iTunes Expected to Be Retired After Over 18 Years

[pachyderm]

While I don't mind progress and growth, I hate when technology gets outdated.

In particular things like the iPod Shuffle are still useful. I still use mine.

I have a Nano and I still use it too!

Simplicity is so underrated and undervalued these days.

 

[Kung]

How is it bloated just because it's multifunctional? Should I carry around a can opener and a knife and an awl and tweezers and scissors and... or just a Swiss Army knife and be done with it?

I have no issue with multi-functionality; and I never said it's bloated BECAUSE it's multi-functional.

I have a laptop with an SSD, a Core i7, 16Gb of RAM. With nothing else running, it often takes me 15 seconds to open iTunes, and constantly takes clicks a few seconds to register. 'Multi-functionality' isn't causing that.

More than a few times, iOS releases have focused on behind the scenes functionality and speed tweaks. They could *LITERALLY* release an iTunes build focusing on the same sort of thing, and I'd be totally fine with that.

I'm simply saying that I'll be just fine retaining iTunes on Windows, as long as it doesn't get any more bloated.

 

[LizKat]

I have no issue with multi-functionality; and I never said it's bloated BECAUSE it's multi-functional.

I have a laptop with an SSD, a Core i7, 16Gb of RAM. With nothing else running, it often takes me 15 seconds to open iTunes, and constantly takes clicks a few seconds to register. 'Multi-functionality' isn't causing that.

More than a few times, iOS releases have focused on behind the scenes functionality and speed tweaks. They could *LITERALLY* release an iTunes build focusing on the same sort of thing, and I'd be totally fine with that.

I'm simply saying that I'll be just fine retaining iTunes on Windows, as long as it doesn't get any more bloated.

Windows users of iTunes always had my sympathy. Catalina Music's rough edges may at least briefly give Mac users a taste of what one of my (Windows-using) brothers has called the "unprintable joys" of iTunes.

I agree that iTunes does take awhile to launch even on Macs... but I'm personally never sure that doesn't have a lot to do with a zillion foldered playlists (a lot of them are smart lists too), and the fact that I have multiple libraries, one of them involving Apple Music and the others not. So iTunes has a lot to think about every time it staggers up to the plate to launch off this or that of my libraries. Plus I've not upgraded this mid-2012 MBP to have an SSD yet... so even though it likes running Mojave, it takes awhile to gather its wits sometimes when shifting focus to some new set of active files. Once it's done launching, iTunes runs pretty responsively on my MBP, I have to say that much for it. It rarely crashes which I'm grateful for since I already have to relaunch a few times a day to mess with different iTunes libraries.

Will be interesting to see how Catalina likes the same hardware environment with my music libraries and playlists. That is, if I ever get up the nerve to install the Catalina upgrade when it's released. I'm looking forward to getting an SSD into this machine so might do that before I switch up the OS.

 

[ErikGrim]

Smart playlists are the bane of the start up times as it has to query your db for each one.

 

[Analog Kid]

"The company is launching a trio of new apps for the Mac - Music, TV, and Podcasts - to replace iTunes. That matches Apple's media app strategy on iPhones and iPads. Without iTunes, customers can manage their Apple gadgets through the Music app."
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Manage their gadgets through Music? Sigh...

Device management needs to be its own entity. Provide a database manager for every relevant media type (music, video, books) and a sync manager to interface each to the device.

Also, why is iTunes U embedded in Podcasts? I get that both Podcasts and iTU are hard to fit with the others because they're a mix of audio, video and downloadable content, but I really liked having a dedicated interface to iTU.

Glad this part of the rumor turned out to be wrong. Managing sync through a customized Finder interface is exactly where it belongs.

 

[Telecart]

Can confirm that iTunes Music is still the same app professional musicians and DJs love. Nothing has changed except for a lobotomy of video, podcast and syncing features. The store is still there and not going anywhere.

Can you speak to the underlying folder structure? iTunes used to maintain it, I'm curious if that is grandfathered in as it was or rearranged again in a new folder structure.

 

[Superhai]

Can you speak to the underlying folder structure? iTunes used to maintain it, I'm curious if that is grandfathered in as it was or rearranged again in a new folder structure.

The folder structure is more or less the same as in iTunes, but the meta- and database files are not the same anymore. Which mean the Music app cannot open an iTunes Library. I also think that the Music app may change significantly during the beta stages, so what is valid in the first beta, may not be what the final app will be doing.

