apple.com/itunes
However, there are rumors that Apple is working on a new platform which will take iTunes out of the spotlight.
One popular platform that is said to be nearing its end is Apple iTunes. Native marketing and the ability to hold a massive amount of data made it an iconic player in the world of technology, but with reports circulating that Apple is developing a new platform, iTunes may soon fade into obscurity.
Though Apple Music has become more popular in recent years, iTunes is still the best music application. Every update brings new features and a redesigned interface that looks more like iOS.
There are plenty of reasons why we love iTunes. Our reasons range from the music player, iTunes store, TV, movies, syncing feature, iTunes U, books or other services. iTunes has always been packed with tools for media consumption that can't be matched by any of its competitors.
Death of iTunes - Apple segregating its assets
Internally, we love iTunes a lot. But with macOS Catalina, Apple finally discontinued Mac support for iTunes. This means that the service won't keep up with their current pace, so you'll need to opt-out if you still want to use it. Instead, you can use Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Apple TV and the Finder to access all of your content. Anything that you owned in iTunes will be split up between these four platforms.
History
In 2001, iTunes was introduced. It was conceived as a music player but soon developed into a comprehensive multimedia, hardware sync and e-commerce platform. Its features and sophisticated management were way ahead of its time, which is one reason why it stole our hearts. iTunes enabled users to create playlists, manage media, sync content with Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad and iPod and Mac.
Apple is expected to shift its strategies soon in order to align with its premium portfolio which continues to provide the best user experience. It is branching out its services in order to optimize them for the user experience.
Design
The design of the iTunes store has remained largely unchanged over the years. Although there have been several different interfaces, at its core everything remains the same.
The interface always manages to remain familiar with its grey tone, but it keeps getting upgraded in one way or the other. For example, you would no longer find the button which switched Store and Library mode.
As far as the menu is concerned, you have a bunch of standard options like music, movies, and television. In the central area there are buttons for things like the library, for you, browsing, and radio. And lastly, there are some store-related buttons too.
The content types are accessed via buttons on the page, instead of menus. You can also find back and forward arrows on the page, which can help you navigate back and forth.
Recent upgrades to the software made some amazing changes. For example, you can switch to a mini-player in a breath. Other notable upgrades include being able to view the CD cover by just hovering the mouse over the album art, and getting rid of the User Icon and Wish List buttons on the main window.
Content
I don't think iTunes is really 'out of the park' anymore. It's working, but it won't be able to keep up with the updates. However, it's still the easiest way to keep yourself entertained. From music to movies and TV Shows, you can see everything organized pretty well. Want to rent, buy or download a movie or TV Show? iTunes has you covered. For the last 4-5 years, iTunes has been home to Apple Music where you can listen to 50 million+ songs with zero commercials. The offline feature in iTunes has been a thing of the past.
Apple's iTunes store is a popular destination for people who want to buy, rent, stream and download movies, music, music videos, TV shows, books, podcasts and so on. The ease of finding and consuming content is what sets iTunes apart from its competitors.
iCloud
I bet iCloud is one of the coolest features offered by Apple. iTunes is integrated with iCloud for a long time, so if you buy something on your phone, it automatically becomes available on your computer or mac. Once you authorize the device, you can access the content wherever you want.
iTunes Extras
Apple's iTunes Extras is a name that suggests extra content that can be found on the iTunes store. The extras usually include behind-the-scenes videos, high-resolution image galleries, short films, and director commentary. Interestingly enough, Apple TV also plays an essential role in the movie watching experience because of its set-top appliance. With these extras now being common with any film bought through the iTunes store, Apple TV has definitely become an integral part of our movie watching habits.
Easy sync
Apple iTunes enables you to synchronize your data across devices. You can create a playlist and hear it from any of your devices. From a chill-out classic instrumental to a heart-rate pounding workout beat, you can listen to anything. Even if you're not sure of what you want to hear, you can trust Apple's recommendation - I really enjoy it.
Song Previews
Apple Music offers 90-second previews of songs, allowing users to decide if they're worth spending money on. This system is great for discovering up-and-coming artists, as users can try a few tracks before committing to an album.
Family Sharing
You can share your iTunes purchases with up to six people in your family. All of them can download what you have purchased. Additionally, Apple Music allows you to start with a three-month free trial which allows ad-free listening and streaming along with the ability to follow and share songs with your friends.
Excellent Browsing Capabilities
To search for movies, songs or TV shows on iTunes, all you have to do is choose from a variety of options. You can search for new and noteworthy content, select content for kids, search by 4K movie, bundle or series, and even pre-order movies. It?s also helpful to reference the charts that list what is popular and provide more specific information.
Simple Interface
It can be a little challenging at first to get used to iTunes, but once you understand the layout it's easy to use. The interface is clean and easy to understand, so you can access your content without any problems.
You can sort the content by price, genre, cinema rating - which enhances the browsing experience. Similar to movies, TV shows, music, podcasts and audiobooks have the same structure.
Plans & Pricing
After this trial period, users need to subscribe to the service in order to continue listening to music.
Apple's iTunes platform is free to use, but the content available on it needs to be rented or bought. The platform has changed since it was the ultimate music store, so now we have to study plans and pricing based on independent services. For instance, Apple Music - its most popular service - is a direct competitor of Spotify and Microsoft Groove Music. Unlike other music streaming services which ask you to pay a monthly fee, Apple allows its users to experience its services for free for 3 months. After this trial period, users need to subscribe to the service in order to continue listening to music.
After the 90-day trial period ends, it costs around $9.99/per month to continue using the service. If you have a family membership that allows up to six users, then you will need to pay around $14.99/per month. Apple also has a student option that requires you to pay $4.99/per month. Any playlist that you create can be synced across all devices. The only shortcoming with Apple music is that a desktop interface is not available.
Suggestions I have for Apple iTunes
I would've loved to see Apple work something out with iTunes itself. But I knew that the success of Apple Music would lead the developers to take a different route. Thus, I'm not shocked and I don't have anything much to say in this regard.
Conclusion
Apple has been expressing its intentions to distance itself from iTunes for some time now. It realized that iTunes cannot keep up with the current platforms, and diversifying the product is the best way to stay unique. Apple Music is extremely fast, similar to the other three-branched out services which suggest that iTunes as an individual entity became lag-luster.
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