Apple Is Ending iTunes

Apple Is Ending iTunes

Apple Is Ending iTunes: After 18 years of delivering downloadable music to a generation of music fans, Apple is reportedly planning to retire iTunes, the music infrastructure that’s long been synonymous with the tech giant.

According to a May 31 report from Bloomberg, Apple plans to announce their plans of dissolving iTunes and introduced a trio of standalone apps for music, television and podcasts at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif., next Monday (June 3). This purported move already matches the company’s media app initiatives on iPhones and iPads. So with the dissolution of iTunes, customers can manage their Apple gadgets through the Music app.

If Apple does, in fact, kill off iTunes, the moment would symbolize an end of a music era. In January 2001, Apple introduced the platform as a new way of file-sharing that was both user-friendly and lawful following the legal fallout of Napster and online pirating.

The move would also usher in a new era for the tech giant as streaming has now become the new format for most consumers to enjoy music. By having a separate entity for music, television and podcasts, Apple will reportedly now become an all-around entertainment services provider and not just a hardware/software tech company.

In June, Apple announced their multi-year partnership with Oprah Winfrey, in which the media mogul will deliver exclusive original programming to their new streaming TV platform. In addition, Apple has been exploring other mediums like gaming, publishing, payment (they have their own credit card) and more.

In the end, Apple will reportedly announce major developments to their iPhones, MacBooks, watches and TVs at the WWDC keynote speech on Monday. It will be interesting to see how consumers respond to the purported new changes.