Apple has announced iTunes will be absorbed into its three new entertainment apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV.
It launched a number of new services at a star-studded event in March, signalling a change of direction for the 42-year-old hardware company.
ITunes will not be disappearing completely – downloads will still be available in the sidebar of Apple Music, the app will remain and the platform will be unchanged on Windows.
“Rumours of iTunes’ demise have been over-exaggerated,” said analyst Ben Wood, from CCS Insight.
However, there’s little doubt the once iconic music service has had its heyday.
“The world has moved on as ubiquitous connectivity, cloud storage, and streaming media became the norm,” said Jon Porter, at tech news site The Verge.
Age of piracy
The music store launched in 2003 but iTunes started life in 2001, when the first generation iPod MP3 player – which stored 1,000 tunes – transformed the world of digital music. Read more