iTunes 9 and new iTunes Store. Now with wish list functionality.

[onehandle]

Finally after eight years.

Sheesh!

[Touchdown]

1. I just use the shopping cart.

Some I dropped in there a year ago. Still haven't bought them yet. Not really in the mood for old B-52s right now.

[politicat]

2. It's always had wish list functionality.

Either by creating a wish list play list, or by using the shopping cart. And the wish list is still non-functional -- you can't add entire albums or seasons or other logical groupings of media; you have to add each song or episode individually.

I would say "now lacking a shopping cart and consumer protection from slip of the mouse." Since everything is now one-click buying, you better be sure that you really do want that track before you click... (especially if you're purchasing from an iMix or a search).

I can't imagine Apple iTunes will be terribly forgiving and refund one's money when you accidentally purchase the Vienna Boy's Choir singing Burning Down the House when you actually wanted Talking Heads. (That being the advantage of brick and mortar... you can return it if it's not open.)

And the third problem -- the wish list/shopping cart used to be available from anywhere inside iTunes. Now, one must go into the store interface to get to it, meaning someone like me, who has zero interest in top 40 pop, rap, country or similar (but who still drops a decent chunk of money on music every month) will probably avoid the interface because the store will never show me anything I'm interested in purchasing. The store interface could learn a user's preferences, but it doesn't. iTunes shows everyone (Today's features -- Muse, Gossip Girl (TV), Pearl Jam, Dexter (TV), Wolverine and ksm) the same thing, though my partner, who buys only classical and scores and has never even opened the TV/movies section finds these "recommendations" useless.

It wasn't a functional upgrade for a lot of people, unfortunately.

It's a poor marketing decision, too -- early on, iTunes was breaking the concept of marketing only to the masses and engaging in niche marketing. The intelligence of the individualized recommendations drove their early success.

[onehandle]

3. I just added two albums to my wish list. I do see that you indeed cannot add seasons of shows.

But, no it's never had a wish list. That is totally new. The shopping cart and play lists are not the same thing.

And they will return "accidental purchases."

Other than that, I do agree that it's kind of a mess to wade through, but the new top bar menus have helped.

I actually rarely use iTunes (I like being able to choose my encoding-just ripped the new Beatles boxes to Apple Lossless), but they are beginning to convince me.