<s>
iTunes	O
(	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
software	O
program	O
that	O
acts	O
as	O
a	O
media	O
player	O
,	O
media	O
library	O
,	O
mobile	B-Application
device	I-Application
management	O
utility	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
client	O
app	O
for	O
the	O
iTunes	O
Store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
by	O
Apple	O
Inc.	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
purchase	O
,	O
play	O
,	O
download	O
,	O
and	O
organize	O
digital	O
multimedia	O
,	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
running	O
the	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
rip	O
songs	O
from	O
CDs	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
play	O
content	O
with	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
dynamic	O
,	O
smart	O
playlists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
announced	O
by	O
Apple	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
on	O
January	O
9	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
iTunes	O
 '	O
original	O
and	O
main	O
focus	O
was	O
music	B-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
a	O
library	O
offering	O
organization	O
and	O
storage	O
of	O
Mac	B-Device
users	O
 '	O
music	B-Operating_System
collections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
2003	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
iTunes	O
Store	O
for	O
purchasing	O
and	O
downloading	O
digital	O
music	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
it	O
became	O
a	O
ubiquitous	O
tool	O
for	O
managing	O
music	B-Operating_System
and	O
configuring	O
other	O
features	O
on	O
Apple	O
's	O
line	O
of	O
iPod	B-Operating_System
media	O
players	O
,	O
which	O
extended	O
to	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
and	O
iPad	B-Device
upon	O
their	O
introduction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
Apple	O
expanded	O
on	O
the	O
core	O
music	B-Operating_System
features	O
of	O
iTunes	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
digital	O
video	O
,	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
e-books	O
,	O
and	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
purchased	O
from	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
5	I-Operating_System
in	O
2011	O
,	O
these	O
devices	O
have	O
become	O
less	O
dependent	O
on	O
iTunes	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
can	O
still	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
back	O
up	O
their	O
contents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
well	O
received	O
in	O
its	O
early	O
years	O
,	O
iTunes	O
received	O
increasing	O
criticism	O
for	O
a	O
bloated	O
user	O
experience	O
,	O
which	O
incorporated	O
features	O
beyond	O
its	O
original	O
focus	O
on	O
music	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
with	O
Macs	B-Device
running	O
macOS	B-Device
Catalina	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
PCs	O
,	O
iTunes	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
separate	O
apps	O
,	O
namely	O
Music	B-Operating_System
,	O
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
TV	B-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
Finder	B-Application
and	O
Apple	O
Devices	O
taking	O
over	O
the	O
device	O
management	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
change	O
did	O
not	O
affect	O
iTunes	O
running	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
or	O
older	O
macOS	B-Application
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SoundJam	B-Operating_System
MP	I-Operating_System
,	O
released	O
by	O
Casady	O
&	O
Greene	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
was	O
renamed	O
"	O
iTunes	O
"	O
when	O
Apple	O
purchased	O
it	O
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
developers	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
moved	O
to	O
Apple	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
acquisition	O
,	O
and	O
simplified	O
SoundJam	B-Operating_System
's	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
burn	B-Application
CDs	I-Application
,	O
and	O
removed	O
its	O
recording	O
feature	O
and	O
skin	B-Application
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
released	O
iTunes	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
iTunes	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
primarily	O
to	O
allow	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
configured	O
to	O
only	O
allow	O
installation	O
of	O
software	O
from	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Windows	B-Application
versions	O
for	O
other	O
platforms	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
more	O
self-contained	O
due	O
to	O
technical	O
requirements	O
for	O
distribution	O
on	O
the	O
store	O
(	O
not	O
installing	O
background	O
helper	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Bonjour	B-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
updated	O
automatically	O
through	O
the	O
store	O
rather	O
than	O
using	O
Apple	O
Software	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iTunes	O
