WWDC 2019: Apple Finally Kills Off iTunes

Apple iTunes is dead. Long live Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. That’s right, after 18 years of service, Apple is killing iTunes off. Finally. Much to the relief of anyone who has struggled to get to grips with the bloated mess we call iTunes.

A Brief History of Apple iTunes

In 2001, Apple launched iTunes, which it described at the time as “the world’s best and easiest to use jukebox software.” It was created to help Mac users create and manage their music library, and it did exactly that. And at the time it was revolutionary.

Apple built iTunes to be a one-stop-shop for your entertainment needs. Unfortunately, that meant iTunes became increasingly bloated as people’s digital habits evolved. And as iTunes became more bloated it became less usable. Hence Apple’s decision to kill iTunes.

The End Is Nigh for Apple iTunes

Apple announced the end is nigh for iTunes at WWDC 2019. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, actually cracked a funny by suggesting Apple was going to add even more bloat to this already bloated piece of software.

iTunes started off the rip, mix and burn music…

RIP and burn, iTunes

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) June 3, 2019

Thankfully, he was joking, and Apple is actually splitting iTunes up into three separate apps. These being Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. These are all new apps built from scratch, so they look and feel like they’re from 2019 rather than 2001.

Apple Music will be solely focused on music, be based on iTunes, and boast some of its best features. You’ll be able to access your own library of music, or (if you pay for a subscription) discover the millions of songs available to stream.

Apple TV will be the new home for your movies, TV shows, and (when it launches) Apple TV+. You’ll be able to watch all of your content in the app, and pick up where you left off across your devices. On Mac, the Apple TV app will also support 4K content.

Apple Podcasts will bring “700,000 of the best entertainment, comedy, news, and sports shows” to your Mac. You’ll be able to search by podcasts “by title, topic, guest, host, and more,” and subscribe to specific shows to be notified about new episodes.

Goodbye and Good Riddance to iTunes

The new apps will arrive as part of Catalina, the next version of macOS. Catalina will be released this fall, which gives you just a few months left to put up with use iTunes. So, in the meantime, here’s how to see everything you’ve ever purchased on iTunes.

Image Credit: Fdecomite/Flickr

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