Apple Music Launches Browser Beta Because the Rule of Services

Before the big demonstration of Apple next week, a new beta appeared at the URL https://beta.music.apple.com. The beta gives you access to Apple Music, the renowned and music-centric element of the entity known officially as the iTunes.

iTunes should be removed from macOS with the next update at 10:15 Catalina and had already replaced iTunes under iOS in 2017 by iOS 10. Apple Music, which originally existed as a music service before replacing iTunes, launched in 2015 and replaced by Beats Music, who also had a web version.

The new Web version is attractive and, at least for me, faster than the version of iTunes offered in macOS 10.14. However, at least one person from Gizmodo's office reported that the service had not been loaded into his browser. Instead, he opened iTunes, which immediately froze. After the assigned Gizmodo staff member stated that he was using a 2015 MacBook Air with 10.11 El Capitan installed, I refused to talk to him further.

Although El Capitan users may not be lucky, an Apple spokesman told Verge that the beta would work on all browsers, including those based on Chromium such as Chrome and Edge. , as well as Windows 10, Android and Chrome OS. We confirmed that it works under Windows 10.

As noted developer Steve Troughton-Smith This new beta seems to indicate that applications, at least for Apple, could one day give way to the Web. It would be alarming for Apple to make such a decision. Applications such as iTunes, Final Cut Pro and News, soon gone, have been an essential way for Apple to keep users connected to its ecosystem. The idea, for a very long time, is that you have to use All-in on Apple to benefit from the best experience.

However, with the big move of Apple in services this year, this must clearly change. Nobody will pay a monthly subscription for TV + or News +, or even for Apple Music, if the services can not be used without effort on several platforms. Why subscribe to TV + while Netflix is ​​working properly? Right?

We have already seen Apple move away from a philosophy previously guided by the company. AirPlay 2 is on Sonos. With Apple Movies, it is also available on Vizio, Samsung and LG TVs – no Apple decoder is required.

Who knows, maybe Arcade could come on Android someday. Or News + on Windows. As Apple begins to prioritize services over hardware, anything is possible – and the need to integrate the ecosystem may become much less necessary.