Apple’s iTunes is Branching Out

You may have noticed iTunes has been quietly making changes in the last few years, and the main changes involve the apps being separated from the main component of iTunes itself. What other changes have been happening on the iTunes app you’ve grown to know and love?

Podcast
Remember when podcast were the cool, new thing? Though it seems that the popularity of podcast has already fizzled out, Apple is keeping them … just not in iTunes.
Instead, Apple will have a separate podcast app that will allow all of the podcast to be seen and purchased in a space all their own, making it easier for you to find all sorts of podcast whether they’re about the latest meditation techniques or about SEO pricing.

Video Apps
Why combine music and video when they are two different categories? We’ll have to agree with you on this one, Apple. The separated video and music applications allow for better organization and easier access for users. The video app includes television shows and movies and you can look at and download within the application itself.

Ping
Some users may not be happy about it, but the social media network called Ping won’t be around on the next version of iTunes. Instead, Apple will partner up with bigger social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Apparently, Ping never really caught on like Apple hoped it would. Essentially, the things you do on Ping, like following your favorite artists, can also be done on Facebook. And Facebook isn’t generally pushing you to buy products the way Ping encourages users to purchase content from iTunes.
The new operating system for mac, called Mountain Lion, has social networking integration all built in. It will be less difficult for users to post to social sites and update statuses along with add Facebook friends to existing contact lists among other features. Ping may be going away, but Apple and social networking are here to stay.

iTunes U
Apple’s nod to knowledge, iTunes U, won’t be going away but will be getting its own application. This application consists of a database of lectures users can listen to. This app will make listening to and finding lectures much more functional for users.

The Downfall
Audiobooks are still combined with video in the iTunes store. It would be easier for users if audiobooks had their own app or could be combined with the i Books app that users must use to buy non-audio material and books.

So though these new changes to Apple apps are welcome, there is still more to do to create an easier environment for downloading media, especially using mobile devices.

This guest post contributed by Carl Glasmyre, who loves to write about anything and everything technology, from the latest iTunes applications to the best SEO pricing.