Apple launches its first development tools to increase the number of applications for Mac

(Reuters) – Apple Inc. is expected to offer software companies new tools to make adapting their iPad and iPhone applications to their Mac laptops easier at its annual developer conference in San Jose, California.

The thousands of developers expected in San Jose this week are writing apps in the Apple App Store. The App Store is one of the key drivers of the iPhone manufacturer's service segment, which generated $ 37.1 billion in revenue last year. Apple levies a portion of sales on applications sold in the store, although this practice is scrutinized in several court proceedings.

Investors are turning to Apple's service business to boost revenues and profits as iPhone sales go down. The company's latest quarterly earnings report recorded the largest annual decline in its signature product.

But Apple has always sold more than 10 times more iPhones and iPads than Mac computers from last year, so many developers are focusing on writing their apps for them rather than on the Mac.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Chief Software Officer Craig Federighi are expected to announce in a keynote address new tools that will make it easier for developers to put their applications on Mac without completely rewriting the code. At last year's conference, Apple presented an overview of the tools, saying they would be released this year, and Bloomberg announced in recent weeks that Apple was still considering publishing them.

This initiative could expand the number of applications available for Macs and give Apple more chances to earn money with the applications of its oldest product line. Apple will also update its operating systems and applications at the annual conference.

Apple should remove the iTunes application for Mac. Introduced in 2001 by Steve Jobs to load songs on the new iPod, iTunes has expanded over the years, allowing users to manage music and movies as well as manage backups and updates iPhones and iPads. IPhone updates can now be managed wirelessly, and Apple has announced the replacement of iTunes with standalone applications for music, video content, and podcasts, similar to how these tasks are handled on iPhones and iPads. iPads.

The updates come at a time when Apple's App Store practices are under consideration. Last month, the US Supreme Court authorized a lawsuit by users alleging that Apple had inflated the price of apps by banning iPhone from downloading apps outside of the App Store.

Spotify Technology SA, whose music service competes with Apple, filed an antitrust complaint in Europe against Apple's App Store practices.

Apple shares rose 0.8% to $ 176.43 before the start of the annual developer conference.