod with me when I’m going out, plug it into the cassette adapter for my stereo and get to choose from the almost 700 songs I currently have in my iPod. I’m not limited to the 74 minutes per CD and can add new songs daily with ease. The iPod has become the soundtrack to my life. Now with iTunes, it’s that much more of a pleasure to use.
If you’re a Windows user with an iPod, go download the software. It’s a must.
