Hevel.org: A Chasing after Wind

I just posted about iTunes U, but I wanted to add one complaint to the mix.

It is clear to me that Apple now needs an iTune U app for the Touch and iPhone. The content I have grabbed through iTunes U is still mixed in with other videos and audio files in my Videos and Music applications. In Music, they are not even with the podcasts, but rather sorted with the normal music. Here is Mark Goodacre rubbing shoulders with Metallica and Miles Davis:

A tip: one can get a list of all iTunes U content by browsing to Genre and iTunes U. This is better than nothing, but not a real solution because the iTune U content is split between audio and video. What if the same course includes a mixture of both? The student is forced to skip around and hunt for whatever is next. That isn’t the Apple way, now is it?

This is where Apple would benefit from allowing someone to write an app specifically for organizing and presenting iTunes U content on the device. Given their stance on Podcaster, however, I am not optimistic. Perhaps they will eventually get around to it, or will allow someone else to meet the need. The large schools providing content for iTunes U (their “featured” partners) need to pressure them in this regard. In the meantime, iTunes U is a wonderful resource and easy to manage on the computer side, but needs work before it shines on Apple’s premier platform.