iTunes 10 | Smart Look

I’ve never been a fan of iTunes, but here I go… taking iTunes 10 a spin for the first time. I predict that I’ll have more people following me on Ping than Lady Gaga within two days. Or not.

iTunes has a new icon! The CD is missing from it, but the musical note is still there. This confuses me greatly. iTunes manages far more than just music. It keeps track of eBooks, videos, movies, music, televisions, ringtones, educational seminars and even podcasts. Why is the word “tunes” even in the name? I don’t know why I keep having to explain these little details to Apple.

Along with the new icon, they’ve changed a few other things. The maximize, minimize and close icons are off to the side now. Normally, you’d see them across the top. This is a minor change, but kind of cool I suppose.

What has been added to iTunes is the Ping feature. You know I use Ping.fm to manage updates to various social networks. Apple is using it differently, though. It’s their version of social networking for people to share their favorite music and artists.

As soon as I signed in to Ping, I was ticked off to find that I can only choose three types of music I like. Hello! I don’t limit myself that much. Geez, people. Keep in mind that I don’t like iTunes… at all. I don’t use it to manage music. I don’t use it to organize things. I prefer Rhapsody or Panodora, peeps.

Oh. My. God.

There is a grammatical error when trying to find Ping friends through Facebook! “We were unable to find any friends that are using Ping…” Uh, are are discussing people, not things. It should say WHO. Geebuz.

I wasn’t amused to find out that I could not follow artists that I am actually interested in. There are no results for Weird Al or They Might Be Giants. Seriously, Apple?

The funny thing is that I am hearing a lot of griping around the community regarding Ping:

jasonmauer says: “Ping, the iTunes social network. like I want to spend more time in iTunes. it’s like having a social network in prison.
RussellLahodny says: “Ping on iTunes 10 seems to lack substance…and bands to follow.”
Joli O’Dell says: “Ping has a long way to go if it’s going to be a better alternative (than MySpace Music). Moreover, the interface is still buggy and slower than molasses in January at the North Pole during a legitimate Ice Age.”
When doing a quick search of Twitter for iTunes Ping, you’ll see a lot of youngsters screaming for others to follow them. The rest of us seem to be saying nothing much more than meh.
By : Chris Prillo

What are your thoughts on the new Ping feature inside of iTunes 10?

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