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Why I Hate iTunes

Oh how I hate iTunes!

Every time I use it iTunes seems to try to mess up what I have on my iPod. I’m sure it would mess up my entire music collection if I told it where my collection was on my computer. Allow me to explain why iTunes is an awful application (including the “iTunes Store”) to be avoided at all costs.

Also I provide some alternatives to iTunes.

7 Reasons I Hate iTunes

1. iPod Sync

I hooked up my iPod with over 2 GB of music already loaded and iTunes proceeded to “synchronize” with it automatically. The only problem is “synchronize” implies two way communication. Instead iTunes opted to delete everything on my iPod and put on “the nothing” that was in my iTunes library. Delete all my music automatically without even asking? Yes please! Wow such awesome technology. Gee golly gosh! It is like it read my mind. Fortunately I already did not trust iTunes at all to manage any of my music so I did not lose anything but time and hair.

2. iTunes Store – Client Application

Apparently Apple has decided the “World Wide Web” is a temporary thing and instead of allowing you to shop via a web browser like the rest of humanity, you MUST install a bloatware client application and purchase through music from the iTunes store into your iTunes application. It shows a certain insistence to maintain control over all your music, from purchasing to listening. That bothers me immensely.

Some legal alternatives for purchasing include emusic.com, audiolunchbox.com, and amazon.com. Buy from them before them before spending a dime at iTunes. (More reasons to follow in the list below.)

3. iTune Store – Sound Quality

Back in 2003 when I spent months converting my entire CD collection into MP3s I first did some homework on my encoding options. I stand by my decision to use LAME MP3 (variable bit rate) encoding. I did several tests to ensure the quality of the ‘lossy’ encoding was close enough. The net result was an average bit rate of about 192 kbps. Other formats are also acceptable to me, but LAME was easy to use. (Here are some comparison results of different encoding formats.)

I remember checking out iTunes and the M4A format as well. Their 128 bit format was unacceptable and M4A was not as ubiquitous as it is now (fewer players and devices could play it). Remarkably iTunes is STILL selling at 128 bit! AND they have the balls to sell 256 bit songs at a higher price too!

As you can see iTunes has the crappiest quality vs price of the ones I will discuss here:

  • iTunes: 128 kbps with DRM (256 kbps with no DRM for a $$$ markup of 30%-ish)
  • Amazon: 256 kbps (average VBR), no DRM
  • AudioLunchbox: 192 kbps (average VBR), no DRM
  • eMusic: 192 kbps (average VBR), no DRM

Why does it matter? Well if you EVER plan on buying a decent set of speakers and playing the music loudly, at 128 you will probably hear the quality loss. So yes, you iTunes shoppers are buying the lowest quality at the highest price possible. Congrats!

Anyone who is serious about quality would still be advised NOT to purchase songs online unless they are at least 256 kbps (at least that was what a DJ friend of mine told me). Even at 192 kbps, when you crank the sound to an entire music hall full of people you can hear the loss. He is still mostly buying loss-less formats, e.g. CDs and vinyl. I don’t know of anyone selling music online in a loss-less format (yet).

4. iTunes Store – DRM

DRM (Digital Rights Management) is not for you. It does not help you listen to your music. It does not protect you. It is for the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) who frequently likes to punish their best customers. DRM poorly attempts to prevent copyright infringement, but mostly it just makes it harder for legal customers to actually listen to the music they paid for. If you buy from the iTunes store, then you are screwed. Eventually you will probably find yourself unable to play your song on some device or somewhere even though you paid top dollar for it. Enjoy!

Most other online stores also have all or some DRM, which is why they are not mentioned at all on this page as alternatives. Your legal and DRM free options are basically emusic.com, audiolunchbox.com, and amazon.com.

There is also Walmart, but Walmart is evil for a host of other reasons and should also be avoided at all costs. Their censorship and stance against the freedom of speech is enough for me to avoid them (it reminds me of the Nazi’s censorship), but that is just one reason Walmart is evil. Corporations should not have opinions. Time to stop talking about why I hate Walmart, and back to why I hate iTunes…

5. Music Management

…or lack thereof. I never thought I’d say this, but I think “Windows Explorer” is better for managing music storage structures than iTunes.

