iTunes, the once revolutionary app is going away forever in the next OS update. For those thinking about moving up to Catalina OS, be warned.
The era of music-subscription services like Spotify and Apple Music have since replaced the software and sales of songs. Though, since the dawn of iTunes, music piracy effectively stunted.
So What Does This Mean?
For anyone still using the platform, which most aren’t, the program had splintered into multiple apps for music, video, and books. With the new upgrade, the “Music” icon is your new music hub. It will include previously bought songs from the store, ripped CDs, and your subscription. This could mean bad news for DJs using the platform as means for their music libraries.
Anyone subscribed to Apple Music will have the music store app hidden on the Mac. For everyone else, it’s your choice on whether you want to subscribe or not. The push for splitting iTunes into separate music, video, and other apps lets Apple build features specifically for each type of media. In addition, it promotes Apple’s TV-streaming and music services while offsetting iPhone sales.
A Look Back At iTunes
It used to be the right way to download music. You paid $0.99 for a song or $9.99 for your favorite album. You supported the artists you loved. You could download music onto your iPod. It was as easy as plugging a cable into your computer and letting it sync.
When the iTunes Music Store launched in 2003, sales boomed and sketchy sites like Limewire dissipated. Soon, podcasts, e-books, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows emerged. The software started to support additional features that took away the simplicity of downloading.
Online cloud storage and wireless syncing became the game changers. Who needs cables to connect when you have USBs? Here is the simple reason why this is going away: the way people listen to music has changed.
It seems the move is towards subscriptions with minimal interface because that is where the money is. Thoughts on this?
