End of iTunes Road For Apple Mac Users

Apple’s latest desktop operating system update, macOS Catalina, has marked the end of iTunes for Apple Mac users, after eighteen years of availability.

Apple launched the new desktop operating system on Monday, and the features of iTunes will now be spread across a number of different apps.

Indeed, iTunes itself will be hidden for Apple music subscribers, unless they restore it in their settings.

End of iTunes

In June Apple at its World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC), announced that it was phasing out iTunes for a number of distinct apps.

iTunes has been the main console for Apple devices on PCs and Macs for nearly 20 years, but this year the firm is ready to shift away from the tool in favour of three separate Music, TV and Podcast apps.

The Music app can be used to manage Apple devices similar to the way iTunes does now, while the TV and Podcast tools are intended as desktop versions of apps already found on iPhones and iPads.

And for Apple Mac users, Apple Music now sports the the old iTunes icon.

It should be remembered that users will still be able to access their music library, with tracks and albums previously bought from iTunes.

They will also be able to purchase music on the new Music app.

Content focus

The shift for Apple comes as it seeks to broaden its revenue stream from content services.

Apple is investing heavily into content with new streaming services such as Apple TV+.

The iPad maker has also had to contend with intense competition from the likes of Spotify on the music front.

And it is fair to say that there is no love lost between Apple and Spotify, after the music service filed an official complaint with the European Commission, accusing Apple of misusing its dominant iPhone App Store to charge a ‘tax’ on rival music services

Apple responded angrily and it said that for years Spotify has been using its App Store to dramatically grow its business, and that it seeking to keep all the benefits of the App Store ecosystem (including hefty revenues), without making any contributions to that marketplace.

Apple also fiercely criticised Spotify for the small fees it pays to artists, musicians and songwriters.

Quiz: How well do you know Apple?