The blogosphere is getting pretty active with commentary about the iTunes for Windows launch. I’ve already moved back to listening to Rhapsody after a couple hours of running it. When I get some more time I’ll play with it some more and see if I can locate some music I’d like to buy. I left some comments at Blogcritics about my very early initial opinion of iTunes:

Been there, downloaded and have checked the Windows iTunes out and my initial opinion — which is subject to change after further usage — is I don’t see what makes this so much better than Rhapsody?

In fact, the music selection — at least what I like to listen to — seems in fact better on Rhapsody than iTunes at least from my limited searching and comparison so far. On Rhapsody you can listen to and make playlists from entire albums, songs and artist, not just 30 second previews of music you haven’t actually paid to download.

As for internet radio station support? Radio @ AOL has superior radio stations over the selection in iTunes that I skimmed through. Major buffering on the iTunes stations. It seemed a lot like they were using Shoutcast feeds (?) where the quality and reliability can vary wildly, so I don’t know if this is their problem really.

[Update: you can add your own streams by using CTRL+U]

As a download music app, at 99 cents per track, it seems pretty slick, but I think Rhapsody overall has a better interface (Rhapsody even has blogging support for blogger and the MT plugin built-in). Since this is my first look at iTunes, I would imagine Rhapsody borrowed heavily from the two pane design of iTunes.

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Read more from other blogging iTunes for Windows:
Don Kitchen points out Apple’s good sense of (advertising) humor
Is iTunes the start of a different Apple?
Curt feels like a kid in a candy store
Gammatron is not that impressed
mypencil: “There’s not enough memory available.”
dodoskido: “Buymusic.com doesn’t have a chance against iTunes slick interface and effortless managing/burning”

• Best Buy Rhapsody music preview system in stores
• Apple releases iTunes for Windows
• Review: Rhapsody online music service — the best model to distribute music legally?
• Diary of a legal music downloader: My new AAA buying strategy
• Microsoft to enter music download arena in 2004
• Buymusic now has “download all” option