The tech world has seen a recent onslaught of launches and revamps with market players like Google, Microsoft, Sony, and Amazon amongst others galvanizing their brand presence. Keeping pace with the competition and in a bid to ambush its rivals, Apple is planning on overhauling its popular iTunes before year end.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is tipped to unveil iTunes 11 dubbed as the "largest changes to the world's biggest music store since its 2003 debut," along with iPhone 5 and Apple iTV.
Over the past nine years, iTunes has been a key player in Apple's success story. With more than 28 million songs, 45, 000 movies, and 650,000 Apple-compatible apps in its kitty, the iTunes store (which also houses the App store) generated a whopping $1.9 billion in the last quarter alone! The biggest digital content store is also the gateway for purchasing music, movies, and TV shows for millions of iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac users.
Speculation is rife that with this face-lift, Apple intends to "more closely integrate its iCloud file-storage service with iTunes so users can more seamlessly access and manage their music, videos and downloaded software apps across different Apple gadgets." Apple, it is believed, could also launch new features in iTunes 11, which correspond to music sharing. Apple on its part, has chosen to stay mum, and declined to comment on the circulating reports.
Developers from the start-up app search engine Chomp, which Google acquired in February 2012, are said to be working on the new version of iTunes. The new iTunes 11 will also aid users in their search for applications. The overhaul is attempted to make the user experience friendlier and easier. Moreover, with the iCloud integration, organizing content stored on mobile devices would become relatively streamlined.
Apple has also been negotiating with music labels asking them for more artist photographs and music videos. This step would help add more multimedia features to iTunes. It is also creating separate apps for features that were included in iTunes. Podcasts are now a separate app on iPhone, iPod, and iPad, instead of iTunes.
In yet another departure from the past, the music sharing and iCloud file integration for iTunes 11 will likely happen via Facebook and Twitter. Previously, Apple has partnered with both these sites for sharing iOS6 and Mountain Lion. The use of social media and tweaks to iTunes could impact and transform media marketing.
By pushing the bar and through technological advancements, the iconic innovators are taking ex-CEO Steve Jobs' dream of making Apple a "digital hub" seriously. The fall launch of iTunes will surely spread much cheer amongst gizmo buffs.
