Tyler's Take: iTunes Updates

Yesterday whilst online I got a little pop-up window that told of the end of the world. In it's little frame it conveyed thoughts directly into my mind of lava fields overtaking cities, giant tornadoes raging across fields and small groups of Victorian times orphans pickpocketing in the streets. I don't know if I am the only one, maybe there are more out there, but what I do know is the window is appearing more frequently and if I try to ignore it the window will only come back the next day. "What have I done to deserve such torment!" I scream into the night sky as the rain falls around me. What did I do? I downloaded iTunes, and now it wants me to update to it's latest version.

No other program in the history of the world has been more frustratingly aware of it's own inferiority than that of iTunes. In my mind I picture a place online where all of the iTunes meet, maybe a small smoke filled room where they gather to play poker. In the corner is my iTunes, version 9.2, sitting in a chair hoping no one will notice it. Alas, poor iTunes 9.2 lets out a little cough and the room turns on it, all of those iTunes 9.3 just staring as if iTunes 9.2 was iTunes 4.2. Then the room breaks out in laughter, all of the iTunes 9.3 laughing and throwing their empty plastic cups at iTunes 9.2 and making harsh comments. "I doubt he even has 'Genius' installed," one yells from across the room. It's here that my iTunes 9.2 runs from the room in tears, coming back to my computer and immediately posts that window asking me to update.

But I don't want to.

You see with other programs there is simply a patch that brings a program up to date, so a quick 5MB download and an update is all you need. This is true for even the largest program I have on my computer, World of Warcraft, that takes up 19GB of my hard drive. Even today there was an update that took only 2 minutes to download and install itself.

But that's not how iTunes rolls.

No, iTunes makes you download the ENTIRE program all over again as if you never had it in the first place. This is from the company that just overtook Microsoft in the stock market. This is the company that made computers in my youth that were more user friendly than iTunes is. I say this because once again iTunes asked for and install... and I gave in... and it screwed me. Not only does the icon in my task bar once again go nowhere, but it took 300 songs from my library and made duplicates, only these duplicates were to a place that does not exist. You may know what I mean, they put a little "!" in front of the file to let you know that theres a problem here. Yes, there is a problem and iTunes is not going to help you with it. So again, for what seems the hundredth time, I begin scrolling through and erasing those files from iTunes. My fingers hurt by the end of the task, a task that once again bring those horrifying visions into the forefront of my mind, but it is complete and everything is as it should be. The window is no longer open.

A few days go by...

I'm looking at my gmail account when a tiny window pops up in front of all others...