So I wanted to hear the newest U2 album. Last time I used iTunes to get music was in 2008. I hoped it would be a better experience – It was not!!….
Here is the short version of my experience (over two days – more than 4 hours spent):
Karsten: Opens iTunes on his Mac mini, as he doesn’t dare do this on the Windows box. (last time it corrupted several files on his computer)
iTunes: Here is all your music (nothing is shown)
Karsten: Goes to the iTunes shop to find the U2 album. He has apparently already purchased it. So he goes back to his library.
iTunes: Nope, you do not own anything…
Karsten: iTune please update library.
iTunes: This is better. There is a lot of music on this machine. Please have audio fun.
Karsten: But where is the new U2 album?
iTunes: You haven’t got it!
Karsten: Goes to iTunes Account to see if the album is listed there.
iTunes Account: No, you haven’t bought it.
Karsten: iTunes store are you sure I have bought it?
iTunes store: Yes, you have bought it – Why do you keep asking? You should rate it instead!
Karsten: iTunes store why don’t you play the music.
iTunes store: Sure here is a preview…
Karsten: I want to hear the full version!
iTunes store: I can’t do that! Why not Twitter about this album?
Karsten: Oh Google can you help me out?
Google: Yes, you need to authorise your computer. Go to iTunes->Store->Authorise this computer
Karsten: Thanks! He does this (thinking that he is happy that he does not normally use iTunes, because they would not like him using 5+ computers regularly) and goes to the iTunes in anticipation
iTunes: You do not have the U2 album in your library – stop asking!
Karsten: Is desperate! Please check for available downloads.
iTunes: So am I! Because you haven’t bought anything!
Karsten: Goes to iTunes Account to check that the machine is authorised.
iTunes Account: Yes, you are authorised.
Karsten: iTunes Account – why can’t I download purchased albums.
iTunes Account: Perhaps because you haven’t bought it?
Karsten: iTunes store are you sure I bought u2’s latest album?
iTunes Store: YES! Why don’t you share a link on Facebook about it?
Karsten: Google – why can’t I download U2’s album?
Google: Please, no one has that problem! Everybody wants to delete U2’s new album!
Karsten: Google – why can’t I download an album that I have purchased from iTunes?
Google: Oh, that is because you need to tick music under iTunes->Preferences->Store->Au
Karsten: Does this, and goes to iTunes.
iTunes: Here is the U2 album, wasn’t that just easy! I am proud how easy that was.
Karsten: Experienced how things can “just work” when using computers…
So to conclude:
When iTunes said the song “is available from your Purchased page from the iTunes Store” iTunes lied. It still doesn’t show on my desktop…
When they wrote “just find [the song] under artist or album tab” It wasn’t present in the list.
Ticking a seemingly unrelated box forced it to show up under the artist and album tab. The weirdest thing is I would expect the system to then automatically download the song. But it didn’t. I still had to download it manually from the iCloud.