In the summer of 2009, Kunal Jham, Jason Bornhorst and I created an iPhone application DoGood. The app gave users across the globe one act of kindness to do every day. After six successful months and bringing good to the world around us, we were acquired by Tonic Inc.

In the meantime, the app was featured on The New York Times, CNET, Forbes Tech, GulfNews’ Friday Magazine in the UAE, UM Alumni News, One Magazine in India and an interview with SMB Advisor Middle East.

This morning, I came across Batelco’s initiative – GoodCall – that was so blatantly similar that it screamed of plagiarism. To put it into perspective, let’s look at their marketing copy and reach out.

DoGood – “What if 300,000 people across the globe did the same act of kindness every day?”

GoodCall – “What if 800000 people in Bahrain and 5 million people in GCC, Jordan and India through our network start doing one Good Deed every day?”

Look & Feel:

DoGood

On clicking the “DONE” button, users were given an option to share this DoGood with friends via Twitter, Facebook and Email. Users could also click the little arrow and leave a story on how they did their DoGood.

Batelco GoodCall

DoGood Comments Page

Every DoGood had a stories tab attached to it. As one can see in the screenshot above, the little arrow led to this screen where users were allowed to leave little comments detailing how they actioned their good deed and in turn gave inspiration to others.

Batelco Good Call Comments

DoGood Global Counter

Batelco Good Call – “statistics”

CONCLUSION

Shot entirely on the Nokia N8 mobile phone. Winner of the Nokia Shorts competition 2011.

Director: JW Griffiths
Producer: Kurban Kassam
Director of Photography: Christopher Moon
Editor: Marianne Kuopanportti
Sound Design: Mauricio d’Orey
Music composed by: Lennert Busch

I’m a massive fan of mobile video. With the advent of super-powerful megapixelastic lenses on our smartphones, capturing the world has become that much more beautiful. For instance, this short film was shot by J W Griffiths entirely on an Nokia N8 smartphone. The result is a beautiful mashup of contrasting cityscapes and a story that quite a few of us can relate to.

Here is a comparison that we’ve drawn from all the news that has been streaming in.

Just by looking at the core specs above, its evident that the Galaxy Nexus beats the iPhone 4S on almost all counts except perhaps the rear camera. But with a meatier processor backing it up and a better front camera (yes, an actual lens-camera, not VGA) the Nexus is going to be absolutely brilliant with Google+ Hangouts.

The iPhone 4S is quite brilliant in its own right. With Siri, which we’re seeing brilliant omniscient videos of and the the recent upgrade with iCloud and iMessages, its a very well rounded device. Alas, what you get out of it here in Dubai would be another matter altogether. We’ve heard and read disparate reports saying that iMessages won’t be working as you expect it to, here in the UAE.

With the iPhone 4S you get a device that has been perfected from the last year. Its a natural evolution of an already benchmark setting device. With the processor and GPU upgrades, the device is now looking to help you do more with it.

However, Google and Samsung have collectively thrown down the gauntlet with this launch. Android has been consistently eating away at Apple’s market share of the smartphone market. And with this launch its going to be a big hit for the tech adopters that adore Apple as a trendsetter. With features such as Beam allowing you to share data via NFC, Single-frame panorama shooting, ubiquitous Google+ and Apps built right in, folks here at I_D have already forgotten about Apple’s launch a couple of weeks ago. We can’t wait to pre-order our Galaxy Nexus here.

However, herein lies a caveat for all of us. With the highly developed and excellent build quality of most iOS apps, we’re always left a little back with Android. The functionality is always there, probably even more at times but they just seem to lack the pizzazz. With the new OS and the new UI, we’re hoping to see a shift with beautiful looking UIs coming through on the Android apps.

With the recent crop of several online shopping/e-commerce sites in the UAE, we’ve begun to wonder if this trend truly resonates with YOU, the consumer as well.

Firstly, those solution builders (like ourselves) that are expecting to see this post ramble on into incessant whining over issues with payment gateways, should probably find another outlet. We’re not going to get into that debate. We’ve heard enough of it and don’t want much more with it. This is about the consumers and us – well, outside our day jobs – and how we look at shopping online, here in the UAE.

It seems that this trend is erupting. More and more brands want to sell products online. And we’ve been helping them do so too. But somewhere along the way, we’ve lost track of what it means to buyers.

