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Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

When it was announced that Apple would be shutting down iTunes, it confused me a little.  I’m sure I’m not the only one.  It’s going to be split into three separate apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV.  After the shutdown, Apple will stop adding new items and you won’t be able to buy any new songs through iTunes.  The reason for this is reportedly to free up resources and improve Apple Music, its competitor to Spotify. 

There’s been a lot who’ve had issues with iTunes in the past-present company included. On that part, I won’t be sad to see it go.  I wouldn’t care at all, as I use Spotify, except for the fact that I use those iTunes cards to pay for AEW pay-per-view events on the Bleacher Report app.  I can’t find this answer anywhere but I’m thinking that I’ll still be able to buy those shows with the cards.  It’s only the iTunes store itself that’s going away. 

iTunes began in 2001 as a simple music player.  Over time, iTunes developed into a sophisticated multimedia content manager, hardware synchronization manager and e-commerce platform.  My first iPod was, I believe, a few years after the release of the first one.  It was really the first Apple Watch, if you think about it.  You could fit it on a strap and Velcro wrap the strap onto your wrist. 

Every successful product is based off something.  Apple based the initial release of iTunes on SoundJam MP, a program developed by Bill Kincaid and released by Cassidy & Green in 1999.  Apple purchased the program from Cassidy & Greene in 2000.

I think I got m first iPod in 2004.  That’s when I started running on the treadmil, I believe.  I remember those plain white earbuds that came with the iPod.  They kept falling out of my ears the faster I got.  I never thought of doing away with them and just getting a pair of headphones to hook into the adapter.  Thankfully these iPhones are Bluetooth. 

My problem with iTunes was always the purchase.  Sometimes it would sign you out right after you’d just signed in to make your previous purchase.  And all the “your session has timed out” notices were frustrating.  Thankfully, those frustrations are about to come to an end.  Let’s just hope Apple doesn’t replace those frustrations with brand new ones. 

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