iTunes is arguably the biggest online digital music merchant across the world. It’s come a considerable way after its simple origins. Selling very well on iTunes commonly signifies a higher chart place for singers. The Apple Team have continued to include additional features and technology to the software program. Nonetheless, iTunes has received a substantial degree of flak in recent times.
Firstly, iTunes is quite often ridiculed for the heavy style and unresponsiveness on computers without a lot of memory. Naturally, iTunes is designed for the Mac OS however you would be forgiven to assume that Apple may appreciate that the majority of people have a computer that uses Windows operating system in comparison to owning a MacBook or an Apple computer. However this certainly is not the situation and the program can often be somewhat RAM heavy. It is certainly not an easy, efficient design but it is really image and video intense. Whilst looking at the iTunes Store you may possibly go through quite a bit of lag. Quite a few people keep using alternative music players mainly because they are a lot less system heavy. Using a RAM hogging piece of software is generally alright for the high spec Apple merchandise but lots of computers unfortunately suffer whilst running several programs at once. This really is particularly obvious if you own an iPhone and compare it to your PC. Generally the iPhone performs quickly however using iTunes on a PC is frequently quite time consuming! It would be good if Apple released a better.
Second of all, the way in which Apple has continued to include more functions to iTunes is a blessing and a problem. It is great because there is so much more features to it now. It is no longer just a program to listen to music with, people can easily now also watch films, buy video games, make playlists and organize your iPod. The iTunes Store features millions of tracks to buy and you can even download films and TV shows. Using the App Store people can also buy countless numbers of apps for a iPhone. There are games, resources, maps, eBooks and a lot more. Many of the applications are free to download although some others you have to purchase.
Nonetheless, many people state that there is too much functionality in iTunes and it has become too cumbersome and bloated. Still, what should the solution be? Perhaps Apple could present several services for the different features (e.g. a stand alone music player and music store). Alternatively it could deliver one piece of software but enable users to turn off features that they never make use of. For instance, if somebody owns an iPod Touch yet still buys all of their music on CDs then they won’t use iTunes to buy new music. Similarly, the iTunes Store now has plenty of content which is exclusively offered through specific products. If a user doesn’t have such a product then it is useless for them to see the associated content. Moreover, loads of users don’t like the fact that they need to make use of iTunes to manage their iPhone or iPod. This closed solution to usability has resulted in loads of customers and users becoming annoyed. It seems as though that Apple would like people to join their club yet if you can not join completely then you may need to cope with the complications.
Instead of offering a stripped down version of the program, it should instead integrate more features. Apple obviously has the resources and the product development team to create a product that features far more, but it needs to at the same time be careful to ensure that it stays sleek and well designed. It has already started this progression with the release of Ping, a social network, accessible via iTunes, which is centered around music. Why not integrate social bookmarking and personal homepage user pages? It could be an excellent way to include a social element to iTunes. As most people have seen with the huge popularity of social networks, online social networks can lead to big profits. Not that Apple has to be concerned over its bank balance.