Apple Decides to Kill its Favourite Child iTunes iTunes is no longer the part of Apple, to be replaced by three separate apps for music, video and podcasts in the next update
By Nazreen Nazir •
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Apple recently made the announcement that it's going to kill the iTunes. In the next MacOs update Catalina, it will be replaced by three separate apps for music, video and podcasts. Apple's iTunes helped revolutionize the entire music, television and tech industries before it became an example of what could go wrong with them. In an era of Walkman, CDs, tapes, one hit albums and high prices, iTunes arrived as a savior. The 20 year old journey of iTunes has ended. Let's take a look at the rise and fall of iTunes.
The rise of iTunes
Although Apple didn't invent digital music but it set the groundwork in motion for 21st century music buying and streaming. iTunes was first launched solely with the intent of providing music online at 99 cents and that too legally. As technology grew and software improved, Apple made the leap from desktop to pockets with photos, videos, and later all apps with iTunes. It tended to different types of digital content to portable devices. In 2003, iPod was launched and the second version of iTunes was released along with it.
Launched with 200,000 songs, the iTunes store sold one million songs in its first week. The same was repeated with iPod and world was rocking to their personal playlists while wearing signature white earphones. For years, Apple crushed its competitors with iPod and digital music and it was included in every company presentation. Apple lived and breathed iPod with iTunes.
What led to the fall
As the years went by and updates were added along with new features, the app became bloated. Apple's original idea of providing one stop-shop for all the media became iTunes greatest undoing as it saddled the app with baggage and ate its usability. When Steve Jobs introduced iTunes, he said that music apps that existed were too complex and very difficult to learn and use. In the same way, iTunes had become the confusing amalgamation of features that no longer seemed feasible.
iTunes was originally launched as a music player. With so many things inculcated in the app it lost its original appeal for people as it became difficult to find features that were once easily accessible. People found themselves getting stuck in a morass of features designed to only sell products from iTunes.
iTunes will be replaced by three separate apps for music, video and podcasts which makes more sense as they will be much faster and easier to navigate through for the users. iTunes changed the way music was accessed and shared when it was launched in 2001. In the same way it should die as it has become a relic in the age of streaming music and podcasts.
