UPDATE: Why Isn't Anyone Talking About the iTunes v7 Debacle?

I did some searching around and did manage to find some reports on Apple's problems with iTunes v7 and the putative fix. However, these stories are not appearing in major publications. So, the point is still relevant: folks have spent big bucks for songs on iTunes and hundreds of dollars for iPods. So, it would be nice if Apple could take this problem seriously.

Here is a story on the problem from at least one major paper, the Sydney Morning Herald:

Apple slips out iTunes fix

Louisa Hearn

September 28, 2006 - 2:23PM

Apple quietly rolled out an upgrade to the iTunes 7 music store software overnight to address a wide range of performance issues widely cited by iPod users since its release in mid September.

The latest release of iTunes was originally described by Apple as "the most significant enhancement ... since it debuted in 2001", but the company's own discussion forums have since been plagued with user complaints about poor sound quality, skipping tracks and navigation issues.

Apple says on its website that version 7.0.1 will address "stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more".

Hundreds of individual threads on Apple's forums have documented a broad range of technical issues with the original version of iTunes 7, some of which the company has attempted to address in the troubleshooting section of its website.

In the hours following the release of version 7.0.1, users have been busy posting their responses to the upgrade on Apple's threads.

One of the most recent discussions that posed the question: "Does 7.0.1 update solve your problem?" received mixed replies.

"No! I installed it. I then went ahead and played a song in the party shuffle mode. It played one song and then crashed. I've been a loyal Apple customer for over 25 years. This really is more than frustrating," wrote one iPod user.

"I'd continue to hold off on 7.0.1. Ever after repairing permissions I still get very static laden playback from iTunes and random crashes," said another.

Another user, frustrated with the inability to display the iPod Shuffle's playlist, conceded that, otherwise, things were working well.

"Everything was working for me in 7.0 and it all continues to work in 7.0.1 ... maybe a bit better when it comes to smoothness in CoverFlow displays and stepping between different modules in iTunes," he said.

The new iTunes download is available from apple.com.au.