1 year ago
29
Enlarge / Apple's rendition of what a PC moving iTunes looks like.
Apple
Apple discontinued its iTunes euphony subordinate for macOS successful 2019 erstwhile it divided the app's functionality between 4 apps successful macOS Catalina. But for Windows users with ample section media libraries oregon who wanted to backmost up their iDevices oregon subscribe to Apple Music, iTunes has soldiered on, receiving insignificant maintenance-mode updates to support compatibility with Apple's devices and services.
Today, arsenic portion of a caller Windows 11 preview physique for Windows Insiders, Microsoft has announced that previews of caller Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices apps are disposable successful the Microsoft Store for download.
The Apple Music and Apple TV apps grip iTunes' euphony and video functionality, conscionable arsenic they bash connected macOS, and supply entree to the Apple Music and Apple TV+ subscription services. The Apple Devices app is what you'll usage to marque section instrumentality backups, execute exigency bundle updates, sync section media, and the different things you tin bash with an iDevice that's plugged into your PC (in macOS, akin functionality was added to the Finder, alternatively than being breached retired into its ain app).
For now, if you instal immoderate oregon each of these 3 apps, you'll nary longer beryllium capable to usage iTunes, truthful don't upgrade if you inactive trust connected iTunes for thing circumstantial that the apps don't handle. You tin usage iTunes again if you uninstall the caller apps.
iTunes handles 2 things connected Windows that the caller apps volition not: podcasts and audiobooks. We don't cognize whether Apple plans versions of Apple Podcasts oregon Books to tally connected Windows, if that functionality volition beryllium added backmost to the Apple Music app for Windows, oregon whether Apple volition trust connected the unreality versions of some apps.
The merchandise notes for Apple Music accidental that podcasts and audiobooks connected Windows PCs "will beryllium inaccessible until a compatible mentation of iTunes is released." This suggests that Apple is moving connected a mentation of iTunes that tin tally alongside the caller apps, and that iTunes whitethorn proceed to grip immoderate features successful the lack of authoritative Windows versions of Apple Podcasts and Books.
Microsoft announced that versions of Apple Music and Apple TV would beryllium coming to Windows last October, alongside different caller Windows 11 features and refreshed Surface devices. For now, the apps necessitate Windows 11 with the 2022 Update installed to run, though it's imaginable that the last versions whitethorn beryllium compatible with Windows 10 oregon older Windows 11 versions arsenic well.
