This differs from the unattributed quote posted by Prof above. If Karg is right, then all's well; if Prof is right, then all's not. Since Karg sounds like a user looking at the actual upgrade, I'm guessing (hoping) he's right
Again, have not upgraded yet, but assuming what I have read about continuity with the partial redesign in 11 to be true, the issue is not that there is not a sidebar under any circumstances, but that the option in 11 to use an interface that does not show the sidebar except when you bring it up for playlists etc is now compulsory. In 10 the interface involved having the sidebar always present and using it as the main navigational tool, not just for playlists but for everything. 11 began a switch to buttons across the top but made both systems an option through "Show Sidebar" under view options. 12 as I understand it goes to only the sidebar-under-certain-circumstances version of 11 - is that correct? Or are the articles I read wrong and you can still "Show Sidebar" so that it stays there all the time as the all purpose navigation panel?
I don't actually care massively either way - I've been used to the old system and like it, but can adapt.
This displays the relevant screenshot. I don't recall the nuances of behavior that Gp is describing in 10 or 11, I just know that the sidebar is usable like I always used it, as the main functional interface: playlist sidebar plus song list.
The first comment under those screenshots is someone saying:
I just created a playlist containing every song in my library. Now I have my sidebar back.
which suggests something has gone away...
ETA And had I started reading at the top I would have seen:
And this time, the sidebar, as we knew it before, is gone for good. However, you can still display a sidebar with your playlists, and this duplicates much of the previous sidebar functionality.
Which sounds like what I was saying. Sidebar is now tied to playlists with different ways of accessing some other functionality. Maybe that's how you always used it.
There's a screenshot of the iTunes 11 sidebar here - there's a lot more stuff on it. Again, I am sure there are still ways of accessing those things; it's an interface change that interrupts some folks' habitual flow.
This review from CNET shows a screenshot that suggests that when in Music view the button options across the top are now "My Music, Playlists, Match, Radio, ITunes Store". Three out of five of those (the last three) I never use. That's a move away from convenience for me, since it looks like selecting a view by Album, Artist, etc is now a drop-down on the right - a step backwards in terms of clicks. Do they seriously think I am going to visit the store more often than switch between album and artist? I suspect that's what the piece I quoted earlier meant by saying it is more interested in Apple's library than mine. When I read (elsewhere) "a seamless browsing experience when switching between your library and the iTunes Store" that does not sounds like something I want; it sounds more like a place I don't shop being insinuated into my library.
I'll probably end up upgrading to keep up with stability, and the changes do at least sound relatively cosmetic, but the flavor does not appeal that much from what I am reading.
I suspect the fact that my music use is NOT playlist-centric is a huge variable here. I only maintain playlists as a means of managing the iPod Touch, not as a way of listening.
If I didn't have to be in the OS that I am now (which is still very behind the "norm"), I'd still be using iTunes 7.7.
They took away the ability to change the degree of shuffle for songs, albums and groupings in 8 and I'm very unforgiving.
(Mac OS 10.6.8 / iTunes 10.7)
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Now playing: Michael Bates/Samuel Blaser Quintet - One From None
Ok, I put the upgrade on my computer, opened it up, and there's the sidebar with my library, devices, and playlists. Not sure what's supposed to be missing...!
I don't like creeping intrusion of the other Apple services. I have no need for Match or Radio, and know where to find the iTunes store when I want it.
Yes, Doofy, hence my question above. I respect Gp's complaint that the pull-down menu to switch between song and album views is more annoying than a direct button-click, but all-told the interface differences seem relatively minor.
OK - I've upgraded. I've got a sidebar with playlists but not all the other features that were above that in 11. On a quick glance some of the new features seem OK, whether I get to like them with time is another matter. I suppose the main thing is to use it and get used to it.
Now that I have come to terms with a red icon for iTunes, and figured out how to view songs rather than albums, I feel much better about the upgrade. At first I thought they had removed the ability to see all songs, so they can be sorted on all fields, edited, etc.
My last.fm scrobblr stays in the system tray, so I never really see it. I keep thinking there is some dread system error when I see a red icon. On the other hand, almost all my regular work-flow applications have blue icons and I usually can't distinguish the one I want.
Well I upgraded. MAJOR issue that I did not see discussed in the articles that I read is that there are now FAR fewer tag fields available for music tracks. Until now I was using various redundant-for-me fields like "sort show" (I have zero TV shows on iTunes, so this was available to me) to add text markers for the purposes of smart playlists. For example, I was using a spare field to denote some albums as "piano trio" without changing their genre from "jazz". And I used a spare field to mark as "FullAlbum" those albums where I have the complete album and keep stray sample tracks off my iPod (my listening is VERY album-centric and if playlists were not a handy way to handle what gets transferred to the iPod Touch I could do without them entirely.)
That all appears to be gone.
Gone.
The info dialog gives me a few standard fields and even the "add fields" option allows me to add very little.
Am I missing something or is this a massive regression in tagging terms?
ETA seems like the new infrastructure does not allow you to use tag fields for other media types unless you convert the item to that media type. Which makes tagging much less powerful.
