How's iMazing working out for you? I was just pondering that; I'm not sure there is another competitor to this s/w...
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Apple Officially Splits iTunes for Windows Into Apple Music, TV, and Devices Apps
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iTunes on Windows used to be a companion music management app/store that made iPod/iPhones compatible with Windows. Over the years Apple made more content and services that made iTunes more and more bloated. They should have split Apple Music/TV/Podcasts into separate apps a long time ago, just like they did on macOS.
I mostly use it for backups and transferring files, and have used it for installing slightly older iOS/iPadOS versions (IPSW files) via MDM. It all worked fine so far. I don’t think there’s any similar product.
As someone who doesn’t use the Apple Music service and instead has a large library of local music files (imported, and purchased over the years from the iTunes Store and others) that is then synced to my iPhone using iTunes, can these new apps still do that?
In other words, can they still work with that existing iTunes library and sync it to my iPhone?
(this may seem like a dumb question but since everything is so focused on the Apple Music service now it isn’t really clear to me if these can still do it “the old way”)
In other words, can they still work with that existing iTunes library and sync it to my iPhone?
(this may seem like a dumb question but since everything is so focused on the Apple Music service now it isn’t really clear to me if these can still do it “the old way”)
I can fully manage my iTunes Match, purchased iTunes tracks with Apple Music in macos and itunes for Windows (prior to the new update we are currently discussing)...Apple Music makes it slightly messy, you'll need to utilize the "sorting" feature alot though IF you have Apple Music subscription; as you do not it will be easier to use.
It sets a much clearer expectation that if I’ve taken out a subscription to Apple Music, I use Apple’s Music app to access its content. Same principle for TV(+).
I don't know. I have been using the Apple Music Preview for a few months on my gaming laptop and it works just fine. I have all my music downloaded, matched, etc., It works fine.
Is it fantastic? Eh, it works. That's what I will say. It downloads new music automatically, the store searches fine, I can rate things, it has playlists. No major crashes.
The only thing that annoys me is the sharing notifications--which exists on my mac as well, so....yay?
Is it fantastic? Eh, it works. That's what I will say. It downloads new music automatically, the store searches fine, I can rate things, it has playlists. No major crashes.
The only thing that annoys me is the sharing notifications--which exists on my mac as well, so....yay?
Apple discontinued iTunes on macOS in 2019… so yeah, you can’t run it on the latest macOS. Windows was supposed to follow a couple of years later, but Apple ran into issues with changes taking place within Windows during that time. Microsoft came in to help finish the job, with their App Store exclusivity attached.Yet you cannot run iTunes on the latest macOS.
The only Windows application I know that requires a restart after sound device changes (like bluetooth headphones or dac, etc.).
I’m glad it’s working for you. I often have to go into Activity Monitor and kill the “AMP” processes that manage iPod syncing and maybe then it’ll decide to show my iPods and sync them. It’s always slower to go through a sync than it ever was on iTunes (on a MacBook Air with Mojave from 2012, compared to my 2022 M2 Air), and wifi auto sync never seems to activate even when the computer is open until I purposefully click on the iPod or iPhone in the sidebar. Sometimes after a sync has happened the Music app needs to be relaunched for play counts to show up in the app too.
I also can’t get 1st generation iPod shuffles to show me the sync options at all.
Genuinely curious what ALAC's "numerous shortcomings" are. I've ripped all my CDs over the years to ALAC, and it's fine? It's just a lossless audio format.
I wonder how this will work with AltStore. I suppose we will be able to use iTunes for now, but I suspect they will deprecate it in the near future.
With all due respect, I really can’t be bothered to explain this again and again every single time the topic comes up. The issues are well documented at this point. It comes down to compression efficiency, hardware/software support, and data integrity. I do encourage you to do your research on the differences between them, which go beyond their capability to losslessly compress PCM audio, but if you are happy with what you currently have then maybe it’s not a tree worth barking up.
Since ALAC as it currently exists can not be considered an archival quality format, I personally will not be using ALAC for any reason. If Apple ever decides to support FLAC like literally everyone else in this segment of the market, great. That’s what my archive is remaining as.
I wonder what they did about podcasts?
On MacOS, they added a podcasts app, but it has been largely derided, and justly so. Failures to follow Apple's standard UI models and guidelines, loss of major functionality previously present in the iTunes version, etc.
On MacOS, they added a podcasts app, but it has been largely derided, and justly so. Failures to follow Apple's standard UI models and guidelines, loss of major functionality previously present in the iTunes version, etc.
I had the same question and looked it up.
"ALAC has significant disadvantages. For example, it is less widely supported than other lossless audio formats, making it harder to play on non-Apple devices. Second, it may not compress as well as other lossless audio formats, resulting in slightly larger file sizes."
So two disadvantages, not as widely supported, and slightly larger file size. The latter is less relevant than it once was. The former may or may not be an issue depending on you.
The rest is audiophiles sneering at the proles, safely ignored.