iTunes 7: First Impressions

iTunes 7 is really the first major update to iTunes in several years. While the short-lived iTunes 5 changed the look a bit (and added podcasts) and iTunes 6 added video downloads, the general design of iTunes seemed mostly stagnant. Those releases probably would have been better named iTunes 4.10 and 4.11, or, being generous, iTunes 5.0 and 5.1. iTunes 7 is finally what a major release number like five-oh should have indicated.

Of course, I'm not one to complain with slow changes to something I like. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as the saying goes. iTunes 7 ignores this advice in several areas, not the least of which is the new UI look. First we had metal, then “unified dark,” now we have what I can only think to call “unified dark professional.” The overall colors of the new release are mostly the same, but the Aqua scroll bars and other interface cues that had survived the other different looks have now given way to drabber, less shiny widgets that remind me of the ones in Apple pro apps. Given that one of Mac OS X's major selling points has always been its UI, Apple really ought to settle down on one look and be done with it (or provide a themeing system by which users can easily make their entire OS match one of the many different looks Apple likes to dabble with).

But, I digress. This should not be taken to say that I don't like the new release. The nice ordering of different types of objects (libraries, devices, store-related items, and playlists) in the side column makes a lot of sense and I already feel much more organized with the cleaner look it provides. A big addition, that has been needed for a long time, is support for gapless playing, which will make classical and live CD's much more pleasant to listen to. I have not tried this feature yet, but it would appear one thing still missing is the ability to tell iTunes to always play two or more tracks together when shuffling (for example, I have two Yo-Yo Ma tracks that really should not be played apart from one another) — this would seem to be a logical thing to add alongside gapless playing.

The new release also has some interesting new features related to album viewing. While I'm not so sure about whether the cover flip mode will really be practically useful, it was kind of fun to flip through my albums and be reminded of what they look like. The other new view, which adds grouped by album listings, probably will be more useful from a day-to-day usage standpoint. As far as eye candy goes, though, I think the best addition is the integrated album art-grabbing tool. While I have always been fine with doing it manually, and some other tools can pull decent artwork off Amazon and other places, the iTunes Music Store (now blandly just “iTunes Store”) often times had the best quality artwork. That Apple is allowing its users to use that artwork for CDs that are ripped rather than bought from the store is a nice nod to keeping customers happy (and demanding better iPods that can show all of the pretty covers).

The new iPod interface is also a much-appreciated change — especially the disk usage meter. The new meter shows how much of the iPod's space is going toward audio, photos and other stuff, so that you can understand what is filling up your iPod at a glance, rather than just knowing your iPod is full. This isn't as big of deal for those of us using 4G black-and-white and older iPods, but I'll probably find it somewhat useful on my iPod nano, and I'm sure it'll be even more useful for owners of newer 4G and 5G iPods. The curious use of the name “devices” rather than “iPods” could be explained simply as a nod to the fact that they put audio CD's under the heading — and perhaps the Motorola iTunes-compatible phone as well — but I wonder if it perhaps hints at more devices appearing in the coming months?

The update is not anything huge, but it does at least feel like a real bit of progress. I'm sure I'll find more to like (and perhaps dislike) about the update over the coming days, but for the moment, this update feels a lot more satisfying than any other iTunes release in recent memory.