How do I hide old podcasts in iTunes 11.1 and What's Up with the New Podcast Pane?

I think, letting Apple know is not the most effective way to go

Alerting the podcast sources might be more effective, like NPR, SciFri and also big institutions like the Washington Institute or the London School of Economics and of course the BBC, Slate and lots of others.

All of them will suffer, if podcast-playlist-assembling and listening is made more time consuming for us.

I've started sending e-mails to my German providers alerting them that iTunes Podcast isn't longer manageable even if you'd limit yourself to German public radio offerings.

At this point wish I had never downloaded the update - old one was just fine for me :-(

I am hopeful that Apple has gotten the message and is working on making things right. All the Mac and Tech podcasts I've listened to so far are unanimous in their harsh criticism over the iTunes 11 podcast module. Really, for such a large company with enormous resources, I am so surprised at how these problems have gone through unchecked. Bugs I can understand, but not when the fundamentals of the program seem so half-baked. I would have thought more lessons would have been taken from the Apple maps release... Fox

Sure Apple knows, but 3 days into the disaster a public "sorry"'d be kind of nice plus some plan of action.

From talking to Support I know that they'll first fix the mobile devices and "keyboarders" like myself will come when???? When they discover that we exist also? Up to now I feel that I was good enough to buy their hardware and then they are free to ruin my entertainment for me plus classifying me as less important?

I've posted feedback to apple twice. This issue is needs to be resolved and has been the worst new "surprise" feature for all of the reasons posted here previously. My podcast list has become an unmanageable nightmare and I am definitely considering other podcast player services. Thanks Silkefromdeu for some good resources to start looking... I definitely hate the feeling of being cheated too. Seriously. ticked. off.

Arrgh, while this thread has been helpful, it still hasn't alleviated my annoyance and irritation at Apple for screwing up a perfectly OK (well could have been better, but it worked) Podcast Manager in iTunes. Just went to do my regular irregular clean up and its a complete mess. I think Apple is losing the plot by forgetting to put customers and usability first, they should put up a big sign of Steve's quotes in every office to remind people about what Apple is.

Good Morning, Lizard Spark,

over night I thought I had a brillant idea, i.e. if I would subscribe via the feed provided by the issuer directly I could avoid the Cloud's meddling - no chance Apple's grip is total. Thus remains only to use another outlet - here is one more list, strangely without providing an English translation but the list of links at the end might be helpful, though I'll try German public radio's recommendations first.

(sample I used: feed://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/SiteGlobals/Functions/Webs/BKin/RSSFeed/rssAudioA bo.xml)

I was very careful to use one that I'd never used before and what does iTunes? It substitutes the feed with their cloud version. iTunes has become a Eiserne Jungfrau (iron virgin)*) - no wiggle room left, no choice left, no personal preferences left.

I came up with the idea because I was told by Support that the problem with podcasts stems from the fact, that whatever podcast you subscribe to via the iTunes Store aka iTunes button on the provider's site will get managed by Apple's Cloud and whatever the cloud is interested in is not people like myself.

(Free of Charge Podcasts Heaven forbid, paying customers only please. OK we made money on selling you the hardware but we want to fleece you every day, else just bugger off.)

*)http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Zelazna_dama.svg

maybe they should all go first through a good Zen Buddhism introduction in Kyoto (no gadgets allowed) and only after they've learned to live with their special Koan be allowed back to the programming desk.

For me they have stopped being a reliable provider, I am their Cash Cow and as such I am as being a buyer of hardware only, one of the non-desirable kind.

Silkefromdeu wrote:

I'll try German public radio's recommendations first.

(sample I used: feed://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/SiteGlobals/Functions/Webs/BKin/RSSFeed/rssAudioA bo.xml)

I was very careful to use one that I'd never used before and what does iTunes? It substitutes the feed with their cloud version. iTunes has become a Eiserne Jungfrau (iron virgin)*) - no wiggle room left, no choice left, no personal preferences left.

You've managed to get a space into the URL so that it doesn't work.

http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/SiteGlobals/Functions/Webs/BKin/RSSFeed/rssAudioAb o.xml

If you subscribe to that manually in iTunes it works exactly the same as any other feed - that's how iTunes handles all feeds: it hasn't 'substituted their cloud version' - the cloud icons indicate that the episode is available to download from the originator's server.

You can use other rss readers to view the feed. You could try NetNewsWire, though that doesn't let you delete individual undownloaded episodes either (though you can hide ones you've viewd, so you can just click on one to view but not download it and then hide it from the News menu.

the space was only in my post and in iTunes it worked for me.

I got my subscription allright, but my subscription didn't stay OUT of the Cloud, the Cloud took it over instantly and now it is as if I had subscribed to it via the iTunes button aka iTunes Store.

And with this the third major dis-improvement by Apple of its offer for podcast-afiocionados I have had it with iTunes.

I still can't believe that Apple of all companies forces me to conform to the currently fashionable herd to such an extent. I feel so cheated, 3000 € for hardware in the last 5 or 6 years is not enough for those greedy people.

