A report from Digital Music News claims Apple will be unveiling a majorly revamped iTunes app for the Mac at WWDC 2016. The overhaul is said to simplify the core functions of the app, and will more clearly define the line between the iTunes Store and Apple Music’s streaming services.
Addressing widespread complaints of ‘bloatware’ and a nightmarishly complicated interface, Apple is hoping to vastly simplify a sprawling iTunes, including an iTunes Store stuffed with apps, movies, TV shows, music downloads, podcasts, and now, streaming service Apple Music.
A Twitter post by former 9to5Mac reporter Mark Gurman agrees that Apple will debut a revamped iTunes app alongside the debut of OS X 10.12, (which could possibly renamed to macOS).
https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/740558368100651008
The revamp will likely not include breaking up the various functions of the app into separate apps, instead, it appears Apple will merely attempt to refine the app via interface enhancements and other improvements.
Sources couldn’t share screenshots or any sensitive information about the upcoming iTunes launch, though a key aspect of the overhaul includes ‘making more sense’ of iTunes music downloads and Apple Music streams. That has been a huge source of confusion for fans, even those that clearly understand the difference between downloading and streaming. But one source noted that Apple is “definitely not getting rid of (music) downloads” at the WWDC event next week, or any time in the short-term future, while another mentioned that possibility that top executives may “double down” their expressed commitment to the format during WWDC presentations to cool rumors.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2016 (WWDC 2016) kicks off Monday, June 13, at 10:00AM Pacific time with a Keynote address, where the company is expected to debut new versions of iOS, OS X, watchOS, and tvOS. MacTrast will provide live coverage of the event, so be here, Aloha!
