What is going on with iTunes? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Moritz]

I am very concerned about iTunes after seeing this and hope after getting a 4K Apple TV and going against my gut feeling buying a decent amount of 4K content that this content is not going to disappear on me! Hopefully it is nothing more than ending downloads but even that would not be a good thing. But again if this is just effecting downloads then it may be an attempt to battle piracy.

https://ktla.com/2019/06/01/apple-will-shut-down-itunes-ending-the-download-era-report/

 

[Cranston37+]

They're not ending downloads or taking away content or anything else - they're just putting the ability to purchase content into the individual apps (music, movies, etc) rather than making you go to a separate iTunes Store.

Nothing else. That's it.

 

[David Deeb]

They're not ending downloads or taking away content or anything else - they're just putting the ability to purchase content into the individual apps (music, movies, etc) rather than making you go to a separate iTunes Store.

That's what I took from it. However, all these articles posted everywhere keep breathlessly headlining "ending the download era" which isn't helpful in explaining what is going on.

 

[Cranston37+]

That's what I took from it. However, all these articles posted everywhere keep breathlessly headlining "ending the download era" which isn't helpful in explaining what is going on.

Yes, it's a poorly worded headline, but to make sure it's clear "ending the download era" is just referring to the era that gave birth to iTunes (when services like Napster were commonly used), not the ability to download content or do anything else you currently do.

 

[Chip_HT]

Hopefully it means being able to search and buy movies from a website without having to have a special program on my computer.

 

[Robert Crawford]

People need to calm down as Apple isn't going to stop a revenue stream that is very profitable to them.

 

[Cranston37+]

People need to calm down as Apple isn't going to stop a revenue stream that is very profitable to them.

Threads like this tend to boil down to "I don't understand what's going on so I'll just imagine the worst case scenario and post accordingly," then that bad info begets more similar reactions.

Hopefully it means being able to search and buy movies from a website without having to have a special program on my computer.

No, you would use an app just like you do today.

But accessing a website would also require an app so...

 

[Scott Merryfield]

My only concern is what is happening to the Windows app. I have been using that to organize music on my PC since the early days of the iPod - - I am not a Mac user.

As for buying streaming titles and retaining an online digital library, as others have said that's not going away. It will just be separate apps for music and video.

 

[Cranston37+]

My only concern is what is happening to the Windows app. I have been using that to organize music on my PC since the early days of the iPod - - I am not a Mac user.

My gut says the Windows iTunes app will also be turning into Apple Music.

Apple Music is available on Android and Amazon as well so I can't see them bothering to keep the iTunes name alive for just Microsoft.

All mention and links to iTunes, whether it be from their website, social media, etc, has started to wiped this weekend, so it looks like the process is under way.

The question I have is - if they have begun to change things, does that mean the new apps will be available before the new operating systems are available this fall?

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I am very concerned about iTunes after seeing this and hope after getting a 4K Apple TV and going against my gut feeling buying a decent amount of 4K content that this content is not going to disappear on me! Hopefully it is nothing more than ending downloads but even that would not be a good thing. But again if this is just effecting downloads then it may be an attempt to battle piracy.

https://ktla.com/2019/06/01/apple-will-shut-down-itunes-ending-the-download-era-report/

These articles are just clickbait they are eventually breaking iTunes into separate apps all your purchased content will be there

 

[David Deeb]

The way this looks to me so far is that "movies" will now be available for purchase or rent via the Apple TV app. So all "Movies" and all other video / motion content from Apple will be found in their "TV" area. In other words, if you purchase a certain "Movie" on the "TV" app, then it should be available on "Movies Anywhere" unless it is a made-for-TV movie, or a TV series, or a movie from particular studios that don't support Movies Anywhere.

Which isn't really anything different, just interesting how these words are used in this industry - perhaps confusing to some that don't follow it as closely as most of the people on this forum.

 

[Cranston37+]

The way this looks to me so far is that "movies" will now be available for purchase or rent via the Apple TV app. So all "Movies" and all other video / motion content from Apple will be found in their "TV" area. In other words, if you purchase a certain "Movie" on the "TV" app, then it should be available on "Movies Anywhere" unless it is a made-for-TV movie, or a TV series, or a movie from particular studios that don't support Movies Anywhere.

That's actually the way it works right now on iOS and tvOS - the TV app it has your full video library as well as the store. I don't even have the iTunes app at all.

This change is really only about bringing the Mac in line with what the rest of the devices have been doing for a few years...

 

[Thomas Newton]

Hopefully it means being able to search and buy movies from a website without having to have a special program on my computer.

I don't think they're doing that. I would guess that now there are going to be many mini-Stores (Mac App, iOS App, Music, TV/Movie, Podcast, Books). To move from one to another, you will need to switch applications.

 

[Thomas Newton]

The question I have is - if they have begun to change things, does that mean the new apps will be available before the new operating systems are available this fall?

Since WWDC, stories have indicated that syncing will move into the Finder.

So if you replace iTunes by the new applications before you are running the Catalina Finder, you'll be throwing away the ability to do a sync.

 

[Cranston37+]

So if you replace iTunes by the new applications before you are running the Catalina Finder, you'll be throwing away the ability to do a sync.

We know now that all will be available together in the fall so that shan't be a problem...*

*That's the first time I've ever used shan't in a sentence I just wanted to mark the occasion

 

[Tino]

We know now that all will be available together in the fall so that shan't be a problem...*

*That's the first time I've ever used shan't in a sentence I just wanted to mark the occasion

And I’m sure it shan’t be the last.

 

[DaveF]

The question I have is - if they have begun to change things, does that mean the new apps will be available before the new operating systems are available this fall?

No.

 

[Cranston37+]

No.

I know. I said that 2 posts up. The original question was posted before the keynote.