How to stop iTunes from launching when using Keyboard media keys

Have Apple seen this thread yet? My only real complaint about my new Macbook - I'd really appreciate it if I could use my media keys without iTunes popping up, as well.

Tried the script they suggested earlier ( http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10175600#10175600), but now I can't launch iTunes at all! Can anyone suggest how I can get around the problem, perhaps by modifying this script? (I'm no expert at such things, unfortunately).

Oh well, at least the new Spotify plays local music files as well...

Update: Turns out I only ran part of the script, it only renamed iTunes. Pasted in the other half, now it's working fine. Thumbs up to the author!

Still, Apple need to address this issue, after all they are the ones claiming to be all "open" :P

For Spotify users:

Pressing Shift,Option,Play makes Spotify start / pause without affecting iTunes.

Hardly perfect, but slightly less irritating!

P.

Sorry if this has been said already (I didn't make it past the 6th page), but it seems if you rename iTunes in your applications folder (eg. to iTunes1), but don't replace your dock icon with the newly named iTunes1, the play/pause button doesn't seem to open iTunes. This works as long as iTunes in your dock has a different name to the one in you apps folder.

This is awful! I bought my Mac less than 30 days ago. I'm considering returning it.

If anyone still has this problem :
Open QuickTime Player. This overrides iTunes and the play/next/previous buttons will only effect Spotify and QT Player. Since you have nothing playing in QT this wont do anything except control your Spotify.

I found this solution for Spotify with the apple remote. Still doesn't fix the media buttons, but I can at least control Spotify with the remote, without iTunes interfering !

http://themacbox.co.uk/smr/

Thank you a lot for this script!
It works well!

Brilliant - the script works. Thanks! Was a really annoying problem that needed a fix.

I trashed iTunes and installed Vox.

http://www.voxapp.uni.cc/index.html

It can be operated through the keyboard shortcuts and won't be launched if not open already. It seems you can convert files from some formats to another but I couldn't see mp3 on the list. The conversion setting aren't that accurate either. My hopes are that it is because the files were already mp3s but that is not very likely.

Um, I tried your script, and now I can´t open iTunes at all! How do I reset this?

Hiya.

I just updated to Snow Leopard and found this "lovely feature"... (play button on keyboard starts iTunes when I just want it to pause the song in Spotify).

I called Apple support about this and they told me there is no fix. I asked them to send feedback to Apple and got some issue number or what ever. They also told me that the only "hope" is that they fix this in some future update.

I also send feedback trough this page: http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

I suggest everyone to at least send feedback via that web form.

come on apple! i cant believe it.
I switched to macintosh because of some related polices microsoft had with some software.

And now im here posting for related things!

i cant believe i have to bear with an itunes popup everytime i pause my Cog player. for god shake apple, this so ridiculous.

you supposed to be a logical thinking company.

is it logical every-time i want to pause my favorite player to have to closing an itunes popup? and if i hit play again to have to do the same thing? everytime? EVERYTIME?

im so ****** off

does anyone from apple reading this topic?

Edit:
75,627 views - 205 replies
also search google ... thousands of topics to many forums around the world.
Should we become hackers for using macintosh NORMALLY?

Edit2: *@ Animoottori :* great idea!! please how to COMPLETELY remove itunes? is it possible?

Message was edited by: Ioannis007

Message was edited by: Ioannis007

Another voice for demanding a fix for this amazingly annoying feature to Apple.

I'm developing an music app that uses iTunes as the base. After weeks of twisiting and hacking in Cocoa, seriously considering removing it. No "feature" like this is worth paying for.

I have to smile a little. There was a huge commercial on Apple's Expo some years ago where Windows was being hammered like "Windows also has a cat... copycat". I'm wondering if Apple is not reversing this ad to themselves.

Hey guys,

I have a solution to this problem, its a bit of a pain in the arse and i agree that it should be gotten rid of completely but the solution is to hold alt and shift and then click the the play/pause button whilst your holding them. For some reason it stops itunes from opening, but to be honest i think keeping itunes in trash is the easier method.