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Apple Planning to Bring Music and Podcasts Apps to Microsoft Store

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Apple is working to bring Music and Podcasts apps to the Microsoft Store, according to a report from 9to5Mac that cites unnamed sources. Apple is allegedly testing Music and Podcasts apps for Microsoft's platforms in a private beta capacity at this time.

macos-catalina-apple-music.jpg

There is no word on whether the apps will be compatible with Windows PCs or if they are being developed for Microsoft's Xbox consoles. Apple in November released an Apple TV app that is compatible with the Xbox One, Series X, and Series S, so it's possible future Podcasts and Music apps will also be limited to consoles.

Apple could be planning to release these apps on Windows following the discontinuation of iTunes on the Mac, however. Right now, Apple continues to offer a version of iTunes designed for Windows machines, but the app is rarely updated and the interface could use an overhaul as it is not ideal for accessing services like Apple Music and Apple TV+.

Apple transitioned away from iTunes on the Mac in 2019 with the release of macOS Catalina, providing users with separate Music, TV, and Podcast apps.

Apple in November 2019 posted job listings for engineers to build "the next generation of media apps for Windows," so revamped media apps for Windows have likely been in the works for some time. At the time, Apple said that it was looking for engineers with experience using Universal Windows Platform, which allows for apps that work on Xbox and other Windows 10 platforms.

Article Link: Apple Planning to Bring Music and Podcasts Apps to Microsoft Store
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/14/apple-music-podcast-apps-microsoft-store/
Totally weird. Earlier today I was thinking about moving from Spotify to Apple Music and discovered that the only way I could listen on my PC was to install Itunes. That was a show-stopper. Nice to see I'll have options soon.
 
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As someone who has no intention of using Apple’s services, I’ll stick with iTunes. As clunky as it is and as much as I dislike it, at least I’m not getting spammed with Apple Music or Apple TV+ offers frequently. Apple Music is very buggy for those with their own music library. It screwed up my lyrics and album artwork so I went back to Mojave. Good thing for keeping a proper backup!
 
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This would encourage users to use Apple music,, i.e people use Windows that reckon they're missing something Apple has. Usually that's always the key.... I want what you want, I dunno what it is, but i want it..

...or it could just be a clever way to get more people to move to Mac and take out a few Microsoft customers.
 
Minxy said:
So it should bring its apps to the Microsoft store! Being platform agnostic is important if you want your product to become ubiquitous.

Maybe Messages can be next.
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And while they're at it might as well bring over Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and all other apps that are unique to the Mac experience. 🙄.
Yeah cuz Microsoft has certainly brought all it's apps to the Mac. It's not like they're holding back on select 365 apps that are Windows only. 🙄
 
Maconplasma said:
And while they're at it might as well bring over Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and all other apps that are unique to the Mac experience. 🙄.
Yeah cuz Microsoft has certainly brought all it's apps to the Mac. It's not like they're holding back on select 365 apps that are Windows only. 🙄
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Oddly enough the best version of Outlook is the 'New' Outlook on Mac and they have already announced they are DC it.
 
4jasontv said:
Oddly enough the best version of Outlook is the 'New' Outlook on Mac
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While I've given up on MS Office years back I find it hard to believe that Outlook is suddenly better on the Mac after several years of making it like crap compared to the Windows version. Plus Publisher and Access they have refused to share on the Mac, and Mac users foolishly keep paying the same price as the Windows version with less apps included.
4jasontv said:
and they have already announced they are DC it.
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They are DC it? What does that mean?
 
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Maconplasma said:
While I've given up on MS Office years back I find it hard to believe that Outlook is suddenly better on the Mac after several years of making it like crap compared to the Windows version. Plus Publisher and Access they have refused to share on the Mac, and Mac users foolishly keep paying the same price as the Windows version with less apps included.

They are DC it? What does that mean?
Click to expand...
Discontinued it.

I'd say try it, but MR reported a bit ago that they are switching to a web based client soon. I hate Outlook on PC, because they make buttons 6x6 pixels and use obtuse icons for features that I never use. If you do try it you have to hit the 'new' toggle in the upper right hand corner to activate it.

Also, I am pretty sure it's still free.
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Minxy said:
So it should bring its apps to the Microsoft store! Being platform agnostic is important if you want your product to become ubiquitous.

Maybe Messages can be next.
Click to expand...
That is a resounding NOPE. Messages will never be on another platform as the same way you will never see Apple Watch support Android or BMW's sold at a Ford Dealership.

Apple is smart enough and has learned from the late 90s not to let their crown jewel or this case jewels ever be taken out the castle again. Not everything needs to be shared as that is a sign of desperation and Apple is not that!
 
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farewelwilliams said:
bring photos too.

number of "house calls" I've had to answer is due to family refusing to replace their computers with a Mac. and iCloud Photos via the web is such a terrible experience.
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Yeah, it's embarrassing how Windows doesn't properly manage photos. People seem to rely on their phones storing all photos forever.
 
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YES! FINALLY!

I've been waiting for this... it will bring Apple Music to the Xbox, about the only major streaming service that does background playback is Spotify. I think Pandora does background playback, but it's not as popular as Spotify or Apple.
 
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alphaswift said:
Totally weird. Earlier today I was thinking about moving from Spotify to Apple Music and discovered that the only way I could listen on my PC was to install Itunes. That was a show-stopper. Nice to see I'll have options soon.
Click to expand...
There was an article over here regarding a web browser based Apple Music player, that might be good enough while the app (if ever) comes out for non macs.
Haven’t tried that web one though.
 
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SchrodingersMartian said:
That is a resounding NOPE. Messages will never be on another platform as the same way you will never see Apple Watch support Android or BMW's sold at a Ford Dealership.

Apple is smart enough and has learned from the late 90s not to let their crown jewel or this case jewels ever be taken out the castle again. Not everything needs to be shared as that is a sign of desperation and Apple is not that!
Click to expand...
Agreed.
From an user point of view though, now that I have bitten the all-Mac-only bullet (having been before between 50/50 for many years), I find that most cross platform apps don’t use all the hardware features available or the devs need to take into account too many potential combinations of features and hardware on a machine making it all the more susceptible to bugs.
Apple Motion feels ultra snappy, fast, performant while After Effects, even though it truly is my favorite still, feels clunky on both windows and mac.
When there’s an option that’s Mac only, or better yet, an Apple provided one, I can trustfully rely on notifications triggering and displayed anywhere, copy-pasting from device to device, proper seamless iCloud support if it needs one... besides also feeling confident that the app will be running at its maximum capacity on the hardware it was meant to be running on.
 
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Photos would be a nice addition--the iCloud Photos sync service on Windows I just couldn't get to work reliably. Some days it would accept new files in the upload folder, other days it would not without killing the service and restarting it.

Now the MSstore, that's a crapshoot when it comes to getting things to work. I've never had a consistent and reliable experience there. My favorite was trying Halo:MCC--the game would make it to the menu screen and lockup. It wasn't my PC, every game from Steam worked perfectly. I'm not sure how many folks even bother going through the MSstore for any software. Last I checked, it wasn't exactly brimming with quality content, and Windows 10 has been out for over 5 years now.
 
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