features	O
a	O
music	B-Operating_System
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
supports	O
importing	O
digital	O
audio	O
tracks	O
that	O
can	O
then	O
be	O
transferred	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
supporting	O
ripping	O
content	O
from	O
CDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iTunes	O
supports	O
WAV	O
,	O
AIFF	O
,	O
Apple	B-Algorithm
Lossless	I-Algorithm
,	O
AAC	B-Application
,	O
and	O
MP3	B-Application
audio	I-Application
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
the	O
Gracenote	O
music	B-Operating_System
database	O
to	O
provide	O
track	O
name	O
listings	O
for	O
audio	O
CDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Genius	B-Operating_System
"	O
transmits	O
information	O
about	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
library	O
to	O
Apple	O
anonymously	O
,	O
and	O
evolves	O
over	O
time	O
to	O
enhance	O
its	O
recommendation	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
was	O
updated	O
with	O
iTunes	O
9	O
in	O
2009	O
to	O
offer	O
"	O
Genius	B-Operating_System
Mixes	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
generated	O
playlists	O
based	O
on	O
specific	O
music	B-Operating_System
genres	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selection	O
criteria	O
examples	O
include	O
a	O
genre	O
like	O
Christmas	O
music	B-Operating_System
,	O
songs	O
that	O
have	O
n't	O
been	O
played	O
recently	O
,	O
or	O
songs	O
the	O
user	O
has	O
listened	O
to	O
the	O
most	O
in	O
a	O
time	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Application
firewalls	I-Application
must	O
allow	O
network	O
traffic	O
,	O
and	O
users	O
must	O
specifically	O
enable	O
sharing	O
in	O
the	O
iTunes	O
preferences	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iOS	B-Application
applications	I-Application
also	O
exist	O
that	O
can	O
transfer	O
content	O
without	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
set	O
up	O
a	O
network-attached	B-Application
storage	I-Application
system	O
,	O
and	O
connect	O
to	O
that	O
storage	O
system	O
through	O
an	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Introduced	O
on	O
April	O
28	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
The	O
iTunes	O
Music	B-Operating_System
Store	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
buy	O
and	O
download	O
songs	O
,	O
with	O
200,000	O
tracks	O
available	O
at	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Music	B-Operating_System
purchased	O
was	O
protected	O
by	O
FairPlay	B-Operating_System
,	O
an	O
encryption	O
layer	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
after	O
an	O
open	O
letter	O
to	O
the	O
music	B-Operating_System
industry	O
by	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
in	O
February	O
2007	O
,	O
Apple	O
introduced	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
DRM-free	O
music	B-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
iTunes	O
Store	O
in	O
April	O
2007	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
its	O
entire	O
music	B-Operating_System
catalog	O
without	O
DRM	O
in	O
January	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
Apple	O
announced	O
"	O
iTunes	O
in	O
the	O
Cloud	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
music	B-Operating_System
purchases	O
were	O
stored	O
on	O
Apple	O
's	O
servers	O
and	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
automatic	O
downloading	O
on	O
new	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
music	B-Operating_System
the	O
user	O
owns	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
content	O
ripped	O
from	O
CDs	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
introduced	O
"	O
iTunes	O
Match	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
can	O
upload	O
content	O
to	O
Apple	O
's	O
servers	O
,	O
match	O
it	O
to	O
its	O
catalog	O
,	O
change	O
the	O
quality	O
to	O
256kbit/s	O
AAC	B-Application
format	I-Application
,	O
and	O
make	O
it	O
available	O
to	O
other	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
announced	O
iTunes	O
Radio	O
,	O
a	O
free	O
music	B-Operating_System
streaming	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2015	O
,	O
Apple	O
announced	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
subscription-based	O
music	B-Operating_System
streaming	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
subsequently	O
integrated	O
iTunes	O
Radio	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Music	B-Operating_System
tracks	O
provided	O
by	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
via	O
iTunes	O
are	O
available	O
at	O
up	O
to	O
256	O
kbps	O
AAC	B-Application
fidelity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
app	O
also	O
integrates	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
1	O
,	O
a	O
live	O
music	B-Operating_System
radio	O
station	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CEO	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
told	O
the	O
press	O
that	O
"	O
We	O
're	O
doing	O
for	O
video	O
what	O
we	O
've	O
