Apple Winds Down iTunes

There are plenty of signs that Apple is gearing up to say goodbye to iTunes.

MacRumors reported that Apple has taken down all of the social media content from its iTunes page on Facebook, including posts, photos, and videos. In addition, it has removed all photos and videos from its iTunes profile on Instagram, while its Twitter account still has content for the time being.

In the meantime, Apple has moved its iTunes page to its Apple TV pages on Facebook and Instagram, while some itunes.apple.com links for songs and artists now reportedly redirect to music.apple.com.

The move comes as the tech giant is set to replace iTunes with standalone Music, TV, and Podcasts apps in the next major version of macOS, which is expected to be unveiled on Monday. However, the iTunes storefront for purchasing music, movies, and TV shows is predicted to remain up and running.

The company is taking more of a focus on the booming subscription eCommerce market. Apple is launching its own streaming video service, Apple TV, which will feature free original content for device owners and a subscription platform for existing digital services. Customers will be able to watch content from a variety of sources all within the iOS TV application.

Apple will also be offering an online news subscription service that includes newspapers, as well as around 300 magazines and costs $9.99 per month. The service reportedly also will offer recommendations for other news stories based on the magazines being read by subscribers. There will also be online games subscriptions, via Apple Arcade, which work “as an extension of the App Store, Apple’s splitting off premium paid games from the free into an Apple Arcade subscription service. Note that this isn’t game streaming — it’s an all-you-can-eat subscription service launching with over 100 games. Coming this fall, but no pricing as yet.”