After nearly 20 years, iTunes is officially no more. With the release of Apple’s newest update, macOS Catalina, the music player has been split up into three separate apps: Apple TV, Apple Music, and Podcasts.
The news that iTunes was shutting down was first announced back in June, with Apple deciding that the app was simply too cluttered to continue with. Users can still listen to music in the Music app, hear podcasts in Podcasts, and watch films and TV shows in TV, but iTunes will no longer be the central hub for all three.
The Music app will primarily be focused on streaming music through Apple Music, although users will retain their old library of whatever 2000s emo, electro-pop, or chillwave MP3s that they still have lying around. Likewise, the few people left buying music – this author included – will still be able to access the iTunes Store. Apple TV is set to get much more use when the Apple TV+ streaming service finally launches.
We should caveat all of this by saying that the update only affects Mac computers, so iTunes still exists for Windows users. Still, it definitely feels like an era is coming to an end. RIP iTunes.
Watch a compilation of iPod adverts below.
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