macOS 10.15 Expected to Feature Standalone Music and Podcasts Apps and Redesigned Books App

[MacRumors]

The next major release of macOS will feature standalone Music and Podcasts apps alongside Apple's promised TV app coming to the Mac this fall, according to 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo, who has discovered icons for the apps. Rambo says he has confirmed the plans with sources familiar with the matter.

Image via 9to5Mac​

The report also claims that the existing Books app on Mac will be redesigned to look more like the Apple News app on Mac.

Like the Apple News, Home, Stocks, and Voice Memos apps on macOS Mojave, Rambo says the new Music, Podcasts, and TV apps will be built with Apple's so-called Marzipan developer tools, which allow for a single app to be designed to run across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with a similar codebase.

Despite the standalone Music and Podcasts apps, Rambo says iTunes will stick around on the next major macOS release, as it is still used for some legacy purposes like manual syncing of older iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

Apple's plans to bring UIKit-based Music, Podcasts, and possibly Books apps to the Mac were first hinted at by developer Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter last week. Apple should unveil macOS 10.15 alongside iOS 13, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13 at WWDC 2019, which kicks off on June 3 in San Jose.

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

Article Link: macOS 10.15 Expected to Feature Standalone Music and Podcasts Apps and Redesigned Books App

 

[SoN1NjA]

With the rise of podcasts it's a good idea to have it's own app. Also I'm very glad Music on macOS will (finally) have it's own app! Bye iTunes...

 

[DaveP]

iTunes has sort of become a bloated, complicated mess. Very interested to see what they come up with.

 

[newyorksole]

So you’ll buy stuff in the iTunes app and it’ll transfer over to Music? Like I wonder how that’ll work.


I’m assuming we’ll still sync through iTunes for photos.

 

[Mikey44]

I have a feeling that the music app will only be Apple Music, rather than allowing you to maintain your own library, which is what iTunes is supposed to do... I'd love to be proved wrong, but based on how Apple has been moving... they are trying to push services so much recently.

Each of these can earn them some money, where as a dedicated library doesn't earn them as much money.

 

[TMRJIJ]

As long as it is fully functional. The current Marzipan apps seemed quite lazy and just simple ports of the iOS counterpart with no added desktop features.

 

[Rogifan]

Is there a reason the iTunes Music store and Apple Music have to be separate apps? I’d prefer it if you could just buy something right within Apple Music and album/song reviews/ratings would be right there as well. Is there really a reason for iTunes to exist on iOS?

 

[potatis]

The best thing with iTunes was when it changed icon to make it feel like a new app. I hope the tradition is carried over

 

[bladerunner2000]

The best thing with iTunes was when it changed icon to make it feel like a new app. I hope the tradition is carried over

Apple will give you a new icon but not a new app. Don't expect much from them.

 

[dombi]

I remember the days when Mac OS updates were interesting. We talked about things like multitasking, 64-bit, Quartz Extreme, Fast User Switching, Expose, other GUI changes etc.
Now the big features are mainly service related...

 

[YaBe]

I remember the days when Mac OS updates were interesting. We talked about things like multitasking, 64-bit, Quartz Extreme, Fast User Switching, Expose, other GUI changes etc.
Now the big features are mainly service related...

Didn't they update the filesystem in the latest release? But yeah i know what you mean, the good old days were.....good!

 

[EvilEvil]

iTunes has sort of become a bloated, complicated mess. Very interested to see what they come up with.

Hopefully, the individual apps won't be bloated themselves.

 

[Traverse]

As long as they leave a way for me to manage and sync my local libraries and have access to my downloaded content.

Don’t take away smart playlists, still let me access my music and video files in the Finder for copying and backing up, and allow me to sync to offline devices and I’m indifferent.

 

[___joshuaturner]

Assuming this doesn't ruin my existing music library with iTunes Match, I am very excited for this.

 

[iapplelove]

Wish I had a separate place to go for my device backups. It’s really the only thing I personally need iTunes on Mac for at this point in the game.

 

[chucker23n1]

Will there be a separate iPhone Maintenance Utility? Like the old iPod Firmware Utility?

 

[PJivan]

I remember the days when Mac OS updates were interesting. We talked about things like multitasking, 64-bit, Quartz Extreme, Fast User Switching, Expose, other GUI changes etc.
Now the big features are mainly service related...

Like new file system, 32 bit deprecation, SIP and Gatekeeper, external gpu, Core ML, caching server, metal, marzipan are not deep and interesting change... maybe you don't like IT like you used to.

 

[sniffies]

My guess:

Apple will resurrect iSync by turning iTunes into brand-new Apple Sync.

 

[mattias800]

Wish I had a separate place to go for my device backups. It’s really the only thing I personally need iTunes on Mac for at this point in the game.

I still don't understand why not all backups are done with Time Machine.

 

[Plutonius]

I have no plans on going past 10.14 until I eventually get a new computer.

I hope these changes will not screw up users that use 10.14 or earlier.

 

[kcslc]

iTunes has sort of become a bloated, complicated mess. Very interested to see what they come up with.

3 separate bloated messes. The ability to do a fully supported complete OS restore on the iPhone using iTunes has saved me on more than one occasion. I don’t want to see this feature go away...

 

[Mick-Mac]

This will be a welcome and long overdue change, but it shouldn't be the basis for a new version of OS X. At this point I'd be happy with a release of Snow Mojave (i.e. just fix the huge mountain of bugs that have accumulated so far)

 

[DoubleU]

Is there a reason the iTunes Music store and Apple Music have to be separate apps? I’d prefer it if you could just buy something right within Apple Music and album/song reviews/ratings would be right there as well. Is there really a reason for iTunes to exist on iOS?

I’d assume it’s To to do with rights issues. Not all songs that are available to buy in the iTunes Store are available to stream in Apple Music; and there are also songs that you can only purchase if you buy the entire album in the iTunes Store that might be available to stream via Apple Music

 

[Mr. 123]

Assuming this doesn't ruin my existing music library with iTunes Match, I am very excited for this.

I am a iTunes Match user and I have a lot of music that isn’t on iTunes Store including my own music. If they keep the functions that allow you to tag your music and make smart playlists etc I’m on board with splitting iTunes but if they just replace iTunes (which is IMO the best music management app on macOS) with the iOS music app, I will be really disappointed in Apple. There are people who don’t like streaming 256k music and who have a personal collection.

 

[AngerDanger]