Apple is reportedly set to finally ditch iTunes with the next big update to the Mac operating system (APPL)

May 31, 2019

Bob Dylan Steve Jobs iTunes Launch 2003

Next Monday at its developer conference, Apple will announce the end of iTunes alongside an update to its MacOS operating system, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday.
In its place, Apple will reportedly announce three new apps for Macs that allow users to access their music, TV shows and movies, and podcasts in separate places. These apps — Music, TV, and Podcasts — already exist on iPhones and iPads today.
The Bloomberg report also said that without iTunes, users will manage their iPhones and iPads through the Music app moving forward.
iTunes revolutionized the music software world in the early 2000s, but it's since become an object of scorn for many.
It's not clear what will happen to the Windows version of iTunes.
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A software product that helped define a generation is soon to be no longer.

Next Monday at its developer conference, Apple will announce the end of iTunes, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday.

In its place, Apple will reportedly announce three new apps for the MacOS operating system that allow users to access their music, TV shows and movies, and podcasts in separate places. These apps — Music, TV, and Podcasts — already exist on iPhones and iPads today, but will reportedly come to the Mac with the next big software update releasing this year.

The Bloomberg report also said that without iTunes, Mac users will manage their devices through the Music app moving forward. It's not clear what will happen to iTunes for Microsoft Windows.

iTunes revolutionized the music software world in the early 2000s — first available on personal computers running MacOS or Windows. As former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said when iTunes first came to Windows PCs: "It's like offering a glass of ice water to somebody in hell."

The music platform — which would add videos by 2005 — helped drive the immense popularity of the Apple iPod, as it was a convenient place to store music burned from existing CDs or purchased on its iTunes Store.

But as consumer preferences have changed over the years and Apple's strategy has shifted to streaming services, the iTunes platform seems to have simply be gotten in the way. For instance, subscribers to Apple Music — the company's music streaming service — must access the service on Macs through iTunes.

Having standalone apps for its different streaming services could help Apple compete with the likes of Spotify and Netflix. The decision also comes at a time when the tech giant has indicated a growing investment in its services, like Apple Music or the forthcoming Apple TV+, to offset its slowing hardware business.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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