Apple’s iTunes app is set for big changes next month, with the release of macOS Catalina.
Many iTunes users on Mac are aware that TAFKAI (The App Formerly Known as iTunes) is undergoing big changes next month, with the release of macOS Catalina. While iTunes isn’t really “dead,” there are a number of changes coming…
I’m currently going through the manuscript of my Take Control of iTunes book, preparing a new book covering the new app landscape, and, as I do this, I have been looking at the details of the Music app in particular. I find a lot of the changes to be positive, notably the simplification of navigation. I was never a fan of the multiple navigational tools in iTunes 12: the Media Picker above the sidebar, then the tabs at the top of the window, which changed by media kind. In some ways, having music on its own makes the Music app a much better tool for those who only used iTunes for managing and playing music.
MacDailyNews Take: Bottom line, some of the changes are good and some are not so good, but the good outweigh the bad, so net positive, especially in the bloat dispersal / general cleanup department.
Never had a problem with iTunes over many years and will remember it for the amazing innovation it was. Well done all involved over the years. Wondering how ripping audio books from my local library will work in the future.
Been running the Catalina beta on my MBP and while I haven’t used Music or Podcasts that much on this primarily business laptop, I don’t get the prevalent spinning beach ball that I do with iTunes whenever I fire it up or go to search for something.
If the column views are gone and the Podcast and Audiobooks folders will be hidden, then this may be a no go for me.
I beta-tested Catalina and it fudged up my library and my audiobooks were nowhere to be found. I think this happened because I have an SSD for my OS and a 2TB HD for my data in my MBP. Regardless, it shook me, and, for the first time, I lost faith in Apple’s ability to upgrade the OS w/o breaking my shit.