The iTunes app for Mac seems to be on the chopping block after eighteen years.
That’s according to a new report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, who explains that Apple plans to retire the iTunes app at this year’s WWDC — which kicks off with a keynote on Monday, June 3 — following the program’s public debut eighteen years ago at the January 2001 Macworld Expo:
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.
If there’s ever been an app that grew and grew and added so many features over the years until it felt bloated, it’s iTunes.
Recent reports have alluded to the possibility that iTunes will be renamed to “Music,” which will then likely become to the new go-to utility for syncing and managing iOS devices. TV and Podcasts, which are also parts of the iTunes platform, will then become their own standalone apps, much like they are on iPhones and iPads.
While this iTunes breakup might help streamline the iOS/music management process, it’s still a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to one of Apple’s most quintessential software.
Here’s a quote from the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs from Apple’s press release about iTunes in 2001:
Apple has done what Apple does best — make complex applications easy, and make them even more powerful in the process. iTunes is miles ahead of every other jukebox application, and we hope its dramatically simpler user interface will bring even more people into the digital music revolution.
