Don't buy iLife '11 -- read the bad reviews

Whew! I just saved myself $49 and possibly a whole lot of aggravation, judging from the reviews of iLife '11 that I read on Apple's web site.

If you're thinking of upgrading to new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand, check out the largely dismal reactions of those who made the mistake of moving from iLife '09 (which I'm using on my MacBook Pro).

I love iPhoto and iMovie. So I figured that iLife '11 would have new and improved versions of these great programs. Unfortunately, iPhoto '11 and iMovie '11 appear to be inferior.

I sure hope Apple gets its act together and fixes the problems with iLife '11 before I buy my next MacBook, or I'll demand that I get iLife '09 on the new computer. Here's some typical user reviews of iLife '11.

If a negative number were allowed I'd use that.

Extremely disappointed in the so called "upgrade" to iphoto. Runs slower, Faces is running constantly slowing things down and you can't share photos easily anymore.

I'd lose Faces in a heartbeat and go back to the picture sharing iphoto 09 had too. I hate having to use the templates. This reeks of the Bill Gates style of upgrade. Fewer features, fewer choices and no chance to go back.

C'mon Apple, let's have a fix, in my opinion this is a huge step backward.

----------------------------------

I wish I had never bought this product. I have (had) over 19,000 chronologically-ordered photos in iPhoto. Now I have a 19,000 photo mess, as they seem to have been imported and dumped randomly. I get the pinwheel of death all the time and iPhoto is slower than it was when I started using it 7 or 8 years ago. I hate this update and will be uninstalling it.

----------------------------------

I’ve owned every iLife, but this is definitely my last. I’m not paying Apple for this software again. Never a strong application, iPhoto in particular has sunk to new lows. The application is filled with glaring problems.

It is now harder to share photos by email, not easier: you can no longer simply place plain photos in an email message, but are forced instead to use cutesy templates that focus on PRESENTING photos but are useless for actually just, y’know, sending photos.

----------------------------------

i am completely disappointed in apple for releasing this incredibly dysfunctional product. i've been a faithful user of apple products for decades and this is the first software product they have released that i find singularly disappointing. i regret the day i installed this version of iphoto and wrecked havoc on all of my iphoto events. i would give it negative stars if possible.

----------------------------------

I can't ever get over how much of a complete failure iMovie is ever since it was retooled, seemingly on a whim. The old iMovie was just great but this version is the most unintuitive piece of junk I have seen in a long time, especially for Apple. Please make this more like the old iMovie, i.e. a scaled down version of Final Cut and fire whoever is responsible for this. This is just dreadful.

----------------------------------

This version of GarageBand is unexpectedly quitting on me about every five minutes (on a brand-new Core i7 MacBook Pro, with no other apps running and no peripheral gear attached). Aside from this, the only "improvement" I see in the other apps is the fact that you can play videos from within iPhoto. That's what fifty bucks got me.

Sure, there are positive reviews also. But I read through quite a few pages of user comments, and the overall reaction to iLife '11 is uncharacteristically negative for an Apple product.

Upgrade if you want to. Just realize that you may be taking a step backward, functionality-wise, not forward.

Comments

[Blogger Brian]

Good news. Apple just issued an update for iPhoto that looks like it will fix some of the problems early ungraders have been having.

The lesson, unfortunately, is that Apple is becoming more like Microsoft. Meaning, when an update comes out, it's wise to wait a while before installing it to see how well it works. See:
http://www.macrumors.com/2010/12/21/apple-releases-iphoto-9-1-1-with-new-email-options/

[Kelsie]

I think ilife 11 is great! I use it for school and for fun it was defiantly worth it!

[Philippe Delesalle]

! am completely discussed & annoyed with my unfortunate latest upgrade to Iphoto 11

All worked very well before & now it is awfull - complicated & NOT doing the job. I want to go back to the previous VERSION-
Emailing photos - dragging them to new album , all thios was simple , Now it is most complicated. Apple IS NOT helping- We are so sorry. & do not know what to do.

[Michelle Stefani]

It might be a dumb question but does anyone know if you can order photo-books from Apple if you prepare them with iPhoto'09?

I want to create a photo book and have it printed, but I don't want to do all the work only to find it is only an option with iPhoto'11 (which I would have upgraded to today, but for all the negative feedback).

And if so, is there any disadvantage to me in using iPhoto'09?

[MIKE NEWTON]

OOPS!! glad I read this as I was just going to buy the 11 version!!! I have been disappointed in 9 as I am totally unable to adjust accuratly the size of the photos for printing.

I had serif on my PC and that did the job quickly and easily and spot on. Why with all the apple money technology and geeks can't they provide a intuitive version instead of all the phafing about with pixels and looking around etc?

[Reed Turnbow]

It didn't take them long after Steve Jobs died to hire a bunch of PC Geeks to mess up what use to be awesome. IMovie 11 works just like a PC. You have to be a propellerhead to run it. Actually, I am just guessing that they can run it.

[Reed Turnbow]

Can anyone tell me how I can git rid of imovie 11 and get my old version back on my computer?

[korry]

I don't know how iMovie '11 got installed but I need to get iMovie '09 back. is there a way? Thanks.

[IMovie11 Hater]

I hate "iMovie11". It's garbage. Good luck trying to put together conventional projects such as documentaries or other projects with detailed sound and visuals. IMovie11 is NOT set up for that. Filming simplly drab and dull productions with little to no effects, fine. But conventional industrial stuff?? NO.. I have put together projects in the past with IMovie11 and it always crashed or simply could NOT compress the film. IMovie7 was excellent. IMovie11 is "bare bones" compared to it. I put together a detailed 3 hour doc, it took 6 hours to compress and then it wound up having some clips that were silent for some reason. I re-compressed it for another 6 hours after correcting the problems and it never even showed up in the system after compression!!!! And this is the SECOND time this has happened!!!!! So what was it "doing" for six hours, picking its nose???? These are just SOME of the problems with IMovie11.. At times I just wanted to drive my fist right through the computer.. Or I simply felt like just throwing it through the upstairs window so it flies down and smashes all over the back yard patio.. Mac sucks for conventional editing.. Consistant crashes and phantom compressions.. What were these idiots even THINKING when they did MAC LION??? I bought this computer in 2011 and blew $2000 for basic garbage...

[IMovie11 Hater]

Fire whoever made IMovie11.. Seriously.. I'm not kidding.. Fire them.. It is not only an embarrassment to Apple, it's an embarrassment to filmmakers and photographers everywhere who try to use this product for their projects. IMovie07 was excellent. Talk about excellent quality. IMovie11? Total junk.. I seriously don't know what kind of drugs these cronies were doing when they made IMovie11 but nevertheless, whether they did drugs or not doesn't matter as their logic was convoluted anyway. IMovie11 needs to be put down and voted as the worst IMovie EVER. It goes BACKWORDS, not FORWARDS. I cringe at the thought of what any IMovie would be like afterwards..