Technology - Google News

Uh, Those 'Death of iTunes' Rumors Are Starting to Look More Real - Gizmodo

Posted: 01 Jun 2019 03:20 PM PDT

Illustration for article titled Uh, Those 'Death of iTunes' Rumors Are Starting to Look More Real

Apple appears to be giving us even more indication that those rumors about the death of iTunes may hold water.

As noted on Reddit and reported by MacRumors, Apple's iTunes pages on Facebook and Instagram have been scrubbed of their content just days ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), its annual event at which the company is reportedly planning to announce it's killing the 18-year-old app (and not a moment too soon, in our opinion).

The Instagram account for iTunes currently directs visitors to its Apple TV page, while the page's link directs to Apple TV+. MacRumors noted that on Facebook, it appears as though Apple may have moved the content from its iTunes page over to its Apple TV page. Curiously, however, its Twitter account appears to be fine.

Back in April, developer Steve Troughton-Smith tweeted that he was "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," adding that this also meant "the much-discussed and long-awaited break up of iTunes." And as we inch ever closer to WWDC, which kicks off on Monday, that rumor has hit full-on fever pitch.

On Friday, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman added fuel to the fire by reporting that the app—which has been used for far too many confusing functions for far too long—would be replaced by new macOS apps Music, TV, and Podcasts. According to the report, users will be able to manage their iPhone products through the Music app instead.

We're not saying that this is a conclusive indication that Apple is killing iTunes—but if it is? Good riddance.

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Huawei reassesses goal of overtaking Samsung as production halts - Phone Arena

Posted: 01 Jun 2019 02:37 PM PDT

Huawei has made no secret of its plans to overtake Samsung as the world's largest smartphone manufacturer by the first quarter of 2020. But in light of its recent US trade ban, the company is reassessing its goal.

According to Honor President Zhao Ming, Huawei is currently looking into the possibility of adjusting its internal goals. He says it's still "too early" to say whether or not the Chinese company is capable of achieving the goals it currently has set, although things aren't looking too good.

Per sources familiar with the matter, Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn that also assembles iPhones and Xiaomi devices recently shut down Huawei production lines. This happened because the company suddenly reduced its orders for new phones in light of weakened demand due to the US ban.

It's unclear at this point if Huawei's production cut is temporary or long-term, but the request could negatively impact Foxconn. After all, the latter reportedly hired lots of new workers earlier this year in order to cope with the growing demand for Huawei's smartphones.

On a related note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently forecast a significant drop in sales for Huawei this year. The best-case scenario, which involves launching an Android replacement at some point in the near future, would see Huawei ship between 240 and 250 million smartphones by the end of the year, down from the previous estimates of 270 million devices. However, if the company fails to release an in-house OS by the end of the year, Huawei's shipments could fall to just 180 million devices.

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