iTunes 6.02: Apple's New Spyware and Adware Application?

[amy]

Yesterday's update to iTunes 6.0.2 comes with a surprise: it's spyware and adware.

Since Apple launched the iTunes Music Store, iTunes has been a compromise: both a music management program and sales portal, it clearly separated the two, offering separate icons for your Library and the Music Store in its Source list. But the latest update adds something new that I find invading: when you go to your library, you see a "MiniStore" at the bottom of the window. This is easily removed (either by clicking the MiniStore button in the bottom-right section of the iTunes window, or by selecting Edit > Hide MiniStore), but it's not just its presence that's a problem...

http://www.mcelhearn.com/article.php?sto...1150127268

[Nat]

when the MiniStore is displayed, iTunes sends queries to the iTunes Music Store (this domain: ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/ministore) and to an Apple metrics server (metrics.apple.com). It also send some cookie information, which I have not yet been able to decipher. (And this is not limited to music--when I started playing an audiobook, the MiniStore changed accordingly as well.)

Jeepers, I'm glad I didn't update my iTunes - I'm still using version 4 (4.1.7.30).  I never saw any need to upgrade as this version does everything I need and now I'm really glad I didn't.