TOUCH – FEEL – BUY

We’re never too far from a shopping mall, here in the UAE. And distances here aren’t that big either. Its no surprise then that the reason that most retailers are afraid to jump into the online space is because it might hurt what experience their consumers take out of it. Most of us, here at Innovations_Digital have spent considerable time in mature e-commerce markets. We’ve come to miss Amazon and its Prime two day delivery. We miss shopping online the way these markets have evolved to. But there was always an element of touch, feel and then buy online.

A visit to the Gap store would allow us to try the 1969 boot-cut before heading online to buy the same for 10% off the sticker price. For shoes it was the same. And so was it for electronics too.

We think from a touch-feel point of view, ecommerce will probably never compete unless Willy Wonka could truly build us his awesome TV. But there is a social recommendation issue in the region too. Reviews are hard to find – and believe – on sites that have shopping carts that we’re never truly ready to buy unless its pure WOM or peer pressure.

DOES EXCLUSIVITY WORK?

Gilt Groupe whipped up the private online luxury sales model and has been able to not only sustain it but diversify it as a lifestyle proposition across various segments. Since then many have followed. Rue La La, Beyond The Rack and Prive are all respected propositions similar to Gilt. In the local market, we’ve seen Sukar and MARKAVIP do the same. They offer luxury products at massively discounted prices to buyers in the region.

Have you ever shopped at either? Their delivery schedules are deplorable but most users probably forgo that for the huge discounts that they get on the oft repeating collections of Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. On a perception level, the Sukar and MARKAVIP may seem like gated communities but we’ve found that readily allow users access within 20 minutes of “applying for membership.”

So, this is truly a perception of “exclusivity”. The fact that you – and quite a few others – have access to exclusive discounted luxury products probably has a high appeal to consumers. We’re always eager to know if either of these sites is on your daily to-view list.

THE GROUPON MODEL

GoNabIt (now LivingSocial), Cobone and Groupon all thrive on the group buying model. But we’ve rarely ever seen a deal not been provided to the user even if the target wasn’t reached. Also, there has slowly been news pouring in that the Groupon Model is already beginning to fade for brands and merchants. While this issue shouldn’t be attributed to Groupon per se but its the effect that it is having.

How merchants can convert a one-time user who walks in with a Cobone voucher to a returning one should depend on the merchant itself. But its the non-exclusive competition that Groupon and its type of websites provide that it has the negative effect on merchants. Every week you can walk away with a massage deal from a different spa. Every week you can book a different yacht or redeem vouchers at different restaurants.

As a business I can understand why they hate it, but as a consumer you’re excited about the savings you’re getting. But somewhere after the initial rush to buy vouchers online, do you ever feel that we’re hitting a saturation point with what is available on these platforms for you as a consumer? If you’ve used Groupon, Cobone or GoNabIt, how often do you return to it?

In our line of business, and as the truth hunters before me have represented, there is an infinite power in the collective wisdom of people: People who know what they want and people who want to share that with others. I don’t want to glorify folks in advertising, but we’re all a bunch of faceless warriors. We make brands famous without ever showing off a byline to tell the world that we’ve done it. For recognition, we turn to our trade mags. Borders No. 1, as I will always remember, was one such place. From the epic science-fiction section to the breakaway on Russian literature, No. 1 would make sure that you either found what you were looking for or helped you discover it. The former part of this scenario is very dictated as much of the design and creation models that businesses have today rely on the knowledge that people are looking for them. But it is the latter that is so much more important.

Discovery is the key to helping people find what they wouldn’t otherwise. Publishers know this best as they get the best editors in the world to create magazines that curate content for the everyman that can’t go around looking for it. Its for this reason that I sometimes wonder why editors today are even called that. They should be called Curators. And that is exactly where Borders got it all wrong too.

As a place that is teeming with books on everything from “Catcher in the Rye” to “Javascript for Dummies” and the latest Hustler to travel guides for Timbuktu, Borders never really could build the curation model. It instead left this to the world and slowly they lost their edge. If I wanted a bookshop, I could find many others and we did. Barnes & Nobles, Coles, Kinokuniya, Magrudy’s, Gandhi… the list is endless.

Its exactly here that I believe we need to change the way we need to take this example as a parallel for everything else that we create. The world today is so busy with so many things to see and so many things to do that you need to create something that finds them. Help them discover it and they will come. If you reach out to them hoping that they understand you as you do, they’ll probably never get here. People will define their own paths to get to the destination. All we can do is build roads for them and lead them there.