If I can't find a way to use iTunes for Podcasts without having to live with all that gimmickry which is designed to make the mobile crowd happy but not the keyboarders then I'll go for another podcatcher. Managing then my hundreds and hundreds of downloaded treasure will still keep me awake many a night.

If you look at this site, you'll find that podcasts aren't on their radar any longer at all http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5772

... and thanks for the link - I'll go first for German public radio recommendations and look what the BBC recommends also.

Message was edited by: Silkefromdeu

Silkefromdeu wrote:

If you look at this site, you'll find that podcasts aren't on their radar any longer at all http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5772

That tells you how to delete items purchased from Apple. Podcasts aren't originated by Apple, but by third parties. I do agree that not being able to delete undownloaded episodes from the list - which you could do in prior versions - is a mistake (I did see a post where someone had been in contact with Apple and seemed to think it was an error on there part, so it might eventually get fixed).

I got my subscription allright, but my subscription didn't stay OUT of the Cloud, the Cloud took it over instantly and now it is as if I had subscribed to it via the iTunes button aka iTunes Store.

Subscribing manually and subscribing from the Store are exactly the same thing (once you have subscribed the Store is no longer involved). The problem is the fact that Apple have changed the way subscriptions are handled.

The headline doesn't read "purchased", it says "downloaded" - and even though I am just a stupid user I am still pretty sure, that I have DOWNLOADED my podcasts.

"The problem is the fact that Apple have changed the way subscriptions are handled."

Yes and I am just beginning to understand where that will all lead to. And no I think besides that it's stupid, that until it will have gotten fixed it will have stolen my time and deprived me the use of hardware including software I paid good money for.

What would you say if your garage told you after inspection "sorry we had to re-regulate your access to the empty spaces in your car like the trunk, but we'll eventually fix it. Just wait and don't take it seriously".?

Apple has ruined for the time being my access to my private property.

If it had been the first fiddling to the worse of the Podcast feature I'd say s..t happens, as I've said to quite a number of things before, which were eventually fixed (sometimes at my expense like the ill-conceived mighty mouse with her non durable features) but since it is the third major downgrading I don't believe in it not being intentional any longer.

The Cloud is a perfect instrument for totalitarian supervision of the customer. That at least this debacle has proved to me and I'll stay away from it and the more comfortable a company makes it for me, the more intrusive they are. Like parents: "as long as you eat at my table ..."

For example if I import an Audio-CD from the library so that I can listen to it on my iPod (no obstacles to overcome, no warning to ignore) will I still be asked whether I want to sync it with Apple's databank i.e. will I still be able to keep it a private operation? And if not, will that in the end send me into contact with some copyright police?

Even though my trust in all things American is currently at a never before experienced let alone imagined low German GEMA scares me even more - the organisation that collects artists' share - though I am all for artists getting paid, GEMA has a strong Big Brother streak and if it is not them, somebody else will make use of such data.

If you think me paranoid, go ahead, but I am a bureaucrat by profession and I know how we tick, if there is data that helps us to administer more perfectly we go for it.

And no, fixing it eventually is not enough after all the time and effort and disappointments and discomfort Apple has created for me by its intrusion into my property up to now,

Maybe my use of podcasts is excessive but so what, when I purchased the equipment it wasn't told that it was only for limited use.

Silkefromdeu wrote:

For example if I import an Audio-CD from the library so that I can listen to it on my iPod (no obstacles to overcome, no warning to ignore) will I still be asked whether I want to sync it with Apple's databank i.e. will I still be able to keep it a private operation?

You have to pay $24.99 p.a. for iTunes Match for a CD you import to go to the cloud so it's not going to happen unless you want it to. And it's nothing to do with the podcasts issue - the little cloud icon next to each episode simply tells you what you know already - that the episode exists 'in the cloud', meaning someone's server, and it's not available to play until you dowload it. Not being able to delete it from the list is a bad design decision, but you're building a cobweb of paranoid fantasy on top of it. Not that I have anything against paranoia - I keep telling people I'm not paranoid but they never believe me 🙂.

"it's not going to happen unless you want it to"

bitter laugh from me and the thought: ... until they'll have found out how to make a profit from it without asking for the fee or until some powerful enough outfit gets the authority to ask them to please please ...

Since you seem to be here as an envoyt for Apple (I hope they pay you well - yes paranoia again) let me tell you my latest adventure:

I wanted to load my iPod Shuffle (what a mean gadget but ideal for the beach but who cares it's the café crowd we're after) iTunes crashes.

Yes I know I have to be grateful that the iPod is still loading the playlists it currently has and of course with a bit of manipulation (and confusion for me) can I thus still change it's content and I am sure that will also be fixed "eventually".

... and it was really soothing to see that Apple demanded an automatic report for the crash - ain't that nice? they really show some interest, how generous of them.

Well as whatever I say you will find a way to project a worry onto it... however I am not an envoy for Apple: in many ways I don't like what they are up to, but my purpose here is to provide purely factual answers which is what I've been doing my best to do.

Incidentally, if you are having a crash when trying to sync your iPod then something has obviously gone wrong, and you could try asking about it in the iPod forum - the crash report might tell someone what the problem is. You have the choice of sending the report to Apple so that they can use the information that and other crashes to see whether there is a general problem that needs addressing.