Apple Expected To Eliminate iTunes Next Week

Apple is preparing to put its iconic media program to rest after almost 20 years, according to a report from Bloomberg.

iTunes was introduced by Steve Jobs during the Macworld Expo in 2001. The program was initially offered as a way to fight against prevalent piracy issues plaguing the entertainment industry. Since then, it has blossomed into an all-in-one solution for users looking to consume, store, and manage media, including music, movies, and TV shows. However, that is all expected to change on June 3 during the keynote of Apple’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.

During WWDC, the tech giant is reportedly planning to separate music, movies, and TV and replace iTunes with three new apps: Music, TV, and Podcasts. The separation of the apps has already been implemented through iOS on iPhones and iPads, which already has multiple media apps. Now, it’s a matter of bringing the change to the Mac and MacBook lineup through the upcoming macOS update.

“By portioning out its music, television, and podcast offerings into three separate platforms, Apple will pointedly draw attention to itself as a multifaceted entertainment services provider, no longer as a hardware company that happens to sell entertainment through one of its many apps,” Rolling Stone‘s Amy X. Wang explained.

The new Music app is still expected to allow consumers to browse and purchase digital music, a method of music consumption that has been suffering since the launch of streaming services. It was previously rumored that Apple also intended to totally get rid of MP3 downloads in favor of its Apple Music subscription, but that has since been disproved, according to a report from Macworld.

Apple could be done with iTunes https://t.co/w8m3knB9N3 pic.twitter.com/f4Zbx3XL84

— Engadget (@engadget) May 31, 2019

Apple’s decision to dismantle iTunes comes as no surprise to many, as the company announced its own media bundle, which is expected to include all-in-one subscription services for music, TV, and news earlier this year, as previously reported by The Inquisitr. The company has reportedly spent millions of dollars to produce original content for its Netflix-style streaming service and already has over 20 original shows to showcase, ranging from comedy to drama and even kids’ programming.

Besides the changes coming to iTunes, WWDC is also expected to bring the first major iOS update in years, as previously reported by The Inquisitr. iOS 13 is expected to bring several significant changes, including a system-wide dark mode, app redesigns, and overall performance improvement to compatible iPhones, iPads, and possibly the recently released 7th-generation iPod. There is also expected to be a software update for the Apple Watch.

Those interested will be able to live stream the WWDC keynote on June 3.