Two years ago, I found myself in an inspiring workshop by Daniel Burka, the creative director behind Digg. While ‘-isms’ were thrown around aplenty, his suggestion to pick up a copy of “How Buildings Learn” stuck with me. So awed by the parallelism that Stewart Brand draws in this book, I gave up my lunch hour before the the next session to pick a copy at, would you believe it – Borders. A Borders unlike No. 1, but it did the job.

One of the shining examples that comes from Stewart Brand’s take on architecture is the design of the walkways at MIT. In a class project, students were asked to create the best path from the street to a building on campus. Most set out to define the shortest path and the areas for best access. Some even drew straight lines. Much as we do today in advertising and brand building. However, it was one student who waited out the entire fall semester to come up with a design at the end. Over the four months, she would take photographs from the roof of the building, creating a timelapse of change that was happening on the ground. The result was phenomenal. What she found was that over time, people walking on the grass had created paths themselves. Where the grass was thinner and flat and couldn’t grow, she found the solution to her problem. People would walk across the grass and created a natural route undefined by systems or planning. It was a natural progression.

With advertising, we find ourselves in the same spot today. We will continue to create content for people. And while I won’t discount the traditional mediums of outreach, on the digital front user experience and accessibility is now being defined through dynamic channels that change paths and routes everyday. The masses will get there if we nudge them ever so slightly, as involuntarily as possible along the way to get here, to the dark side. While Borders never could understand the scope of letting people find them for what they wanted, we truth hunters shouldn’t let this wisdom pass. Borders gave the world over four hundred standard stores and much like Amazon, that sold them CDs, toys and everything else that bookworms don’t need. It became a classic example of letting the final destination change from a knowledgeable curator to a pick-what-you-want grocery store.

Borders No.1 will be shuttered and we will lose an icon like many that have gone before it. All because they failed to understand that it wasn’t merely aesthetics and diversity that influenced buying models in the world of books. They were letting people walk out of their stores without the infinite wisdom of what they knew best – books. It would be a shame if we let people do the same with the content and innovations we create. Becoming an educator on why our themes connect people will only leave them feeling stronger about us.

I may have jumped the gun on quite a few themes above, but here is the gist for the readers who saw an essay and proceeded all the way down to these closing lines: Content will get to people on social and digital platforms if it is strong enough. The same will work on ground too. Are you just a pretty face or do you have truth to share?

When I think about General Motors and their brand offering, I’m reminded of Old America – enormous beasts who could care less about the fuel-efficient scenarios of our times today. Even with the advent of Hybrid badges on most of their current SUV lineup, you never really expect them to go the distance. They will get you out of the ditch and they will bear bullets from a drive-by shooting but they won’t be convenient and easy to use. I’ve personally driven the Cruze and the Tahoe and even sat in the new Traverse. They are nice cars but there has always been something missing. I would never want to own them.

When I see a GM SUV (and I mean the Chevrolet sub-brand here), I imagine them either escorting the President down the Capitol or a season re-run of some police/spy TV drama – NCIS, CSI, Castle etc. Its always the same brand positioning for their vehicles. While Ford has been able to re-invent itself as a fun, fresh and edgy brand with excellent offerings such as the Civic-killer Fusion or the trendy Fiesta and even the Edge here has been hugely successful. The less I say about the new Explorer would be wise. But then everybody is allowed one mistake. My biggest concern with Chevrolet has been there almost one-ness across their upper SUVs. The Yukon, Denali, Tahoe and the Suburban all look almost identical. Huge bodies with massive frames, massive windows – usually tinted – to make them all just blend in. They never make a statement of design. And people like change.

The other problem with GM vehicles in the region has been the buyer perception. For years, the only GMCs I saw either came in from KSA or Qatar. As an expatriate, my South East Asian parents too turned to what we saw were more accessible vehicles – Landcruisers, Prados, Patrols, Pathfinders and the Range Rovers for the dose of luxury. Buying American was almost too risky. But that perception has been altered by Ford. GM, not so much. And I bought into that too. After watching TV, even I wished to be the Hip-Hop artist rolling around in an Escalade than the trailing Yukon or Denali security detail. You see the problem of perception. Inherently, I should feel much better about the Yukon or the Denali as it is trusted to being more secure and responsive but the effect just isn’t. It could just be me. So the GMCs were neither trendy nor economical.

