blog@cliffdweller

So I've had iTunes 9 for about 3 hours and of course I've done nothing but poke and prod at it. I'm sure I'll have a better opinion later.

I like most of it, it's a good solid upgrade. Thank you, Apple, for giving me the option to organize my iPhone Apps on my Mac. I've already overhauled where everything sits. And thank you for giving me a method to keep my iTunes on my laptop synced with my iTunes in my living room. Good move.

Two things I see that are disappointing, though, are:

1.iTunes 9 does not appear to be a 64-bit app. That means it's not using Grand Central Dispatch, and I will (probably) still see stuttering video when iTunes is downloading podcasts and other files in the background. boooo. boooooooo.

and

2.iTunes 9 changed the background color on the screens with icons to white (see the screen shot above). I know that Apple is all about making the iPod/iTunes ecosystem recognizable, but come on. Most of the time when I'm viewing videos, I'm in a dark room and the screens that used to be black (good for viewing in a darkened space) have all turned glaringly white. Bad bad bad. now when the TV show is over and the mood is all set, iTunes jumps back to a BRIGHT WHITE screen and messes with my old-man eyes. boooooo x 2. So if anyone sees a hack or a way to change that background color, please let me know!

So I'd give it a solid 6 or 7 (out of 10). The new features are nice. I'm still playing a bit with the genius mixes, and I'm sure I'll be comfortable with the store soon enough. I'll keep my fingers cross (but won't hold my breath) for an upgrade soon that fixes my only two complaints.