Limnos wrote:
1) iTunes is free software. As such it isn't targeted at the "power user" nor does Apple have a specific committment to produce a certain style product.
I disagree. Apple has added many, many features to iTunes over the years that target the power user. From smart playlists, to obscure things like ID3 tag version control. Power users features are sprinkled throughout iTunes. And to say that Apple doesn't have a "specific committment to produce a certain style product" is true, but also fairly obvious/meaningless.
2) iTunes' developments over the past decade have largely been in the marketing facet. As for basic music playing not much has changed since it was developed from Soundjam. What has changed a lot is the introduction of the iTunes Store and interfacing with mobile devices.
Basic music playing has changed a LOT. You couldn't even rate your tracks in the beginning.
3) Apple is a for-profit corporation. We might like to remember them as the little-computer-that-could taking on the big corporations, but frankly they aren't that anymore. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to do whatever it takes to maximize profit. We don't really know what the October iTunes looks like (much) but if they decide to dumb it down so it is easier for people primarily interested in using iPhones to use then from a marketing perspective can't blame them. We might not like it and might yearn for the the days when Apple really was computers, but those days are gone.
This is simplified to point of meaninglessness. There's an interaction between customers and product design teams. It may not be obvious from the outside, but there's still a give & take. What you're saying is in essence is, "Shut up and accept whatever happens," which is not a rational approach.
4) If Apple decided iTunes wasn't in their interest they would drop it in a flash. Where's iDVD? iDVD was something people were willing to pay for. They still would, but Apple isn't selling it anymore even though it is clear people in general have not given up on DVDs.
iDVD is not a good comparison, because of the vastly different switching costs. I used iDVD, but was fairly unaffected by its slow demise.