The high selling effect of GMC in KSA is easily explained. Having seen a much higher American influence through the exploration of Oil and the Gulf War, the country has seen numerous GMCs rolling through their streets. They’ve seen the safety that the car provides and the space that goes with it. Here in Dubai, the early British influence saw an added impetus to buy Jaguars and Range Rovers. But Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi all found their niches helping cover the spectrum. I won’t talk about the German pseudo-SUVs. Yes, they’re called Crossovers but who really cares. We can talk about Jeep – both the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee – who’ve ensured that they’re market has always been carved out as durable but excellent outdoorsy fun ‘jeeps’. You may certainly feel that I’m all over the place on this one but let’s break it down by function.

1. Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi – economical, good spectrum of options and ultimately very reliable

2. Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee – fun and the true outdoor enthusiast

3. BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche and Mercedes – Save the G series from Mercedes, no SUV from any of these manufacturers should call itself that. They are luxurious sedans raised off the ground. Might I add that most of them have terrible air conditioning making them rubbish for this climate.

4. Honda – they’ve tried their hand at making SUVs but the Pilot doesn’t make any dent. Does anybody remember the HRV?

5. Range Rover and Land Rover – The styling of the new Range Rover has brought them back into the game but its old-school British charm still rubs off today. For the serious outdoor enthusiast, there should be none other than the Defender.

6. Ford – The Explorer has been very popular and with good reason. However we must wait and watch how the crappy new chassis, axle design and overall styling will find it here.

and finally…

7. GMC – Beastly vehicles driven with an intent to either kill or maim. Most times you’ll only see one with a KSA or Abu Dhabi plate in and around Dubai.

And so here it is. A fantastic opportunity for GMC to sell their cars, not as doses of luxury but the following checklist:
1. Safe Havens – Soccer Moms and families will find comfort in the fact that no other car – perhaps the now defunct, Hummer – can keep them safe

2. People Carriers – I know its a strange term to call them this but you have to bank on something

3. House Moving – No other SUV is rugged enough to handle this job as well as the GMC. No matter if you’re moving to the edge of the Desert in Mirdif, this beast will get you and your house there… in three trips or less.

4. Support the US of A – Buy American and strengthen the Dollar. As the Dirham is pegged to it, it only serves the greater good.

5. The Agent effect – You may not look like James Bond stepping out of one but you won’t look like a Chauffeur either. A black suit dude stepping out of a GMC is cool.

If you believe that I’m completely off my rocker, please go ahead and leave me a comment below. Don’t indulge in road rage.

It moves between a stream of different stories all shunting each other. The goal, quite predictably is – where would they all collide? And they do, in parts.

But this is where the problems also begin with Dhobi Ghat. Its actors have tried to seem real-life by underplaying their characters immensely. I’m going to be honest, there were flickers from Kriti Malhotra but she never was coached or directed well enough to carry out the underlying sentiment in her video diaries. Monica Dagra disappoints. She can be cute and bratty but she is waddling her way through whether she wants to leave the crowds in mystery or to give them a clear answer. Her indecision causes her late reaction reflexes on the final cut. Prateik does a fine job but he is too constricted. Its almost like he is on a leash. And so, like Monica who can’t make up her mind*, Prateik faces external pressures in weak help and a poorly written part.

I believe Kiran Rao could see this film in her head long before it was shot and so she was already in final cut mode. Aamir Khan the tortoise of all our analogy of moralistic goals, trundles in and just can’t support the writing with ideas. Weak misfortune here. And then he goes and underplays his character. It was disappointing to watch on all levels. And even, overplays them (hint: almost the end, discovery of third letter). A fan was severely disappointed of what could have been one of the most defining films of modern India. It tries to hold true to the ‘Salaam Bombay’ brilliance.

The background score by Gustavo Santaolalla is interesting but its not recurring nor like most other indie films, build you one level at a time through its twisting plot. And then suddenly even this 90mins film seems stretched because its not ripe with the sentiment, the acting is weak, the direction is just shoddy. The only person who fits the bill is Tushar Kanti Ray – our dear cinematographer who seems to do his best to show the Mumbai of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ with the backdrop of the oncoming rains. It is quite a  well shot film. But again his editing counterpart coupled with Aamir’s meticulousness delays and Kiran not rising to meet the expectations, come up with a film that is limping away on itself. Its an attempt at making indie fare but which connects with the Third Estate of Indian populace.

conclusion

A fan was severely disappointed of what could have been one of the most defining films of modern India.

1. “Couple” is Two and a “Few” is Three

One of the grand rules of Client Servicing or so I’ve learnt is that its a precise juggling of active communication. You’ve got your own internal design team to get the work done from and then you’ve got the… ah… clients.

