The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but Apple’s new macOS Catalina update is finally killing iTunes for real. Of course, it’s been effectively dead in the water for a while now, as the functions have long been split into separate apps for music, video and books on iOS. And with streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, that’s just all the more reason to finally put the app out its misery.
According to The Verge’s Dani Deahl, the update also presents a large issue for DJs who still rely on the XML file format to transfer files between apps.
“…] this means updating to Catalina will replace iTunes with Music, and that, in turn, will break communication between the app and pretty much all existing DJ stware,” writes Deahl. “According to Apple if a customer is reliant on XML files for DJing, they should avoid updating and continue using their preferred stware on macOS Mojave until developers push out fixes. iTunes on Windows has not changed, so apps on Microst’s platform should function as normal.”
Read Deahl’s full report here if you still rely on iTunes for organizing your music.
Also, to clarify, the iTunes Music Store will still exist within the new Music app, so you can still purchase music on Apple devices.
RIP iTunes, 2001-2019