Apple launches iTunes for Windows

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Windows user's perspective

Just downloaded and installed it. Pretty nice so far, but already I'm confronted with an age old problem with Apple software for Windows.

When Microsoft first released Office and IE for the Mac platform, they were met with almost universal criticism. The problem was that they'd hired a small team of Mac developers to simply port the Windows code to the Mac, so Mac users were basically using software that had never been designed with the Mac in mind. Microsoft listened to the complaints, and went ahead and set up an entire division of Mac developers devoted exclusively to developing software for the Mac platform:
mactopia.com

It worked. As a result, Office became the number one productivity suite for the Mac, and IE the number one browser, to the extent that those familiar with both platforms said that the Mac versions of these products at times exceeded the Windows versions in terms of features, usability, etc.

Microsoft learned that the two platforms are different, and designing for one and then simply porting the code over to the other with no regard for the user interface or conventions of the other platform just doesn't work very well.

Apple hasn't learned this. They never learned it with QuickTime, and iTunes demonstrates that while they've learned some things, they still don't "get" Windows.

iTunes has keyboard access to the system menu, but no right-click access. QuickTime still doesn't have a system menu, so I can't control the window with a couple of quick keyboard commands. I'm so used to minimizing, maximizing, closing, even moving and resizing individual windows without having to reach for the mouse, and I've never been able to do that in QuickTime. At least I can perform those actions via the keyboard in iTunes, but there's going to be those, albeit rare, occasions, when I absent-mindedly right-click the title bar or left-click the upper left corner in order to access the system menu, only to have it not appear. The brief moment of confusion before I remember I'm dealing with an Apple product is going to generate the usual slightly pissed of but resigned feeling I always feel with QuickTime.

Secondly, Apple still doesn't understand the concept of maximizing windows. They seem to have some sort of mental block about this. Never mind that iTunes doesn't use the XP color scheme and big, easy to access window controls (they made them smaller, which is ironic, after shoving Fitt's Law down MS's throat all these years), it's the maximize/restore button (the middle button in the upper right of EVERY window) that I'm concerned about.

Look, I understand that there are certain rules that, for some reason or other, are considered sacrosanct on the Mac. One is that the menu bar can't be moved, ever. Fine, whatever. Another is that windows can't be maximized, not really. They can be manually resized to stretch almost to the edges of the screen, but they can't be maximized with a single click so that they stretch to the absolute edges of the screen. Apparently Steve hates that, and that's fine, it's your platform, dude.

But this is Windows, and in Windows, with a single click (or keyboard command), I can instantly resize a window so that it fills my entire screen, except for the area occupied by the Taskbar (although that isn't written in stone either). And I can just as easily and quickly switch it back.

So when I first ran iTunes, the first thing I noticed was that the columned view in the main pane was not completely visible because there were too many columns for the width of the window, resulting in a horizontal scroll bar, which I hate. So my instant reaction was to quickly hit ALT + SPACE, X to maximize the window, which would have let me see as much of my music information as humanly possible on my screen. But I was confused for a moment when, instead of maximizing, the window simply resized itself in two directions. First, it widened enough to accomodate the number of columns, which would have worked except that some of the titles of my tracks are truncated because the title column is too narrow, and when I drag the column to make it wider, the horizontal scrollbar reappears, so I'm back where I started. But not really, because secondly, in addition to widening, the window got smaller vertically for some reason. So basically, after issuing the "maximize" command, I ended up with a smaller window that showed even less than the original view.

Well, that's odd, I thought. So I tried to maximize the window again, with the mouse, using the gesture I normally use. I double-clicked the title bar. Same exact result.

Fine, I thought. I'll be a good user, and instead of the shortcuts, I'll maximize it the official, documented way- I'll click the "maximize" button in the upper-right corner of the window. Click.

Where'd it go?!? Oh, there it is, way in the upper left of my screen. The entire interface evidently resized to a "minimal" mode, which Apple mysteriously decided to access via the "maximize" button. Does that mean the "minimize" and "close" buttons don't work either? I'm too afraid to find out.

Ok, and now the window won't resize via a title bar double-click or the keyboard shortcut anymore, even though I resized it using those methods not ten seconds ago.

So the question remains: how do I maximize the window? There's no "View" menu. No matter what music manager I'm using (Windows Media Player, Music Match, Sonic Stage, etc.) I always maximize the window when organizing my music, so that I can see as much information at once as possible.

Let's see, I used a Mac like ten years ago- how did I do this back then. Oh, yeah- drag the window carefully as far toward the upper left conrer as possible... too far... whoops, not far enough... there. Now click on the lower right corner and drag it as far toward the lower right corner as possible... there. Okay. Not perfect, but it'll have to do.

Almost feels like I'm using a Mac! Except...

I'm not. And Apple should know that.

Posted by: tooner440   Posted on: 10/16/03 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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