iTunes 8 - or is that iBSOD 8?

It looks like Apple has released an update to their recently released iTunes 8 software due to an extraordinary number of BSODs, STOP errors and general system instability that iTunes 8 caused. It appears that a number of the "extra" applications that Apple included with the latest iTunes+Quicktime update are the cause of the Apple-generated Windows instabilities.

Now, we don't install nor support Quicktime on our client's computers unless there's a good business reason that they need it. If they need Quicktime playback, we install and support the Quicktime Alternative as it provides the functionality without the bloatware.

iTunes 8, an 80 MB download as compared to the 25 MB size of Windows Media Player, includes a known to be unstable USB driver. The updated iTunes 8 installation rolls this back to the earlier driver which is less unstable. Why not a) fix the driver or b) drop it altogether as it isn't needed, well it wouldn't be if Apple wrote iTunes properly.

Now, add this iTunes 8 issue (admittedly, this particular issue has been somewhat addressed now) with the rest of the iPhone issues, such as almost useless GPS, laggy response times, no capability of uing it as a modem for a laptop, lack of cut and paste, no wireless sync with iTunes, 15 minute maximum before the screen locks, slow 3G speeds in Australia, lots of dropped calls (fixed by firmware 2.02), weak reception indoors, iTunes Store issues that occasionally de-activate the iPhone, making it able to make only emergency calls, MobileMe issues, the fact that despite locking your iPhone, your contacts, web browser cache and other details are available to anyone with a want to find this information and yet more issues, I have to wonder why anyone would actually want to buy an iPhone?

Also, were it Microsoft releasing all of this "additional" functionality without mentioning it (aka the iTunes 8 update), the EU and various other anti-competitive bodies as well as a great many people worldwide would be condemning this. Because it is Apple, it seems to pass by under the radar. Does something smell bad here?

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie