We just love Apple, particularly their iPod and iTunes. Generally each new product marks a step forward. Generally, but not always.
At podServe, our CD ripping service, we rely heavily on iTunes. So a major new version, iTunes 9, seemed a big step forward. On closer inspection we've found a range of small changes that make the whole system much less intuitive. But the big problem we had is that it just keeps freezing, needing us to stop then start the program.
Thankfully we've just received the 9.01 iTunes update and I'm pleased to say (on the basis of the last 24 machine hours) the freeze problem has been solved.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Audiobooks - More Agony
You may recall the excitement a few months ago when a new version of iTunes gave us hope that the nightmare of audiobooks in iTunes was finally over. Sadly our hopes were premature. And I've got the searing email from an audiobook loving client to prove it.
I'll try to summarise where we are, and the problem we have. As far as Apple is concerned a book is a single entity, one that you start to listen to and continue with until the last page. In support of that iTunes now seems to work pretty well. You can make books bookmarkable, and they pop up in the Audiobooks zone. But ...
Most of the audiobboks clients send us are split into chapters. Clients want to access books by chapter just as you can dive into an album at any given track. If you buy downloads you'll find they're split up too. Take it from me, when you open an iPod with 50 or 60 audiobooks all split into chunks it's not a pretty sight. I'd go so far as to say it makes audiobooks on an iPod unworkable. Fine in iTunes, but for portable books you need to do something radical.
My thinking is that you take one of two courses. First, you join all the tracks together and force iTunes to make you 100 sections become a single chunk. That makes iPod navigation easy but if you just want to enjoy a favourite chapter that's going to be almost impossible. Second, you can leave the book in its various sections then just load that one book onto the iPod. This, I think, is less than ideal and still has problems but at least if you know what the best bits are called you can find them.
Overall Apple, sorry - still 2 out of 10 for audiobooks on iPods.
I'll try to summarise where we are, and the problem we have. As far as Apple is concerned a book is a single entity, one that you start to listen to and continue with until the last page. In support of that iTunes now seems to work pretty well. You can make books bookmarkable, and they pop up in the Audiobooks zone. But ...
Most of the audiobboks clients send us are split into chapters. Clients want to access books by chapter just as you can dive into an album at any given track. If you buy downloads you'll find they're split up too. Take it from me, when you open an iPod with 50 or 60 audiobooks all split into chunks it's not a pretty sight. I'd go so far as to say it makes audiobooks on an iPod unworkable. Fine in iTunes, but for portable books you need to do something radical.
My thinking is that you take one of two courses. First, you join all the tracks together and force iTunes to make you 100 sections become a single chunk. That makes iPod navigation easy but if you just want to enjoy a favourite chapter that's going to be almost impossible. Second, you can leave the book in its various sections then just load that one book onto the iPod. This, I think, is less than ideal and still has problems but at least if you know what the best bits are called you can find them.
Overall Apple, sorry - still 2 out of 10 for audiobooks on iPods.
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