Aaand now, sync is hanging on "waiting for changes to be applied" and my device has 40GB of "other".
Joy.
ETA, you know, since the last time this happened this is a brand new computer with a new iTunes installation and a limited range of other software on it. I cannot believe how crappy this software is given the size of the empire behind it.
ETA2, hard reset my Touch, set it up as a new device (restore from backup did not clear the error, like last time, rendering backups less than fully useful), re-copied all my music over, spent an hour redesigning all my smart playlists so that they function on tags that the new iTunes will condescend to let me edit, and a couple of hours later I think the new version is up and working.
Add field only allows you to add a couple more fields, like grouping and comments. It does not give access to all the extra fields for other media, like sort show.
Probably too late. This works on OS/X, but might work on Windows.
When displaying the context menu, press the 'option key' (probably 'alt key' on windows) when selecting 'get info' from the context menu. This shows the 'old get info' window.
That does sounds very annoying, Gp, though not so surprising since you were "overloading" features. Just brings to mind the general wish to institute open tagging in iTunes.
Yeah, I was definitely trying to stretch it beyond what it was implying I should be doing, and they basically enforced the implications. Feels to me like another victim of what I have seen sometimes on other software where more options is deemed to be less consumer friendly because it confuses people. May be true, but I have always liked software that I can reshape to make it work the way I want to - freeform is better than slick. Open tagging, yes please.
I'll try PaulR's tip - thanks - when I get home to see if that's a back door on Windows too, though this episode has made me wary of relying on its future even if it is there.
From what I've heard (daughter-in-law works for Apple UK on iTunes) the aim was to make the iTunes experience more similar across different platforms, ie, my words, take it down to the lowest common denominator for the iPad/iPhone generation (and yes, I've got both!)
Am I the only one getting regularly frustrated by IOS updates on my iPhone, which seem to take over an hour, often more, every couple of weeks? I just plugged mine into the computer to quickly update the music on it, regretting agreeing to updater the IOS yet again. An hour of my life lost!! And every update means less space available for other things. When I got the phone earlier in the year it had nearly 8GB free for music, apps etc, now it is just over 5GB. Yet I doi like my phone, just wish it didn't need such software updates regularly - and probably most do not impact my 4S phone.
I don't do updates unless I need to. That's just my general policy; not only for iPhone. Updates always seem to make things slower. I update when I try to do something and it tells me I can't without an update.
@greg I've had to increasingly take everything off my iPhone to free up space even when there appears to plenty of space for an update. It is tedious and I since I sync/ manually choose albums, it usually means having to start that part over fresh after an update.
Comments
I don't actually care massively either way - I've been used to the old system and like it, but can adapt.
http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes-12-how-to-display-the-sidebar/
ETA And had I started reading at the top I would have seen: Which sounds like what I was saying. Sidebar is now tied to playlists with different ways of accessing some other functionality. Maybe that's how you always used it.
There's a screenshot of the iTunes 11 sidebar here - there's a lot more stuff on it. Again, I am sure there are still ways of accessing those things; it's an interface change that interrupts some folks' habitual flow.
I'll probably end up upgrading to keep up with stability, and the changes do at least sound relatively cosmetic, but the flavor does not appeal that much from what I am reading.
I suspect the fact that my music use is NOT playlist-centric is a huge variable here. I only maintain playlists as a means of managing the iPod Touch, not as a way of listening.
They took away the ability to change the degree of shuffle for songs, albums and groupings in 8 and I'm very unforgiving.
(Mac OS 10.6.8 / iTunes 10.7)
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Now playing: Michael Bates/Samuel Blaser Quintet - One From None
Only really weird thing is the iTunes icon is now red.
Craig
I don't like creeping intrusion of the other Apple services. I have no need for Match or Radio, and know where to find the iTunes store when I want it.
Actually I lied, I am not ready for a red icon.
Craig
Craig
That all appears to be gone.
Gone.
The info dialog gives me a few standard fields and even the "add fields" option allows me to add very little.
Am I missing something or is this a massive regression in tagging terms?
ETA seems like the new infrastructure does not allow you to use tag fields for other media types unless you convert the item to that media type. Which makes tagging much less powerful.
Joy.
ETA, you know, since the last time this happened this is a brand new computer with a new iTunes installation and a limited range of other software on it. I cannot believe how crappy this software is given the size of the empire behind it.
ETA2, hard reset my Touch, set it up as a new device (restore from backup did not clear the error, like last time, rendering backups less than fully useful), re-copied all my music over, spent an hour redesigning all my smart playlists so that they function on tags that the new iTunes will condescend to let me edit, and a couple of hours later I think the new version is up and working.
Ugh.
I think they're still there, according to that article choiceweb linked to -
"....also disappointed that not all available fields appear by default. To add extra fields you have to click Add Field at the bottom."
When displaying the context menu, press the 'option key' (probably 'alt key' on windows) when selecting 'get info' from the context menu. This shows the 'old get info' window.
I'll try PaulR's tip - thanks - when I get home to see if that's a back door on Windows too, though this episode has made me wary of relying on its future even if it is there.
Link.
Craig