Editing ITunes (section)

==History==

===Origins: SoundJam MP===
iTunes was not built from scratch. Apple based the initial release of iTunes on SoundJam MP, a program developed by Bill Kincaid and released by Casady & Greene in 1999. Apple purchased the program from Casady & Greene in 2000, at which time Kincaid, Jeff Robbin, and Dave Heller left Casady & Greene to continue development of the program as Apple employees. 

===Launch (2001)===
On January 9, 2001, at Macworld San Francisco, Apple released version 1.0 of the program under the name iTunes for Mac OS 9.  The application was immediately recognized as a re-engineered version of SoundJam MP. Its initial focus was on providing a user-friendly interface for organizing and playing music files, allowing users to import CDs, create playlists, and enjoy their favorite songs with ease. 

In March 2001, iTunes began to support Mac OS X with the release of version 1.1. Release 2.0 added support for the new iPod. Version 3 dropped Mac OS 9 support but added smart playlists and a ratings system. 

===The iTunes Store (2003)===
Introduced on April 28, 2003, the iTunes Music Store allowed users to buy and download songs, with 200,000 tracks available at launch. In its first week, customers bought more than one million songs. 

The store's success was driven by several key factors. The price point of 99 cents per song made it an attractive option for consumers.  For the first time, users could legally purchase individual songs rather than entire albums, reshaping the economics of the music industry.

Music purchased was protected by FairPlay, an encryption layer referred to as digital rights management (DRM). Eventually, after an open letter to the music industry by CEO Steve Jobs in February 2007, Apple introduced a selection of DRM-free music in the iTunes Store in April 2007, followed by its entire music catalog without DRM in January 2009. 

In April 2003, version 4.0 introduced the iTunes Store; in October, version 4.1 added support for Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP.  The arrival of iTunes on Windows dramatically expanded the application's reach beyond the Apple ecosystem.

===Video and Multimedia Expansion (2005–2008)===
In May 2005, video support was introduced to iTunes with the release of iTunes 4.8, though it was limited to bonus features as part of album purchases. The following October, Apple introduced iTunes 6, enabling support for purchasing and viewing video content from the iTunes Store. At launch, the store offered popular shows from the ABC network, including Desperate Housewives and Lost. 

In May 2007, Apple announced the launch of "iTunes U" via the iTunes Store, which delivered university lectures from top U.S. colleges. 

In 2008, iTunes introduced support for the App Store coinciding with the launch of iPhone OS 2.0, becoming the primary desktop gateway for downloading and managing iOS applications.

===iTunes Ping (2010–2012)===
With the release of iTunes 10 in September 2010, Apple announced iTunes Ping, which CEO Steve Jobs described as "social music discovery". It had features reminiscent of Facebook, including profiles and the ability to follow other users. Ping was discontinued in September 2012. 

===iCloud Integration (2011)===
In June 2011, Apple announced "iTunes in the Cloud", in which music purchases were stored on Apple's servers and made available for automatic downloading on new devices. For music the user owns, such as content ripped from CDs, the company introduced "iTunes Match", a feature that can upload content to Apple's servers. 

===App Store Removal (2017)===
On September 12, 2017, iTunes 12.7 removed support for browsing, downloading, and synchronizing apps from the App Store, including the "Applications" tab that provided a desktop view of the device's home screen. It additionally removed support for ringtones, and entirely discontinued support for synchronization or streaming content to Apple TV (1st generation). 

===Discontinuation on macOS (2019)===
In June 2019, Apple announced a significant restructuring of its digital media services, effectively phasing out iTunes. This decision was part of a broader strategy to focus on specialized applications for different media types. Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts were launched as standalone applications, each tailored to specific content types. 

macOS 10.15 Catalina, released in October 2019, marked the discontinuation of iTunes after nearly two decades. Apple split iTunes functionality into three dedicated applications: Music, Podcasts, and TV.  Device synchronization, previously handled by iTunes, was moved to the [[Finder (macOS)|Finder]] application.

===Windows Transition===
While iTunes is long gone for Mac users, it still lingers on Microsoft Windows and older Mac operating systems. As of 2024, Windows users can still download and use iTunes to access their music libraries, podcasts, and movies. Apple has rolled out replacements for iTunes on Windows 10 and 11 in the form of the Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices apps, available through the Microsoft Store.