Filed under: Audio, Windows, Apple
iTunes 9 continues to suck on Windows, makes halfhearted attempt at Windows 7 integration
by Lee Mathews Sep 12th 2009
I make no bones about the fact that I'm not an iTunes fan. With Apple's usual trumpeting of a new release of version 9, I was hopeful that things might be different this time around.
Really, we all know better. Apple apps on the Windows platform are kind of like that Christmas present in the fancy wrapping that turns out to be a pair of work socks or plain white briefs.
So off I went to download yet another 80+ megabytes of upgrade. You know, because Apple also hasn't figured out how to do modest, intelligent updates (a la Google Chrome or a dozen other apps). After I'd given up 110 megs of disk space to iTunes 9, here's what I was rewarded with on my Windows 7 laptop.
Jumplist: the Windows default options are there, i.e. songs can be pinned to open in iTunes, but that's thanks to Windows 7. What did Apple themselves integrate? Two links to the iTunes store so we can more easily spend money on fart apps and soundboards. No recently played items, no playlists, nada.
Taskbar preview: Album artwork? Nope. Progress indicator? Nope. Previous, Play/Pause, and Next buttons and a balloon with the current track's title, artist, and album name.
This is the best Apple can do? It's not even close to as slick as what this independent developer knocked together for Foobar2000. Feel free to share your take on iTunes 9 for Windows in the comments.
Really, we all know better. Apple apps on the Windows platform are kind of like that Christmas present in the fancy wrapping that turns out to be a pair of work socks or plain white briefs.
So off I went to download yet another 80+ megabytes of upgrade. You know, because Apple also hasn't figured out how to do modest, intelligent updates (a la Google Chrome or a dozen other apps). After I'd given up 110 megs of disk space to iTunes 9, here's what I was rewarded with on my Windows 7 laptop.
Jumplist: the Windows default options are there, i.e. songs can be pinned to open in iTunes, but that's thanks to Windows 7. What did Apple themselves integrate? Two links to the iTunes store so we can more easily spend money on fart apps and soundboards. No recently played items, no playlists, nada.
Taskbar preview: Album artwork? Nope. Progress indicator? Nope. Previous, Play/Pause, and Next buttons and a balloon with the current track's title, artist, and album name.
This is the best Apple can do? It's not even close to as slick as what this independent developer knocked together for Foobar2000. Feel free to share your take on iTunes 9 for Windows in the comments.
One feature of the Windows 7 taskbar I don't quite agree with is the inability to pin folders somewhere other than Windows Explorer. I have two or three key folders that I'd like to access from my taskbar - and I'd rather not have create new toolbars to do it.
Running 
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
