GoKawiilApple's iTunes lives on in fragments 25 years after launch
Twenty-five years after Steve Jobs unveiled iTunes, the once-dominant digital media platform no longer exists as a single app. Apple has split its functions across Music, TV, and Podcasts apps, while device syncing and backups now happen through Finder on the Mac instead of iTunes.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
iTunes once controlled the majority of the paid digital download market before subscription services like Spotify and Apple Music undercut its business model. Its breakup illustrates how Apple continually restructures its software ecosystem as user habits shift from ownership to streaming.
- iTunes once held about 63% of the US paid digital download market
- Its features are now split across Music, Apple TV, Apple Podcasts and Finder
- Streaming subscriptions ultimately displaced iTunes' original download-based model
Apple iPod Touch (used/renewed) — or Apple Music gift card — If iTunes nostalgia has you rebuilding a personal library, an Apple gift card is the simplest way to buy tracks, albums, and movies from the storefront that outlived the old app. It also covers an Apple Music subscription if you'd rather stream than collect. A tidy gift for the friend who still alphabetizes their music.
See Apple iPod Touch (used/renewed) — or Apple Music gift card on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: engadget.com — Thomas Godwin, 2026-09-05
Published there as: “Apple iTunes still exists, but not the way it used to”
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