End Of An Era: Apple Is Scrapping iTunes

Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to announce some big changes for the tech company at an upcoming software development conference in San Jose, CA.

Bloomberg reports that Apple intends to streamline their app service by making new tools available to developers in order to easily develop apps across the platforms rather than platform by platform.

Developers will get new tools to build iOS apps for Mac laptops and desktop computers, essentially unifying Apple’s app ecosystem. This follows last year’s rollout of iPad versions of Apple’s News, Voice Memos, Home, and Stocks apps on the Mac. The expectation is that single versions of all apps will eventually be able to run on every Apple device. As part of the shift, more underlying technologies will also merge.

“The transition might not be finished for a couple of years, but this is the strongest push Apple has made toward the unification of its two platforms,” said developer Steven Troughton-Smith. “Apple and developers can put more effort into one version of things instead of having to build everything twice.”

Apple hopes to make their Apple Watch more independent as well.

When Apple launched the Watch in 2015, it was positioned as the next major product after the iPhone. But sales haven’t reached iPhone levels and the Watch still relies on the handset. After adding cellular connectivity support to the device two years ago, the company will use its next software update, watchOS 6, to further break it free from the iPhone by adding an on-board App Store, new apps like a calculator and voice recorder, and new messaging features.

One of the biggest changes for consumers will be in the complete elimination of iTunes. No longer will Apple users go to one place for all their entertainment. Instead, Apple intends to separate music, movies and podcasts into different apps. They’ll also be getting into the original programming game.

iTunes has been the way Apple users listen to music, watch movies and TV shows, hear podcasts, and manage their devices for almost two decades. This year, Apple is finally ready to move into a new era. The company is launching a trio of new apps for the Mac – Music, TV, and Podcasts – to replace iTunes. That matches Apple’s media app strategy on iPhones and iPads. Without iTunes, customers can manage their Apple gadgets through the Music app.

There will be other tweaks as well to things like health monitoring, most interestingly an app that monitors audial health – how loud headphones are and how much stress the sound is putting on the ears. Apple apparently will also be working on more “augmented reality” capabilities like 3D glasses and devices.