Apple announced they are killing iTunes. What’s that mean for the podcast directory?
In case you haven’t heard, last week at their annual WWDC, Apple announced that they were officially (finally) killing iTunes this fall. 18 years ago, when it was first released, iTunes was focused on ripping CDs, storing MP3s, and buying songs. Then apps and movies and TV shows and podcasts. It’s gotten so bulky that Apple engineering lead Craig Federighi jokingly suggested “How about calendar in iTunes? I mean, you can have all of your appointments and your best tracks all in one app!” during the presentation. So, yeah, it has become a bit bloated. Apple even suggested this move for Apple Podcasts years ago.
iTunes Podcasts vs. Apple Podcasts
Don’t worry. Apple Podcast directory still exists. So keep creating great content and promoting your podcast.
All that’s really going to happen this fall when Apple rolls out its latest operating system is what Apple did to iTunes on iOS years ago: splitting out music, podcasts, and TV & movies into separate apps. This is most likely a good thing because it should provide a much better, more focused user experience for your podcast listeners. No more toggling between TV, Music, apps, etc. on the desktop iTunes application. Instead of being buried beneath multiple mouse clicks in iTunes on desktop, the Apple Podcasts directory will live in the Apple Podcasts desktop app. Nothing is really changing (except the categories, see below), just the app that houses the directory.
Apple Podcasts Directory Category Changes
Apple this week also announced this summer they’ll be adding a few new top level categories such as Fiction, True Crime, and History. They’ll also be eliminating/reorganizing some sub-categories. You can find the updated list of podcast categories here. Not to worry, though. Blubrry will be implementing the changes as quickly as we can, and there really shouldn’t be too much for you to do on your end. And, as always, Blubrry is the only podcasting services provider in the market providing complimentary support for our podcast hosting, podcast stats, and Blubrry WordPress Website customers from real, live humans on our customer support team.
TL;DR
Don’t worry. Even though Apple is killing iTunes, the Apple Podcast directory will still exist and Blubrry will be implementing the category changes as quickly as we can. So keep creating great content and promoting your podcast.