Apple releases iTunes 12.7, with focus on music, movies, TV, and podcasts, and removes built-in App Store; apps can now only be downloaded using an iOS device
In a day filled with surprises, Apple has shocked us once again with the release of iTunes 12.7, which entirely revamps the iTunes App.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already been remaking iTunes around streaming: Apple Music and Beats 1 arrived in iTunes in 2015, followed by an Apple Music redesign and Siri support. Version 12.7 narrows the desktop software further by separating app acquisition from those media functions.
The change also foreshadows Apple’s later split of iTunes into standalone Music, TV, and Podcasts apps for macOS: the former all-in-one client is being reduced before being replaced.
First-order effects
- Mac and PC users can no longer use iTunes 12.7 to find or download iOS apps; app downloads move to the iOS device.
- Apple concentrates iTunes’ desktop role on music, movies, TV, and podcasts rather than maintaining it as a combined media-and-app storefront.
Second-order effects
- The App Store’s device-based interface becomes the sole Apple-managed path for app discovery and downloads, so developers’ distribution must align with the iOS storefront rather than desktop iTunes.
- Apple’s media teams can evolve music, video, and podcasts without carrying the App Store’s desktop workflow inside iTunes.
Third-order effects
- The move establishes a product-boundary pattern that culminates in the Catalina-era replacement of iTunes with separate media apps, rather than one desktop hub serving every Apple content category.
- Apple’s software distribution and media consumption are becoming more tightly organized around dedicated device and service experiences, with iTunes’ general-purpose role receding.
The trend: Apple is unwinding the all-in-one iTunes model in favor of device-specific storefronts and separate media applications.