*sigh*

So if you ever, ever promise the client that you’ll have it back in a ‘couple’ of hours, they’re thinking two. So just move to something a little more sane – “end of morning”.

2. End of Morning

I think this is the most essential phrase my dad (http://twitter.com/manojkgarg) could have taught me. If you said by Noon, the client is thinking – “what does he need half a day for?” You tell him, End of Day/COB, and then you’ve honestly called on the Ides of March. We’ve fortunately not yet talked about the first thing xDay morning. Next on that. But End of Morning, is just plain too positive.

End of Morning. To be precise, would mean by 11.59am. This is the perfect comeback. For two reasons:

1. People check their emails first thing in the morning and move on with their tasks or some come in at 10am and are in a rush to complete things-to-do. So you’re essentially not hearing back from your client until 11.

2. People go to lunch. Its that plain simple. Working lunches happen when one side is buying. If you haven’t heard back from your client until 12.30pm, you can assume they’re not returning till after lunch.

3. First thing ‘Sunday’ Morning

I honestly find this to be the most ridiculous reminder. First thing Sunday morning means, I begin working on Saturday. I honestly don’t mind putting in the first minute of  day – wait, may I brush my teeth – for a client who has been great but even then its a very herculean task. But unfortunately, our discussions can no longer erase this term from client memory.

4. The Client is always Right

Let’s do an introduction first. We, are the digital agency. We , bring ideas to the table. We, want you to become the best brand – helps us grow, its common sense. We, don’t mind the competition but will help you beat them. You, keep us going by sharpening away at our ideas till they feel right to you. You, keep us in check but your focus is selling, while ours is to help you do it right. You see what I mean. We want to help YOU, do it right. So please, listen to us. Let us suggest some things that will set you apart from every other Fan Page toting brand. Your #WIN, means more work for us. I always thought that it was a mutual growth, common sense, don’t you think?

5. Image sells and Balls sell even more

You walk into any advertising agency in Dubai and you will find yourself in Lebanon. Replace Beirut with glass facades and marble floors and you find yourself amongst the lords of the land – the Lebanese Invasion (could be a cool name for a Lebanese trance band). Why do you think that such a geographical abundance occurs here? Image is everything. To the early men in Dubai, the Indians came in to trade cloth, the Iranians for spices and nuts while the Lebanese came, toting their French mouths and their Arab hearts. The Arab Chic. That image still sells for them to this day.

And onwards to the most important aspect of being in the environment is to have balls. Plain and simple. My boss once said to me – “If you don’t oppose me, then why did I hire you?” I wasn’t sure if this statement had any support at the time. Man is prideful. He doesn’t like to be told otherwise. And certainly not a guy who has over 30years in the industry to somebody who is a Sophomore. But my boss has stood up to his end and I applaud him for that. But for me that meant, manning it up and being stubborn. Taught me a lot that one.

6. Language Cartels

There are three language cartels in Dubai – French, Arabic and… Malayalam. The first one allows the pseudo-Arab French yuppies to form their own language barriers mostly between teamworkers and clients. With clients, this can leave an Indian man with nothing else to do but play caddy. The second is a given considering the country you’re in. Most if not all clients speak Arabic. And the French Yuppies here too are at hand to break into Arabic when they can. The third cartel is for Malayalam. The less I say about it would be wise. But again, they too have made it a point to mirror the local sentiment and so they too can break into Arabic. Two cartels, who found a growth opportunity through language.

Which leaves us Hindi, Urdu and English speaking people. We are the floaters. The middle class if you may. So my advice – learn Arabic. Probably, even spray on some French if you fly through Paris (or Beirut).

To be continued…

In the 50s, Communism made a worthy rival for this nationalist pride and they marched on. They were now ready to focus elsewhere too. The gadgets of the past were contraptions to make tasks easier. It was to make the human mind easily connect and concoct nefarious new methods to voice its opinions and break the regime.  But still be at peace in the zone of active communication. It was here that we see the shift to the tech race. Freed from the working toil, Americans sought the technological race as an impending war would consume them in a global race to domination. They built virtual assets. It was a brilliant idea. Money now changed hands virtually in credit lines. Assets were consumed based on what the laser was picking up off a chip. It was all too bloody brilliant. But where did they slow down in the madness? They did.  But they’ll be back. The electric revolution will drive them.