done	O
for	O
music	B-Operating_System
—	O
we	O
're	O
making	O
it	O
easy	O
and	O
affordable	O
to	O
purchase	O
and	O
download	O
,	O
play	O
on	O
your	O
computer	O
,	O
and	O
take	O
with	O
you	O
on	O
your	O
iPod.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2005	O
,	O
Apple	O
updated	O
iTunes	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
subscribe	O
to	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
change	O
update	O
frequency	O
,	O
define	O
how	O
many	O
episodes	O
to	O
download	O
and	O
how	O
many	O
to	O
delete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
songs	O
,	O
"	O
Smart	O
playlists	O
"	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
control	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
in	O
a	O
playlist	O
,	O
setting	O
criteria	O
such	O
as	O
date	O
and	O
number	O
of	O
times	O
listened	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Apple	O
introduced	O
native	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
for	O
its	O
iOS	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
a	O
dedicated	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
application	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
storefront	O
for	O
browsing	O
,	O
downloading	O
,	O
updating	O
,	O
and	O
otherwise	O
managing	O
applications	O
,	O
whereas	O
iTunes	O
on	O
computers	O
had	O
a	O
dedicated	O
section	O
for	O
apps	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
separate	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Apple	O
updated	O
iTunes	O
to	O
version	O
12.7	O
,	O
removing	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
section	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iTunes	O
12.6.3	O
was	O
released	O
the	O
following	O
month	O
,	O
retaining	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
functionality	O
,	O
with	O
9to5Mac	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
secondary	O
release	O
was	O
positioned	O
by	O
Apple	O
as	O
"	O
necessary	O
for	O
some	O
businesses	O
performing	O
internal	O
app	O
deployments	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
iTunes	O
version	O
12.7	O
in	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
iTunes	O
U	O
collections	O
became	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iTunes	O
was	O
required	O
to	O
activate	O
early	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
and	O
iPad	B-Device
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
with	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
3G	I-Operating_System
in	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
activation	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
iTunes	O
,	O
making	O
use	O
of	O
activation	O
at	O
point	O
of	O
sale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
models	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
be	O
activated	O
and	O
set-up	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
,	O
without	O
requiring	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
iTunes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iTunes	O
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
backup	O
and	O
restore	O
the	O
content	O
of	O
their	O
Apple	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
music	B-Operating_System
,	O
photos	O
,	O
videos	O
,	O
ringtones	O
and	O
device	O
settings	O
,	O
and	O
restore	O
the	O
firmware	O
of	O
their	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
iTunes	O
10	O
in	O
September	O
2010	O
,	O
Apple	O
announced	O
iTunes	O
Ping	O
,	O
which	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
social	O
music	B-Operating_System
discovery	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
features	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
including	O
profiles	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
follow	O
other	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
iTunes	O
has	O
been	O
repeatedly	O
accused	O
of	O
being	O
bloated	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
efforts	O
to	O
turn	O
it	O
from	O
a	O
music	B-Operating_System
player	O
to	O
an	O
all-encompassing	O
multimedia	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Former	O
PC	O
World	O
editor	O
Ed	O
Bott	O
accused	O
the	O
company	O
of	O
hypocrisy	O
in	O
its	O
advertising	O
attacks	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
for	O
similar	O
practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
role	O
of	O
iTunes	O
has	O
been	O
replaced	O
with	O
independent	O
apps	O
for	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
,	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
TV	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
,	O
iPod	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
iPad	B-Device
management	O
being	O
put	O
into	O
Finder	B-Application
(	O
as	O
Apple	O
Devices	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
PC	I-Application
)	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
macOS	B-Device
10.15	I-Device
Catalina	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
.	O
</s>
