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Launched for the first time in 2001, Apple's iTunes is certainly one of the most widely used software ever designed – and one of the most controversial.
As useful as the music and media management tool has been used over the years, especially for those of us who own an iPod, an iPhone or an iPad, it 's also transformed, extended and evolved to become a legacy and confusing software.
It's about to change, though. At WWDC 2019, Apple announced that it will soon close iTunes on Mac, replace it with new, separate applications for Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts, which will help the company focus better on each type of media.
But what about all the music you have accumulated and the playlists you cleverly designed? What about people who still want to buy digital songs rather than paying a monthly subscription? And perhaps more importantly, what about Windows PC users? Apple has published a brief FAQ to help us, now giving us answers to all these questions. Here is everything you need to know.
From: iTunes to Apple Music, Podcasts, TV
As usual, Apple used WWDC to unveil the next big macOS update, macOS Catalina, and the event was preceded by headlines announcing the inevitable death of iTunes. And they were right, to a certain extent.
That's true: on Mac, iTunes goes as software. The long-awaited shutdown of iTunes is finally happening. As noted above, Apple will deploy separate applications for music, television and podcasts specifically designed to showcase and manage each type of media.
Apple Music, the company's all-you-can-listen subscription service, has become an important revenue driver in recent years, as people turn away from the purchase of albums and music. individual pieces. The iTunes Store surely still has ardent users who want to "own" their music, but these numbers are shrinking significantly. The fusion of classic iTunes and Apple Music has never been the most harmonious couple. This refocusing is logical.
Similarly, as digital video becomes an increasingly important part of the entertainment ecosystem, it has helped make iTunes a tedious and difficult business to navigate. With Apple's launch of its own Apple TV Plus streaming service this year with original TV shows and movies, trying to put it away in the existing iTunes experience could have been a disaster. Instead, Apple launches a dedicated TV application with macOS Catalina.
And as the popularity of podcasts continues to grow, it makes no sense to keep trying to include it as a pillar of listening alongside Apple Music and the iTunes Store within one application . The Podcasts app will benefit from its own dedicated experience that fans will be able to use on their Mac.
How is it going to happen?
Essentially, iTunes shares its responsibilities between three kids apps, and they will continue to inherit this way in a way, hopefully, easier to use. And Apple, the company "it works", seems to want to make sure that this transition does not represent an excessive burden for Mac users, as they get used to switching to new types of applications. multimedia.
Apple has released an assistance document that answers a lot of outstanding questions from WWDC reveal, including what each app will do and how your iTunes content will be handled by these new apps. Not surprisingly, just about everything should happen automatically.
Music that you have imported into iTunes or purchased from the store will be automatically available through the Apple Music app. This also applies to playlists and smart playlists, so you do not have to worry about your "Workout Jamz" or "Best Summer EVER" playlists anyway. They will still be as incredible as ever in Apple Music.
Surprisingly, the iTunes Store itself will not go away: it will simply be a tab in the Apple Music app on Mac. If you subscribe to the Apple Music service, you can even hide the list from the iTunes Store, for simplicity. Meanwhile, the iOS and Apple TV versions of the iTunes Store will remain exactly as they are today.
ITunes podcasts, as expected, will be automatically transferred to the new Podcasts app, along with your subscriptions. The audio books will be sent to the Apple Books update application on Mac, however, and you will use this app to purchase other audio books in the future.
Movies and TV shows that you have purchased or rented from iTunes will automatically appear in the Apple TV App, which you will then use for future purchases and rentals. And when the new Apple TV subscription service comes online, it will coexist with your purchases, just as Apple Music will do with iTunes Store purchases.
Got a credit on iTunes? Do not worry, it will transfer. Ditto for all the iTunes gift cards you have right now – you do not have to hurry to swap them right away. You can still use them with new apps and the App Store.
Finally, backups, synchronization and recovery on iPhone, iPad and iPad will be done via the Finder on Mac. That's about all then, right?
What about iTunes on Windows PCs?
Good question! While Apple is obviously more interested in incorporating the latest and most powerful software on its own hardware, iTunes has a considerable number of users on a Windows PC. Many of them have probably become hooked via an iPod, an iPhone or an iPad, while others can subscribe to Apple Music. But in reality, they are still spending money in Apple's ecosystem, they have to stay happy.
Here are the good and the bad news: nothing changes for PC users. This is good news because existing iTunes will remain exactly as it is, which means that it's not necessary to get used to new software and that it's not. There is no reason to fear that the transition is happening less easily than expected by Apple.
The bad news, of course, comes from all the small complaints mentioned above. Although iTunes is sufficiently functional these days, it has become huge and complex over the years. Cramming the new Apple TV subscription service out there is surely feasible, like Apple's with Apple Music, but that will not make iTunes look cleaner or easier to navigate.
But that's the reality of the situation at the moment, at least. Maybe Apple will deploy separate applications in the future or streamline or rework iTunes for the PC audience. We must, however, think that this is probably not a high priority in the grand scheme of things. In addition, if Macs have the best Apple entertainment software, this is just another potential reason to force PC owners to switch systems.
All Mac users with compatible devices will see big changes to September or October when macOS Catalina will be deployed, but those who are not afraid to play with the pre-release software can find a solution faster: Apple has released a version of development for developers. After the WWDC speech, macOS Catalina and everyone can sign up and download the public beta when it comes out in July.
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