This has been reported all over the web but… Apple have changed the function of the Zoom button (third round button in the top left of the window, usually green with a plus symbol on it). In previous versions of iTunes clicking the zoom button when iTunes’ window is maximized would shrink iTunes to mini player mode and vice versa. I’m guessing they change this function to make iTunes consistent with other apps but there are many who are not happy with this change. Anyway, now if you want the mini player you have the following options.
- Hold down the option (alt) key when clicking the zoom button
- Use the menu option – View > Switch to / from Mini Player
- or use its short-cut key combination of shift+command+M
As I said this is all over the web, so why am I adding to the noise. Well being a bit of an Apple Automation nut I’ve come up with a silly little app for those who want the one-click mini player option back. Download Zoom iTunes*, open the disk image and drag the app into your applications folder, drag it onto the dock (next to iTunes say) and you have a quick convenient (some might argue pointless) way of zooming to and from the mini player with one click.
N.B. It can take a mo to get going sometimes.
* All care but no responsibility taken.
2 Comments
Turns out, this was a bug, or at least they changed their minds about it.
iTunes 9.0.1 update changes it back to the old function where the zoom button switches to the mini player. Oh well, there was hope, but looks like Apple doesn’t want to quite define exactly what that button is really supposed to do….
Thanks for the feedback Dan. It’s nice to know I’m not just talking to myself. I suspect that Apple wanted to bring iTunes into line with other Apple apps and their own UI guidelines but then had to react to the user response. I for one was use to the ‘Zoom’ button switching to the mini player but was willing to live with the change. I’m guessing I was in the minority. Bet there were some very frank discussions going on at number one infinite loop about this though (Flies, Walls).