The iTunes era is over. During its annual developers conference today, Apple announced that it’s breaking iTunes up into three separate macOS apps: Podcasts, TV, and Music. The update will come with macOS 10.15. The shift makes sense, and has already taken place on iOS. Apple Podcasts, for example, has been on iPhones and iPads for years, but never made its way over to macOS devices. iTunes itself is a relic of a different era in which people bought all their music and movies in one place, and it’s felt neglected and outdated for quite some time.

The new apps feature colorful sidebars and clear menus that are easy to navigate, especially compared to the bloated iTunes. Apple Music, as the name suggests, is singularly focused on music and offers personalized recommendations while the Podcasts is dedicated to the podcast listening experience. Along with the podcast app, Apple says it’s introducing a new machine learning feature that indexes shows so that people can search for content more easily. The TV app will include Apple’s exclusive content along with other providers’ shows, including Showtime and HBO. It supports 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.

Apple is focusing on services to augment its hardware sales, so giving people a specific app to find specific content follows the company’s trajectory and new subscription offerings. The TV app, for example, is where the company’s new Apple TV Plus service will exist. People who use still used iTunes for syncing will no longer see an app pop up to do so. A phone or iPod will sync through the sidebar in Finder.

Source: Theverge