Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced on Monday that it is going to pull the plug on its iconic iTunes digital store later this year. The iPhone maker made the announcement at its World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) held in San Jose McEnery Convention Center, CA.
iTunes, which debuted 16 years ago, will be split into three separate apps. The music side of iTunes is being moved to Apple Music, while podcasts will go live in Apple Podcasts app. Apple will move other content like TV shows and movies to a dedicated Apple TV app.
The tech giant is expected to unveil its Apple TV Plus streaming platform in autumn this year. Apple TV Plus will take on rival video streaming services offered by Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX).
“The future of iTunes is not one app but three: Apple Music, Podcasts and Apple TV,” said Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi. He added that users can now use the Finder app to sync their iPhone with a Mac instead of having to load Music or iTunes.
Apple, which launched iTunes in 2003 to sell and manage music for the iPod, has already axed the software from the iPad and iPhone. The company will now offer separate apps for podcasts, music, and video for Mac computers that will mirror how it already offers those services on the iPhone and iPad.
Apple also revealed some security features of its next iPhone operating system, the of iOS 13. The operating system will allow users to sign into apps or sites using Apple ID data without disclosing any personal information. It also comes with a “Dark Mode” option that turns user interface into white text on a black background in order to make viewing the iPhone screen easier.
Apple will release a public beta of the iOS 13 this year, though a developer beta is available now. The company also vastly extended iPad’s capability and unveiled a powerful new Mac Pro. iPad will now have its own operating system, while Apple Watch will have its own app store.
Apple Inc Profile
Apple designs a wide variety of consumer electronic devices, including smartphones (iPhone), tablets (iPad), PCs (Mac), smartwatches (Watch), and TV boxes (Apple TV), among others. The iPhone makes up the majority of Apple’s total revenue.
In addition, Apple offers its customers a variety of services such as Apple Music, iCloud, AppleCare and Apple Pay, among others. Apple’s products run internally developed software and semiconductors, and the firm is well known for its integration of hardware, software and services.
Apple’s products are distributed online as well as through company-owned stores and third-party retailers. The company generates about 40% of its revenue from the Americas, with the remainder earned internationally.
