According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning the next major iTunes update. One of the more exciting features expected in the next release is a new song-sharing feature that will make it easier for users to share and discover new music.
The update is also said to include deeper iCould integration so that users can access and manage music, videos and download software apps across Apple devices without any difficulty.
iTunes has been instrumental in Apple’s success over the past nine years, with a revenue of almost $1.9 billion in the last quarter alone. The iTunes Store has more than 28 million songs and 45,000 movies, as well as 650,000 apps in the App Store.
Better Sharing
With these numbers continuously increasing, the new features in the next iTunes update are said to improve ways of managing files. This includes changes in the ways users find new media and how they access what they already own on different Apple devices.
One of the ways Apple intends to improve discovery of new music is by improving sharing options between users, which is a popular feature on Spotify’s music-subscription service. iTunes has reportedly been negotiating with major record labels for rights that would allow iTunes users to listen to a song for free that was shared from a friend.
With Ping getting the boot in the next major update, Apple is replacing it with greater Facebook and Twitter integration, allowing users to share what they are listening to.
iCloud
iCloud is also said to become much more prominent in the next major update of iTunes. With more and more media being added between devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage and organize all the material. The purpose of better iCould integration is to fix such problems.
Regardless of what exactly the update will include, Bloomberg suggests that the new version of iTunes will be released by the end of the year. Clearly iTunes is ramping up the competition against other music service providers like Spotify.
Tom Neumayr, a spokesman for Apple based in Cupertino, California, declined to comment.
