May iTunes R.I.P. On Monday, at the Apple’s WWDC 2019 Keynote, the company revealed about the shut down of the 18 years iconic music platform iTunes that entertained millions of iTunes fans with music downloads, streaming, and storage.
Apple Inc. at the conference announced that iTunes would be replaced with a trio of desktop apps- Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts.
Craig Federighi, Apple senior VP of the software said that
“The future of iTunes is not one app, it’s three. Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV.”
Launched in 2001, iTunes has shifted lifestyles with streaming music, video, and more from the internet cloud as online data centers and high-bandwidth connections that rise to on-demand entertainment expectations.
Carolina Milanesi, Creative Strategies analyst, said
“There is no reason for iTunes to exist, period.”
“If I want music, I have the app. If I want TV, I have the app. That is how people are thinking today.”
The end of iTunes comes in 3 separate apps with Apple preparing the worldwide launch of an eponymous TV later this year. The content will be made avail on an upgraded Apple TV app, will be soon on smart television sets and third-party platforms that include Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV.
Apple also unveiled the podcast app and said that the service would be tailored to work on its smartwatch, independently.
At the opening day of Apple’s WWDC, the company presented the line-up from wrist-wear to iPhones, Car Play along with Siri, a virtual assistant.
Apple is aiming to leverage its position with about 900 million people worldwide who use at least one of its devices.
The packed WWDC audience cheered when executives spoke of improvements that promised to make it easier for one app to work across the array of devices.
Apple is apparently trying to get app makers looking beyond the iPhone to the company’s family of hardware with a message of “better together,” Milanesi reasoned.
“It is about the breadth of those devices together,” the analyst said.
As high-end Android-powered phones made by Google become more attractive to iPhone users, having apps that extend experiences across Apple Watch, iPad, TV and Mac help keep them loyal to the brand, according to Milanesi.
“Not only are you driving more engagement with Apple, you are lowering the risk of having users go elsewhere,” she said.
Next-generation iOS software powering iPhones coming out later this year was reworked “top to bottom” to be faster, according to Federighi.
Apple chief Tim Cook and other executives focused on privacy features of improved software across the range of devices.
Protections being added to iOS mobile operating software included the option of giving apps permission to access location just once, instead of all the time, and letting users know when apps are tracking their whereabouts.
A new “Sign In With Apple” feature will be launched as an alternative to logging in using Facebook or Google accounts.
“This can be convenient, but it can also come at the cost of your privacy,” Federighi said.
“These log-ins can be used to track you.”
The iOS log-in feature will let people sign into apps using AppleID information, but provides the option of masking user names or email addresses with randomly generated information.
“The entire experience is meant to help you have control over your data,” Federighi said, to applause.
Apple also announced changes that will make iPads easier to use as auxiliary screens for Mac computers, and even perform a bit more like laptops themselves with capabilities like multiple windows operating simultaneously.
The company unveiled a new Mac Pro high-performance desktop computer aimed at professionals, with a starting price of $5,999. Apple previewed its iOS 13 for mobile devices, which includes a “dark mode” display, an upgraded maps application and faster access through its facial recognition sign-on.
