P
revious reports have suggested the new
version will be created specifically for
Apple Music, rather than being
integrated within it. It is likely to keep
some of the same features, but drop the older
parts of the app that have been accrued over
the many years it has been available. As well
as the music app, Apple is expected to release
separate apps for videos and podcasts, which
have also been a part of the iTunes app. The
TV version is already available on some
platforms, and will soon come to others as
well as start offering Apple’s own streaming
video service.
The app always had a divisive reputation, and
many will not mourn its demise. While it
helped bring about the iPod era and was one
of the primary ways for people to store music,
it also gradually became more and more
bloated and slow as Apple added increasing
numbers of functions into the app. It’s likely
that Apple will keep iTunes around for a short
while, at least in some form. It remains the
17 | Colossium . June 2019
only way for people to manage older iPod
devices that never had internet connections
and so can’t stream music.
Songs bought through the iTunes Store will
also almost certainly stick around, probably
being present in the new version of the music
app too. But it is unlikely Apple will integrate
the store with that app in such a way as to
allow people to make new purchases.
$25 iTunes
subscription card