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Apple “sneaks” MobileMe prefs into Windows via iTunes update

iTunes 7.7 installs a control panel on Windows Vista and XP for MobileMe, …

Here are your MobileMe preferences, sir. I'm very, very sneaky, sir. While MobileMe preferences are built-in to Mac OS X 10.5.4, making setting up the various syncing options a breeze, the same isn't true of Windows. To make the experience as simple as it is on a Mac, Apple has apparently chosen to include the control panel as part of the installer for iTunes 7.7, which is required to sync with an iPhone. However, the move has surprised many Windows users that do not use MobileMe, and has spurred a number of comparisons to the Software Update-Safari 3 kerfuffle from earlier this year.

Like the Safari issue, the problem that most people see is that the installer adds an unrequested piece of software for all the people who use iTunes but not Apple's MobileMe. Though many users aren't likely to notice the addition if they don't visit Windows' Control Panel very often, it might still have been better for Apple to have set up iTunes 7.7 to install the control panel on-demand if the user wants to use MobileMe syncing. Although Apple's intent was not likely nefarious, you would think Apple would have planned a better way to get MobileMe preferences on the system for users who want it without needlessly upsetting users who do not, given the fuss generated by the automatic installation of Safari via Software Update in the past.

Channel Ars Technica