A new report from renowned software developer Steve Troughton-Smith claims that Apple is getting ready to break up iTunes into standalone services, at least on desktops. Troughton-Smith said that he discovered evidence that Apple will soon split iTunes into dedicated Video, Music and Podcasts apps. Books might also get a significant redesign.
Writing on Twitter, he said: “I am now fairly confident based on evidence I don’t wish to make public at this point that Apple is planning new (likely UIKit) Music, Podcasts, perhaps even Books, apps for macOS, to join the new TV app.”
Troughton-Smith expects these four to be part of a coming generation of Marzipan apps for macOS.
This makes a lot of sense. Apple recently announced its own Netflix alternative called TV+, which will serve as a platform for original series and movies. Here, the firm will offer its own exclusive, advertising-free content, as well as approved third-party content. The TV+ service will come with a monthly subscription.
To make sure that it’s a success, Apple has reportedly entered into deals with smart TV manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, Vizio and LG. TV+ will also be available on Amazon’s Fire TV Stick devices.
Apart from that, the company has, of course, recently announced its own paid news service called Apple News+, which provides subscribers access to more than 300 carefully chosen magazines and newspapers. The list of magazines includes Time, Vogue, Essence and many more.
Discussing his discovery, Troughton-Smith said that it does mean the long-awaited, much-talked-about break-up of iTunes. He added that Apple was expected to confirm reports about the break-up and also the introduction of the various individual services at the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference at the beginning of June.