Rumor: macOS 10.15 may see iTunes broken up into multiple apps

When macOS 10.15 is previewed at June’s Worldwide Developer Conference, and arrives for end users in the fall, it may see iTunes broken up into separate apps as is currently the case with iOS.

In a tweet by developer Steve Troughton-Smith, he had this to say: “I am now fairly confident based on evidence I don’t wish to make public at this point that Apple is planning new (likely UIKit) Music, Podcasts, perhaps even Books, apps for macOS, to join the new TV app. I expect the four to be the next wave of Marzipan apps. Grain of salt, etc. And yes, this means the much-discussed and long-awaited break up of iTunes. Finally!”

This is something that many folks have long felt was needed. The first step may have already been announced: last month Apple said a new TV app for Mac would arrive along with the Apple TV+ streaming service, taking video out of iTunes.

With macOS Mojave, apps including News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home are available on Mac for the first time. And at the WWDC 2018, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, said they were brought to Mac using iOS frameworks that have been adapted to macOS. Starting in late 2019, he added that these additional frameworks will make it easier for developers to bring their iOS apps to macOS — providing new opportunities for developers and creating more apps for Mac users to enjoy.

So what is this “Marzipan”that Troughton-Smith refers to? Apple analyst Mark Gurman says Apple is working on a project called “Marzipan,” which involves merging the codebase of macOS and iOS apps. The tech giant plans to allow developers to release universal apps that work across the macOS and iOS as early as next year as part of the company’s “Marzipan” project, according to Bloomberg News. The apps will work with a touchscreen or mouse and trackpad depending on whether it’s running on the iPhone and iPad operating system or on a Mac, the article by Gurman adds, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”

Currently, of course, developers have to develop apps separately the iOS or the macOS. Unifying the apps could help the iOS and macOS platforms “evolve and grow as one, and not one at the expense of the other,” says Troughton-Smith.