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Apple to split iTunes into standalone apps

By | Published on Thursday 11 April 2019

iTunes

Apple is planning to retire its bloated iTunes software in an upcoming MacOS update. Instead, it will replace it with separate apps for music, TV and podcasts, reports 9to5mac.

The move would bring Apple’s desktop operating system in line with its mobile devices, which have long had standalone entertainment apps. The update will also reportedly include a major redesign of the existing iBooks desktop app.

Apple recently confirmed plans to include a standalone TV app within MacOS as part of the launch of its new TV+ video streaming service. With that plan in place, it would make sense to break up all the other different parts of iTunes as well. Over time, iTunes has become ever more confusing to use, particularly as it houses both the iTunes music download store and the Apple Music streaming service.

Of course, with download sales continuing to plummet, there has been speculation for some time that Apple will drop music downloads from its business entirely at some point in the relatively near future. The launch of a standalone Apple Music app might be the time to do this. Although 9to5mac does say that Apple plans to keep the existing iTunes software around for the foreseeable future, as a means for older mobile devices to sync with a desktop computer.

The new apps are expected to appear in the next major update of MacOS later this year.



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