Where is the hierarchical structure? Must I show every album individually? Why can’t I just copy them into folders and not use questionable import/export tools? What about my own storage structure? Why I am forced into a paradigm that only works for those who have like 100 albums tops. What about those of us who really love music and have LOTS OF MUSIC? Why does it have to reconfigure and change the files themselves? And why can’t I manage my iPod on its own by default? Oh the hate!

May I suggest the alternative “Sharepod“ for actually managing what is on your iPod.

Some other iPod alternatives have been explored on Wikipedia here and also by CNET.com here: Best iPod-compatible iTunes alternatives

I also suggest “Media Monkey“ for those who want a superior music management experience.

Another good list of iTunes alternatives for iPods and music management may be found here on downloadsquad.com.

6. Endless Updates

Why is there a new iTunes update every time I use it. I swear iTunes says it needs to be updated on a weekly basis. It is endless. Does it really suck so much they have to update it every week? And why is the update usually more like a re-installation? Why does it reset Quick Time to start up with my computer every time?

Just say NO!

7. Installation

iTunes = Bloatware. It is almost as bad as some Trojans. No I do not want Quick Time to start up in the background all the time I start up my computer. No I do not want to install Safari. No I do not want a bunch of crap running on start up eating up all my resources all the time. Stop! Please! Just stop the madness!

More Reasons To Hate iTunes

Here are some other sites that enumerate many other reasons iTunes sucks and why it should be avoided.

Management Alternatives (at least for Windows users)

Here are some good FREE alternatives (at least for Windows users) that I try to use whenever I can. If you are a Mac user then you probably disagree with me after drinking the Apple Kool-Aid. If you are a Linux user, then chances are you already know your alternatives and have better ones.

     

  • Sharepod – iPod Management and Media Player

     

  • Media Monkey – Music Library Management and Media Player

Some other iTunes alternatives:

Wikipedi’s Comparison of iPod Managers
CNET.com’s Best iPod-compatible iTunes Alternatives
Downloadsquad.com’s iTunes Alternatives

MP3 Store Alternatives

Here are three 100% legal options, without DRM, to consider…

     amazon.com

  • Amazon
    • Huge collection of MP3s
    • Large collection of free MP3s, mostly indie
    • 256 kbps (average VBR)
    • Usually $0.99 per song, with discounts for entire albums.

     emusic.com

  • eMusic.com
    • Large collection of mostly Indie MP3s
    • Daily free MP3 too if you install their browser toolbar.
    • 192 kbps (average VBR)
    • Typical subscription is currently $12 per month for 30 songs.

     audiolunchbox.com

  • AudioLunchbox.com
    • Smaller collection, but lowest price per song.
    • 192 kbps (average VBR)
    • Typical subscription is currently $10 per month for 40 songs.

Why I Still Use iTunes?

Despite all of this, I, like most iPod owners, still use iTunes. In my case I love my Nike+iPod device and then syncing my running data up to the nikeplus.com. Doing that REQUIRES I use iTunes. I have to believe most users who have an iPod feel it is easier to use iTunes because Apple has made it hard to use anything else. I have to believe this it is a marketing ploy for their iTuens store as well as a way to maintain control, as Apple feels they must. (If Apple was a person, they would be a control freak. No wonder they are buddy buddy with the RIAA.)

The iPod itself is awesome, and I have relatively few complaints. I just got a new G4 one actually, and I love it. I do think it would be nice if I could just copy files directly to it without any special application, but I am willing to overlook that because Sharepod is so easy to use in comparison to iTunes.

My suggestion to Apple would be to fire the iTunes guys, throw it out, and start from scratch. Also, join the club and ditch the M4A format, the DRM, and the client side store crap. Of course that is not going to happen until YOU take your business elsewhere.