A popular Apple application for Mac and Windows that organizes and plays media on the computer and Apple mobile devices. Introduced in 2001 for the Mac and 2003 for Windows, more people have used iTunes on Windows due to the sheer number of PCs. iTunes lets users rip and burn CDs, purchase media from the iTunes store and keep the firmware in iPhones and iPads up-to-date.
iTunes Replacements
Starting with macOS Catalina in 2019, three apps (Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts) replaced iTunes for the Mac. In 2024, Apple introduced three new programs to replace iTunes for Windows 10 and above (see
Apple Music app for Windows,
Apple TV app for Windows and
Apple Devices app for Windows).
Restrictions
Apple copy protects TV shows and movies sold on the iTunes Store, and it previously protected its music. Therefore, certain restrictions apply (for details, see
FairPlay).
iTunes Home Sharing
When Home Sharing in iTunes is turned on, users can stream their music and videos to their TV or home theater via their Apple TV box. Home Sharing also lets users select which photos in the Photos app can be sent to the Apple TV as a slide show for viewing or a screen saver. See
Apple TV.
Playlists can also be shared with other iTunes users on the network, and titles can be streamed from one computer to another. Originally a "share-but-not-save" feature, in 2009, Home Sharing in iTunes 9 finally enabled users to copy files across the network, not just play them. See
iPod,
iTunes Match,
iTunes U,
media player and
playlist.