The music manager iTunes was one of the least popular programs on Windows PCs. Now Apple has teased the replacement for the first time.
For many Windows users, it is the only Apple program on their computer: If you wanted to use an iPod and later an iPhone, you couldn’t avoid iTunes for a long time. Even today, without a cloud connection, the devices can only be filled via it. Apple has long since discontinued the software on its own Mac computers. Now for the first time there is a look at the successor programs.
They are in a Microsoft product of all things: With the preview version for the upcoming update for Windows 11, the three programs with which Apple has inherited iTunes on its own computers can also be downloaded from Microsoft’s software shop. Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Devices will then also be available for Windows for the first time.
Apple replaces iTunes: Three programs instead of one
As on the Mac, the three programs share features that used to be bundled into iTunes. In Apple Music you can manage your own music collection and use the streaming service of the same name. Similarly, Apple TV allows access to series and films purchased via Apple and the video streaming service called TV+. Apple Devices is intended for managing the associated devices, allows backups, software updates and the synchronization of data such as the address book or the calendar even without cloud offers.
It’s actually long overdue that Apple finally drew the line for Windows with the introduction of the three Windows programs. On the Mac, the group had already retired the software in 2019 and replaced it with deeper integration of the programs into the system. Since then, iTunes had been treated extremely neglected on Windows computers. Aside from a few bug fixes and updates for compatibility with new devices, iTunes has remained unchanged for years.
Little love for iTunes
The program was anything but popular. Perceived as a foreign body by many Windows users, the software suffered from performance problems from the start. Initially intended only for music management, the software continued to grow with the introduction of video offerings, e-books and finally the app store. And as a result – also on the Mac – it became more and more overloaded, confusing and slower. No wonder Apple fans were relieved when the company pulled the plug on the Mac in 2019.
When the three programs will also officially appear is not yet entirely clear. Compatibility has not yet been confirmed either: the test versions only work with Windows 11, but theoretically Apple could also offer them for Windows 10.
However, not all users can get rid of iTunes completely anyway: two types of content previously managed by iTunes are apparently not covered by the new programs. Apple’s podcast and book apps will not be replaced by the new programs, they will continue to be covered by an updated version of iTunes, according to a note in Apple Music “Ars Technica”. But if you don’t need it, you can probably get iTunes soon.
Sources: Microsoft, Ars Technica
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