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ADVISORY: Relatively long review
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I already stated that I would test out iTunes 5 on my iBook around four reviews below. So don't tell me that I already submitted a review you morons, I know already.

So: Annoying problems with iTunes 5 that haven't been mentioned, as well as ways to make the whole program less restrictive:

[1] Playlist select and highlight
--> When you select a playlist in iTunes 4.x and down (try it)... nothing special, right? You can edit the title by placing your cursor in between the teo letters that need editing and then start the editing process. You all have been used to this process for over 15 years. In iTunes 5, by clicking on the playlist, the text becomes bold and EXPANDS HORIZONTALLY. Now you have to guess, using visual mathematics, the appropriate placement of the cursor between those two letters, because their positions have moved to the right, especially if you are already trying to edit a playlist name towards the right edge of the Source column window. So something that you have expected out of GUI navigation for 15 years is suddenly a little more frustrating.

[2] High-res/high-screen bias
--> 800 x 600 users will be pretty pissed off with this one for a while if they haven't been experienced to iTunes 4.9. The F***ING DUMBEST interface change that I've seen yet is wasting that extra width by putting the horizontal volume controller (in iTunes 4.x and down, below the Play button, look for it now) between the fast-forward "|>|>" button and the "Now Playing" visual element near the center top of the application window. This wouldn't be so bad if I could remove that stupid controller. There is no non-hacking way to do it. You cannot control/right-click on the interface elements to hide/change/move them around as you can (and always have been able to) in Mail. I should be able to shrink the window down to 340 x 300 as I could in Mail for Panther by using smaller text and still read every message AND have all my folders showing WITH the toolbar menu items showing without problems. Plus, the new Search bar requires a damn big iTunes window to see all the ways to view the results.

[3] Lacking direct options
--> Any iTunes asskissers out there better haul their asses away from this part of the review... where the hell is there the option to add special menu buttons at the bottom of the iTunes window for you to add your own options? For those of you who remember Konfabulator, a double-nut icon is placed in the menubar for you to use to customize your widgits. Now imagine that there was this button added to the many buttons at the bottom of the iTunes interface. This double-nut button (which Apple will probably change into a list/menu icon button to not completely copy off my idea and avoid yet another lawsuit) would act EXACTLY like that folder that you have in your Dock, with the following changes:

-[3a] The folder contents would be replaced by actions, such as "Convert to AAC," "Minimize," "Go To Import Settings," "Get Info," "Open Search Window," "Create An iMix," "Customize The Toolbar," "Open Playlist In New Window," "Eject," etc.
-[3b] The "Show In Finder" option would be replaced by "Customize Menu." Selecting this option would open a separate window, similar to the Accounts pane, where you could arrange which the order in which actions display and define the operation that customized actions have when selected from that double-nut button.

The reason I say this is: Apple's software has become increasingly more restrictive since Jaguar, and by not allowing any sort of customized menu option in a freakin' JUKEBOX, it's even more ridiculous. Why must EVERYTHING be done Apple's way only? Why must I do yet another step to change encoding options? That's so contradictory to their motto from 1984 and earlier. Note: This is not an iTunes 5 problem, but it is something that is becoming more in need of implementation with each revision of the application!!

[4] Color labels
--> A few people mentioned this on the discussion boards. Exactly, a FEW people. I didn't mentioned it. I thought about this, then searched to see if someone else had already thought it up, and, well, I was a little late. Yet this is a simple, little feature. How about playlist/folder label colors? iTunes would be the first to do this, so instead of the all-blue look surrounding the bland, 2001-ish yellow screen glass "Now Playing" element, it would make the program A LOT less mono-applicative.


Pros about iTunes 5:
Pretty fast with 10.2.8 and my 466MHz G3 iBook.
Folders are nice. Folders mean organized.
Still not a crap program, such as Audion or MusicMatch, after all these years.


Ultimately...
Apple should just say: "F*** IT ALL. We're gonna copy what our own consumers have to say about improving our products, word for word, test out the change exactly as THEY state it, and THEN see if it NEEDS to be modified. Nevermind trying to do it all ourselves anymore." You know why? Because Microsoft has always been in denial of this concept. Actually, it's due to the vastness of variety that Mac users operate their computers, and it's evident that Apple barely gives a rat's ass about the variety of ways to use a Mac as opposed to the variety of users.


FINALLY... you CAN downgrade to iTunes 4.8 if iTunes 5 just happens to SUCK for you. Move the iTunes 5 application, and delete as much of the application as you can (iTunes Helper might not be deleted, but that can stay in the Trash anyways), grab the 4.8 installer, and run it full. For now, your preferences will be reset, and your Library will be empty. But in the iTunes Music folder ~/Music/iTunes is a folder called Previous iTunes Libraries. (If you know what you are doing...then) Copy the file iTunes 4 Music Library from within that folder, and place it the same directory as the iTunes Music folder. Depending on how much of a damn slob you are, there might be additional files in there from previous iTunes installations. (No, you do not need the damn iTunes 3 libraries, so quit saving them already!!) Figure out which files are appropriate before dragging them back. Then open iTunes 4.8, and you should have your files back.