I don't play the visualizer in iTunes very often, but I just looked at the one that came with iTunes 8. It's pretty nice!

Very planetary...and sometimes very egg and sperm-like, lol!

I just downloaded the latest patch for iTunes...it seems to have helped, but I'm not convinced that it really fixed the issue. I heard some static when I switched songs just now.

At least it makes version 7 useable, which it was not for me before.

I finally gave up on iTunes 7.

I would change a QuickTime preference here and there, and it would seem to fix the problem, but only for a time. After a while, the same static, crackling, skipping would come back.

Unfortunately, going back to a previous version is not as easy as all that.

The 6.05 installer can be found here -->
http://www.filehippo.com/download_itunes/?1249

Here's a discussion that includes some information on how to recover when iTunes won't open because the iTunes Library.itl was created by a newer version. Unfortunately, these instructions didn't quite work for me...So, I improvised and now I'm re-adding my old CD folder to iTunes -- which is now COPYING the files (all 3000+ of them), meaning I'll have double sets of files...but I guess that's better than no files at all, lol.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=640502

From reading online, the issues seem to be an incompatibility between iTunes and either the Creative sound card -or- DirectX drivers. Whichever it is, Apple obviously did not test this version well -- it has affected way too many people, and has created some bad press and here.

So, my recommendation -- STOP, WAIT...do NOT install iTunes 7 yet...let Apple fix the bugs first. This experience has certainly taken some of the shine off Apple in my eyes. It has made Apple seem more, ahem, Windows-like...

UPDATE -- I have found some playback bugs -- the playback can start to skip / break up and sometimes it just hangs. Here's an online forum about it --> http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=637696&tstart=0


I downloaded the latest iTunes last night...I like the UI better (I did not like it previously).

I like the View mode that displays the CD artwork like a jukebox -->


It also has better graphics when it is synchronizing with the iPod...I like the graphical display of disk space at the bottom of the screen...

Let me start by saying that I really have enjoyed my iPod.

I get a lot of use from it. Most of the time, it is in the Sound Dock in the kitchen, so I have music while I cook. I also watch videos and listen to music when I'm on business trips. I even like how I can put all my pictures on it, so I can quick pull up a picture and show someone.

(I haven't told my friends that I actually bought TWO iPods -- one to get beat up while I travel and one for the house -- because I didn't want to seem like I was conspicuously consuming, lol!)

UI, UI, UI

I am a big "user interface" kind of guy -- I expect things to be designed well and be intuitive and usable.

And while the user interface for the iPod is great (once you get the hang of it), I'm not a fan of iTunes. You pretty much have to use iTunes with the iPod, so I'm stuck.

Why don't I like it?

It's the user interface! I know, I know, Apple is the user interface god, but I don't like iTunes' UI. Here's why --

1. The user interface is clunky.
   The UI is slow to respond. I particularly hate that slider type action when you are browsing in the Music Store. I also don't really like that burn icon in the upper right corner. I'm always clicking it and then wondering if I clicked it because it takes so long to respond.
   
2. It is slow, slow, slow to load.
   iTunes is slow to load even though it keeps a couple of services running (iTunes HELPER??? service) all the time, taking up my computer's RAM. Why is it so slow to load if it's got all this "help" just hanging out in memory?
   
3. I don't like the "browser bar."
   No other reason...other than it is not exactly a standard user interface, and I just don't like it, lol!
   
4. Songs don't burn in the order they are in the playlist
   This is probably my lack of knowledge, but when I burn a CD, it doesn't burn the songs in the same order as in my playlist.
   

Here's a quote from another website. (This guy is salivating for Microsoft's Zune...which I think will be a big ole' failure....but I agree with him on the iTunes UI.)

4. iTunes = HORRIBLE USER EXPERIENCE. But it’s APPLE! Apple wins design awards! Jonathan Ives! Righty-ho. Well here it is: iTunes sucks, from a usability perspective. I may save my bitchin’ for a whole new post – that’s how sucky it is. Clunky, heavy, image rich, slow, imprecise, poor search functionality, no watchlist. Why can’t I search by label? Why can’t I properly personalise iTunes? How come it doesn’t seem to remember which albums I have bought, when recommending me new material? I think Apple has missed a trick in this area.

So, there you have it. I love the iPod, but don't really like iTunes!