Adam Satariano and Andy Fixmer report for Bloomberg that Apple plans to overhaul iTunes by the year’s end to further integrate iCloud features and better sharing media, according to their sources:
Apple Inc. plans an overhaul of iTunes that would mark one of the largest changes to the world’s biggest music store since its 2003 debut, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Apple will unveil the changes by year’s end, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. The company will more closely integrate its iCloud file- storage service with iTunes so users can more seamlessly access and manage their music, videos and downloaded software apps across different Apple gadgets, the people said. Apple also plans new features for sharing music, the people said.
Their source continues to note the overhaul’s purpose is to better how people manage their files and also discovery of new and existing media on iOS devices. Apple has been in negotiations with record labels to allow rights for people to listen to a song for free sent from a friend, as part of an initiate to improve song sharing, the source notes.
The report’s timeline of having a new version of iTunes by the end of 2012 is similar to what was also reported by 9to5Mac back in mid-February of this year.
If there is a time for Apple to revamp iTunes, it is now as the software is long overdue for a more efficient way to manage media on our iOS devices. An announcement would make sense at the same time of any future next-generation iPhone event, which is rumoured once again for this Fall.
[via Bloomberg]
