Greetings.

Users of Apple's iTunes and/or QuickTime on Windows might wish to take note:

Maybe it's a plot to get Windows users to buy Macs (OK, just kidding), or maybe it's a Mac-centric QC department, but Apple is really taking it on the chin regarding their newly-released Windows version 5 iTunes. This is bundled with their new version 7 QuickTime -- in fact, this bundle has become the standard QuickTime download as well. Even more problems appear to have possibly resulted from the complicated DRM environment and the inclusion of a complex LAN-related utility in the release.

A brief look at the discussions over at the Apple Forums gives a taste of the frustration, not only by users who don't have working iTunes anymore, but also by many who now have broken QuickTime installations, and in some cases major OS problems as well. What's worse, rolling back can be difficult or impossible, and Apple's lack of official recognition or public response regarding these problems is driving many users up the wall.

I've personally now seen two systems that have fallen into this black hole -- no working iTunes, no working QuickTime, and attempts to install older versions (even just of QuickTime) fail miserably, even after complex (and in some cases dangerous) attempts at cleaning out the leftover muck. It's really a mess -- reminds me of early DOS days.

It's apparently a somewhat bizarre measure of Apple's success that people are so fired up over this situation, and of course over the related impacts on their ability to feed materials into their expensive iPods and other devices.

This obviously isn't a life or death matter. But for a company with such a finely tuned PR machine as Apple, it should be a reminder that basic issues are important -- like making sure that major software releases are properly tested, and at the very least can be easily and completely deinstalled if there's trouble. To fail these fundamental tests threatens the rapid loss of consumer good will that may have taken many years to establish.

--Lauren--