It has been less than two years since Apple retired the venerable iTunes, both the brand and the app. But while Apple itself has already moved on with its separate apps, those on Windows are still living in the past with an old version of iTunes. That, however, may soon be a thing of the past, too, if these rumors of Apple Music and Apple Podcasts coming to Windows have meat to them.
While Microsoft may be invested in bringing its software to Apple's platforms, the feeling is hardly mutual. Apple's software has barely any presence on Windows save for iTunes, which happens to be the brand's last remaining presence after it was split up last year. Even that, however, may soon be on its way out if this new and rather vague hint is true, suggesting that an Apple app will be coming to the Windows Store really soon.
In updates on its support pages, Apple quietly revealed that it will discontinue iTunes U next year and that it will stop supporting iBooks Author starting in July. Both offerings are aging -- iTunes U launched way back in 2007 and iBooks Author was released in 2012. This isn't bad news, mind; Apple has alternatives for users of both products.
One of the most popular podcasts in the world, The Joe Rogan Experience, will have a Spotify release date of September 1, 2020. At the end of the year, here in 2020, the Joe Rogan podcast will be available ONLY on Spotify. Joe Rogan's podcast will no longer be available through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or any other platform, at all.
This is not a drill, and it's no longer a beta! Spotify for Podcasters is now an active, live system with which Spotify will take on the likes of Apple, Google, and the folks behind Stitcher. With Spotify for Podcasters, people making podcasts will have access to detailed analytics, user data, and options "to drive discovery" for their content.
At one point in time, especially before the iPhone, iTunes may have been Apple's most popular brand. It was everywhere, from Macs to iPods to even Windows PCs. iTunes' time, however, is probably long gone and there are signs that it's on its way out are getting clearer. The latest is Apple's move to silently clear out the brand's social networking pages, as if wiping its existence from the face of the Internet.
iTunes has been around for a very long time - since 2001 in fact - but it may not be much longer before we're saying goodbye to it. With WWDC coming up next week, Apple is said to be doing away with the classic software in favor of separate applications for music, videos, and podcasts. If you've been using iTunes since the early days of the iPod, you might want to start saying your goodbyes now.
New apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV are coming to Apple computers with the next big macOS update this Spring. This would essentially mean the long-awaited breaking-up of the iTunes app, and perhaps the first step toward ending file-based media at Apple altogether - far, far down the road, obviously. Music, TV, Podcasts, and "perhaps" Books apps will be in the mix, and the Apple services machine will be kicked into full gear before school is out.
The folks behind the latest round of Samsung Smart TVs seem to have reached an agreement with Apple to bring a whole lot of content to their sets this Spring. News this morning is that Samsung Smart TVs will launch iTunes Movies and TV Shows starting in Spring of 2019. They'll also be bringing support for AirPlay 2 starting at around the same time.
A recent case that went viral over the Interwebs reminded consumers that they may not really own the digital content they purchase, even if it says “Buy”. The case of Anders da Silva’s disappearing iTunes Movies, however, isn’t as clear-cut as it seemed. Because while this specific case doesn’t exactly change the policies, a lot more factors are apparently in play, particularly the case of switching regions/country where the content you have bought may not or no longer be available in your new place of residence.
Purchasing digital copies of usually physical goods is so easy and convenient these days, most of us don’t give a second thought about it. We don’t have to carry books around, deal with fragile DVDs, or fumble around for cartridges whenever we want to switch games. But depending on where you bought said digital content, buying might not exactly mean what you think it means. That was the bitter truth that a Canadian iTunes user learned when Apple quietly removed content he already bought because the items were no longer being sold on its digital content store.
YouTube Music's 2018 reincarnation just launched, and it's available for SOME users. If you live in the United States, Mexico, Austalia, New Zealand, or South Korea, you might be in luck. Today Google launched "early access" to YouTube Music for some users - but not ALL users.