The auto transmissions becomes popular at the turn of the previous century. The American dream becomes real. Large suburbia with gas guzzling automatic lifestyle for the newly invented ‘technologists’. They couldn’t be bothered with the mundane driving of the day. They wanted more simplicity to such an offhanded task. Automatic was easier. One foot less.

And similarly, hands free driving (for most lengths).

It was technology at the hands of the early adopters. A stark parallelism to this is the playground of digital and technological devices. The new age. The roads they built would go everywhere, but they would be straight. It would make this boring task, even more boring still.

While the rest of the world still enjoyed driving the stick shift way. They however did waste precious time, and energy at it. Slowing them down and becoming rotund. And they went down the American beginnings. Seeing the experience of the west, India and China were quick to fill the two strongest assets for growth: paperwork and production. The Americans were so great at sitting in offices that they could merely say things and have them typed in India, have their calls picked and submit a simple yes/no report to them. The laze gets thicker now. The markets crash on them and they now have a problem they can”t solve but begin by trying to add money to it. It does the trick, but its a slow one and the laze crazies still wanted their cut so many made money on this venture too. But its also taking time to rectify a problem. Its happening on two levels. The people are so done being lazy that they finally want to move on. The employers are so happy having 50 people who can work like 150, that they don’t want to hire back. “Lean is the new Mean,” or so they say. But now automatic is too old, people are making a turnaround. They want a fervent kick.  They’re awaking from the past and they want to make sense of the new world. Where insecurity is rampant and its an eye for an eye. They need a sporty trend setter. And for that, Electric is the new Mean. Its the perfect kickstarter for the upcoming revolutionary generation.

On the other edge of the globe, India and China are exploding beyond their boundaries. If asked the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi or Beijing, I believe the response would be similar – “To put an Indian/Chinese in every square mile of America”. The recession couldn’t have been better timing for either of these markets. They suffered – more the Chinese  than the Indians. The Chinese markets will rebound based on global demand anyway. More Androids in more pockets means more absolutely-low-paying-no-safety-job hours. More coin to some pocket there too. But the Indians saw what the Americans had built and like the light smack they do when crunching down on Gol Gappas, they embarked on a similar journey – global markets, steel, automotive, tech… It was a complete new level to them, both the Indians and the Chinese love the air of global cities. They are seeing what America did many years, previously. Its an air of power and supreme confidence.

The silence of the west has definitely proven for a reception for India and China globally as the shiny new apples.

The question, now arises is that will America simply concede that they’ve failed or will the shining of the newer efficient America, come back to set this three-way. Only time will tell.

Will continue until time permits another…

On the Mac, iTunes is the only choice you have as far as media players go. But iTunes isn’t merely a media player anymore. With the iTunes Store and Ping coupled in, it is the Apple marketplace on your desktop. Though very few folks actually buy music on the iTunes store in the Middle East, everybody is toting an iPhone or an iPod. Your syncing options therefore are singular in nature and thereby defines your media player too.

So here are some things I want to see on iTunes, if I ever go back from my beloved MediaMonkey on Win7. On the Mac, I’m still stuck with this piece of crap.

1. Now Playing

Every single media player that I’ve ever used has had an active playlist or as Windows Media Player called it – ‘Now Playing’. This single oversight on Apple’s part is perhaps one of the craziest UI decisions I’ve ever come across. Most times, I’m not playing a single playlist, but mixing and matching songs as my mood goes. If I feel the need to play only a couple of songs by The Decemberists and then change over to the Shins, I don’t want to update my already created playlists as I go along. I also don’t want to save every ‘Now Playing’ playlist. It’s crazy how many untitled playlists I have due to this reason. What can I say, my music moods are chaotic.

2. Diversified Media Folder Library

One folder for all your iTunes music is great. It’s awesome. But it’s also a little behind the times. Everybody I know has an external hard drive these days and more often than not, they’re carrying the sum total of all their media collections on them. If I carry this between home and work, the least I want is that my music is accessible easily. It would do well for iTunes to look in a library system where users can add multiple sources. One media folder is just too painful.

3. Play Next

This one again ties into my first feature wish. I don’t think this is a real priority but it would be nice to have, if they can’t do a ‘Now Playing’ playlist.

4. Support for native FLAC

I don’t care for Apple Lossless and I’m not going spend all that time converting all my FLACs to their lossless format.

5. Rating in the ‘Currently Playing’ box

I wish there was an easier way to change rating while the current song was playing. If I’ve scrolled down my damn library, I have to either scroll up to find the song and then rate it or I can search it out. Either way increased user interaction to a simple task that affects my listening habits.