No, Apple isn’t closing iTunes down. Yet.
Some leaked memos purport to indicate that Apple is killing off iTunes LPs later this month. At first glance, you’re forgiven if you think that means that iTunes will stop selling album downloads. That, thankfully, is not true.
Back in 2009, Apple introduced a format called iTunes LPs, which was an enhanced version of the standard album download. Labels could take advantage of the format by included things like liner notes, graphics, photos and links to video for albums encoded that way. It was supposed to be a digital version of what we get with CDs and DVDs.
For whatever reason, though, the industry didn’t embrace the technology and only about 400 albums have ever been released as iTunes LPs. Apple, realizing that it was a waste of time to keep offering this format, is apparently going to stop accepting recordings in the iTunes LP format. If you’re using the iTunes TuneKit API, stop.
This does not–repeat NOT–mean that Apple is shutting down iTunes. At least not yet. A story in Metro erroneously linked the end of iTunes LPs with the end of iTunes itself.
Yes, Apple would love it if we all moved to Apple Music for our music needs, but as long as people continue to buy digital albums and tracks in meaningful numbers, iTunes as we know it will continue to exist.
More reporting at 9to5 Mac and Venture Beat.
I’ve seen iTunes update over the most recent two months and every time update completes, it requests that I boot my Windows 10 device, ideally with this new iTunes rendition, update is done out of sight so you won’t need to reboot your device.