 

[MisterSavage]

The folder structure is more or less the same as in iTunes, but the meta- and database files are not the same anymore. Which mean the Music app cannot open an iTunes Library. I also think that the Music app may change significantly during the beta stages, so what is valid in the first beta, may not be what the final app will be doing.

I'm confused. How do you play music from your old iTunes library then?

 

[Superhai]

I'm confused. How do you play music from your old iTunes library then?

Pray that it is transferred automatically, or re-add it again. Some say it was transferred, some say it did not.

 

[Shirasaki]

Pray that it is transferred automatically, or re-add it again. Some say it was transferred, some say it did not.

In my case it does transfer. And I can play the music. But the library cannot be displayed properly in the music app.

 

[Superhai]

In my case it does transfer. And I can play the music. But the library cannot be displayed properly in the music app.

I guess that is Apples intended behavior, but I guess the process is very buggy for the moment, so anyone unsure should probably wait if they can until it is more stable.

 

[ErikGrim]

Can you speak to the underlying folder structure? iTunes used to maintain it, I'm curious if that is grandfathered in as it was or rearranged again in a new folder structure.

Folder structure is the same and maintained as before.

 

[Telecart]

Folder structure is the same and maintained as before.

phew.

Only other concern now is will Music and iTunes home sharing sync (I have an old Mac still on El Capitan with no reason to update).

 

[Cobra611]

Rip to MKV which preserves more options for audio and subtitles etc. then play via Plex.

Thanks...I usually use MKV then Handbrake to rip my movies. It still seems I'll have access to "my computer" to access my movies. Hopefully that won't change.

 

[Syrgul]

I don't think you know what you're talking about. I have hundreds of ebook files, not purchased from Apple, that were manually added to Books on the Mac and guess what....? All are available across all of my devices via iCloud.
iCloud is just automatic wireless syncing, with smart storage management, when it comes to any personal, non-Apple content. Books works this way, and so does iCloud Music Library. Only Video has yet to work this way, which I'm sure is a combination of rights issues and the sheer size of cloud storage per video. But personal movie/tv shows files are a very sticky matter, because they are covered by entirely different licensing, and the odds of them being pirated content instead of legitimately owned, DRM free digital video, is next to nil.

I think something was wrong with your Books app. I've been dragging and dropping DRM free ebooks and pdfs in my Books app was a while and never had any sort of issues opening or syncing through iCloud.
As read in most other articles, iOS syncing is not going away. Neither is your personal music library. TV shows and movies (though won't sync through iCloud for obvious reasons) should still be in your library tab when you sync from your Mac. Also both Apple and Google are compatible with Movies Anywhere which would allow you to sync your Purchased Movie Libraries through both services (No TV shows yet).

I can only explain what's happening on my device. I've been re-reading the Wheel of Time series. About 1/2 the books I bought from Apple via iBooks, the other 1/2 through Kobo. The ones through Kobo are DRM free. (Actually, the Apple ones are supposed to be DRM free too, but I don't have issues with those ones.) I used to be able to read all of them in the Books app, no problem. This time reading through though, the Books app is telling me that I don't have the Kobo ones on my device, and that I have to buy them from Apple. Itunes shows them as being on my device, but the Books app is only giving me a $10.99 price tag for them. I ended up switching over to the Kobo app to read the Kobo ones, because Books was not giving me a way to read them.

I assume it's because the entire series is available from Apple, but I only bought the 1st half through Apple. Apple is looking at my purchase history, sees I haven't purchased it from Apple, and is giving me a price tag instead of the option to open a book, that's on my device, just because it was purchased through another store.

If they end up applying that same logic of "If we sell it, you have to buy it from us" to everything in all my libraries, I'm going to have a huge issue with everything sold by Apple that wasn't purchased through Apple. It would be the tipping point to drive me away from the Apple ecosystem.

 

[Shirasaki]

If they end up applying that same logic of "If we sell it, you have to buy it from us" to everything in all my libraries, I'm going to have a huge issue with everything sold by Apple that wasn't purchased through Apple. It would be the tipping point to drive me away from the Apple ecosystem.

A similar thing happens on me when trying to buy a complete TV series. Obviously videos are DRMed but the thing is, unless specified, if I buy a few early seasons earlier, I will end up spending more money later on buying remaining seasons because “complete collection” is treated as a separate purchase on iTunes Store. To put it in short, there is no “complete my season” option in TV series. I knew there was a “complete my album” setting for music but sadly find it does not work for TV series.