Upgrading To iTunes 7:0? You Might Want To Wait

If you haven’t upgraded your iTunes software yet, you’re probably one of the lucky ones. There are many reports of bugs in this new version. There is no word yet on when they will be fixed, but with the general unhappiness of iTunes customers, I am guessing that will be relatively soon. No matter how long it takes, you’re better off waiting.

Experienced computer users know that using just-released versions of any software poses risks, but Apple really made some mistakes this time. Just take a look at the Apple discussion boards to get an idea of how many unhappy users are out there. On a thread discussing Apple 7.0 bugs at the Apple website, there are over 15,000 views with over 200+ responses. To check it out, start at Apple Discussions. If you’re like me and don’t have an Apple user I.D., you’ll get an error message. At this point click on the login button, and on the next page click on the cancel button. Believe it or not, after clicking on cancel, you will be at the correct page. From here you can read comments, but can’t post without an I.D.

Now you’re almost to the “bugs” thread. Scroll down to iTunes, then Using iTunes for Windows. The Apple 7.0 thread is located here. If you’ve already downloaded iTunes 7.0, you’re likely to find somebody complaining about whatever problems you may have already experienced.

If you’ve already downloaded and are finding all of your music distorted, check out GeekZone for a possible fix. If that’s you’re only problem and this fix works, consider yourself lucky.

At least one user found problems with missing music. He wasn’t just missing a song or two; his entire iTunes collection was gone after he upgraded. (This customer is actor Will Wheaton. Apple replaced his music.) Other users lost individual songs. More commonly, downloading the newest version resulted in skipping music or the distortion mentioned above.

The new version of iTunes boasts a “gapless playback” feature, designed to eliminate the gap between songs. There is speculation that this is responsible for some of the issues, though it clearly not the cause of all of the problems.

Now we’ll really be able to see how well Apple serves its customers. Will those who lost music get it back from iTunes? How quick will all these bugs be fixed? As one article asked, doesn’t Apple test this stuff before letting an unsuspecting public download it?

Several users were so frustrated that they started asking for help converting back to the older version of iTunes. If you’re happy with your current version, save yourself a hassle. Watch for a new release, and even then don’t download until you know that Apple has really fixed the problems.

Fortunately, I’m not among those with the new software. There are also those who have posted on internet boards saying they have upgraded with no problems. How many of you have downloaded iTunes 7.0? If you have, tell us how it’s working (or not working.)

I hope we have a fix soon. Apple has always ranked high in customer service; now lets see how quickly they can please their customers again.