The End of iTunes
By: M.G. Siegler
Tags: iTunes, CES, Apple, Samsung, Tech

The End of iTunes

Another year, another CES. Which I didn’t go to — I’ve still amazingly never been, and I could not be less sad about that.¹ Anyway, it’s beyond old hat to rag on CES these days. And there was news out of the event that I found interesting this year — and yes, it involved Apple.²

It was actually before the show even kicked off that a rather startling announcement was made: Apple would be releasing an app for a third-party television maker. And that maker would be Samsung. Yes, the company Apple is more likely to be found in a courtroom with.³ And that app is iTunes.

iTunes! The software Apple launched in 2001. And the service they launched in 2003 to kick off the (legal) digital music revolution. This service is now coming to Samsung televisions.

Wait, what?

From the release:

With the new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app on Samsung Smart TVs, Samsung customers can access their existing iTunes library and browse the iTunes Store to buy or rent from a selection of hundreds of thousands of movies and TV episodes — including the largest selection of 4K HDR movies. iTunes Movies and TV Shows will work seamlessly with Samsung’s Smart TV Services, such as Universal Guide, the New Bixby and Search, to create a consistent experience across Samsung’s platform.

The key is what you don’t see: music. In fact, music is only mentioned in the announcement in relation to AirPlay 2 also coming to the devices (and many other televisions, as it turns out). This is all about movies and TV shows, as they very clearly state. Humorously, the release even features a mock-up of a (horrible) “iTunes Movies and TV Shows” icon.⁴

Once again, Apple finds itself in a branding quagmire. Just as the MacBook Air is no longer the thinnest or lightest MacBook (that would confusingly be the MacBook itself). In this case it’s iTunes, hold the tunes.

Look, I get the argument that Apple has clearly gone with in such situations in the past: let’s not over-think it — people know and love the brand we have, so let’s stick with it.

But here, while people certainly know the iTunes brand, I’d argue that it has been a long while since they’ve loved that brand. And that is Apple’s own fault: they haven’t shown the brand love in a long time. Basically since the iPod withered away. iTunes, the software, is now one big, bloated mess.

And so I have to believe that a change is coming. I have no actual inside information here, but this really is common sense: “iTunes Movies and TV Shows” is silly, and we all know a new premium streaming video service from Apple is coming. Therefore, I think this new “iTunes” on Samsung TVs is simply a placeholder — or an “exclusive” PR stunt… “In an industry first…” — until Apple is ready to unveil the video counterpart to Apple Music.

Yes, Apple has up until now put their toe dips in streaming video under the Apple Music brand and product. And yes, this is also ridiculous. But I also believe there’s a reason Apple and Samsung didn’t announce that Apple Music was coming to the televisions. It probably is, but the focus is on the video offerings, which I’m guessing are about to be called something different.

And yes, movies and television currently live on Macs (and PCs) within iTunes. As does Apple Music. This is long overdue for a change — an Apple Music macOS app (a “Marzipan” 2.0 showcase)? And if this happens — again, just a guess based on some obvious signals — I think we may finally get an actual revamp or rethinking of iTunes itself.

That is to say, I think this new iTunes announcement finally signals the end of iTunes as we know it.

Now, Apple may and likely will keep the brand — and product — around. Again, per above, everyone knows it. If you’re not an Apple Music user, it’s the way to manage music on your devices. Hell, on a computer, it’s still the way to manage your devices, period.

This could still be the case going forward. One imagines a stripped-down iTunes legacy product for that functionality specifically. But stripped out of it will be Apple Music and Apple Video (or whatever they call the new streaming service). Maybe the App Store stays, if only so as not to confuse folks with the Mac App Store. Plus, again, in this scenario, iTunes is still how you would manage your iOS devices on a computer.

Less clear is if the ability to buy music and movies still resides inside of iTunes. I could see this happening as that’s a known consumer behavior right now. But it’s also one that is and will continue to dwindle over time. The real wild card is if renting new movies — the one video service Apple currently offers that still makes sense, at least for now — stays in iTunes or goes under Apple Video. I could see it going either way. If it’s the former, maybe there will be this “iTunes” app on Samsung TVs. Even though the name makes no sense.⁵

But again, I suspect the iTunes brand shifts towards the legacy stuff. I think Apple will use this opportunity to finally start obsoleting the iTunes product. Which will be music to all of our ears.