Apple’s Tired And Bloated iTunes May Be Broken Into Individual Apps In macOS
It seems as though Apple is about to whip out its Ginsu knife and chop iTunes into a bunch of individual bits, right as its TV Plus application heads to Mac systems. If the chatter is true, then macOS will be gaining Music, Podcasts, and maybe even Books apps, alongside the new TV app, in place of the all-encompassing iTunes program.
At minimum, this is deserving of a golf clap from spectators. For those who actually use iTunes and have grown tired of it, this might be cause for breaking out in a happy dance.
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. I expect the four to be the next wave of Marzipan apps. Grain of salt, etc
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) April 5, 2019
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith says he is "fairly confident" that Apple is going in this direction by way of Marzipan, one of Apple's more recent technologies for porting iPad apps over to Mac systems with minimal fuss. However, he is not the only one who has heard this.
Guilherme Rambo at 9To5Mac says he's been able to independently confirm the rumor. In addition, his sources, who are "familiar with the development of the next major version of macOS (likely 10.15)," say that there will in fact be a major redesign of the Books app, ton top of standalone Music, Podcasts, and TV apps.
It's not clear if the Books app will be built using Marzipan like the others. However, the sources say it will feature a sidebar that is similar to the News app on the Mac, along with a skinnier title bar and various tabs for Library, Book Store, and the Audiobook Store.
This all begs the question of what is to become of iTunes, starting with the next release of macOS. Supposedly it will stick around, particularly since it's used to backup iPhone and iPad devices, as well as sync data. We have to wonder if it will look drastically different and/or eventually be phased out.
