It’s been rumored for a while now, but it looks like the news is now official: Apple is killing iTunes. Bloomberg that with its next OS update, 10.15, the digital behemoth will finally discontinue its iconic, game-changing software in order to separate it into a trio of new apps for Music, TV, and Podcasts.
The goal is to make the Mac desktop experience closer to the one the company already uses for its mobile and tablet devices, iPhone and iPad. Those devices already have separate apps for Apple Music, TV, and Podcasts, and bringing both experiences more in line with one another is expected to streamline file sharing between devices.
According to Rolling Stone: “By portioning out its music, television and podcast offerings into three separate platforms, Apple will pointedly draw attention to itself as a multifaceted entertainment services provider, no longer as a hardware company that happens to sell entertainment through one of its many apps.”
As sales of iPhones slow down in the face of competition, Apple likely wants to shift the public’s perception of just what the company does. It’s not just a device manufacturer, its a purveyor of the media you enjoy in your day-to-day life.
Some may mourn the death of iTunes, which was a pioneer in changing the way we consume media on our digital devices, but others will likely celebrate. The app had its fair share of issues, from a clunky, user-unfriendly interface to near-nonstop, unavoidable updates, that made using it as much of a headache to use as it was indispensable for many Mac users. Its death symbolizes the end of an era, one that it helped jumpstart back when file sharing and .mp3s were sending the recording industry into a panic. RIP, iTunes and good riddance.
