Apple working on new media apps for Windows

Posted:
in General Discussion edited November 2019
A recent job listing reveals Apple is looking to grow its presence on Windows with new media-centric apps, potentially hinting at plans to expand beyond the company's current iTunes and iCloud offerings.

iTunes Windows


The Cupertino tech giant is looking for a senior software engineer to work on the "next generation" of media apps for Windows, according to a LinkedIn post spotted by Neowin on Tuesday.

Apple currently fields precious few apps on Microsoft's desktop platform, with iTunes being the most prominent thanks in part to its comprehensive, if not bloated, integration with the company's various online storefronts. The situation on Windows is diverges from Apple's own platforms, which recently moved away from the one-stop iTunes shop to a collection of standalone apps with macOS Catalina.

When Catalina launched in October, users saw iTunes splinter into Apple Music, Podcasts and TV, the latter of which now plays home to Apple TV+, Apple's premium subscription video streaming service. It is possible that Apple is looking to introduce those same apps on Windows, a natural expansion given the company wants its Apple Music and Apple TV+ products on as many as devices possible.

Interestingly, Apple in its listing says experience with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is a "big plus." The API, introduced alongside Windows 10, allows developers to write and deploy software for use on Windows 10, Xbox One and HoloLens.

While Windows 10 carries a large audience, Xbox One is perhaps just as important, if not more so, for Apple TV+. There is no means to access Apple TV or Apple TV+ programming on Xbox One, making the hugely popular gaming platform ripe for incorporation.
watto_cobra

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member

    Interestingly, Apple lists experience with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) as a "big plus." The API, introduced alongside Windows 10, allows developers to write code and easily deploy software for use on Windows 10, Xbox One and HoloLens.


    Very interesting from a development and gateway product perspective if Apple make this a Swift/Catalyst target in the future. After all the new media apps are all Catalyst forerunners. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 13
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    philboogiewatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 13
    terun78 said:
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    Apple should focus on improving Safari on iPad OS (etc) first.  Microsoft’s Edge Browser is better...

    Maybe that’s your answer... scrapping Safari.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    terun78 said:
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    Apple should focus on improving Safari on iPad OS (etc) first.  Microsoft’s Edge Browser is better...

    Maybe that’s your answer... scrapping Safari.
    What's wrong with it, and how is Edge better (in your opinion)?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 13
    Seriously you are joking yes!
    terun78 said:
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    Apple should focus on improving Safari on iPad OS (etc) first.  Microsoft’s Edge Browser is better...

    Maybe that’s your answer... scrapping Safari.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 13
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    mattinoz said:

    Interestingly, Apple lists experience with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) as a "big plus." The API, introduced alongside Windows 10, allows developers to write code and easily deploy software for use on Windows 10, Xbox One and HoloLens.


    Very interesting from a development and gateway product perspective if Apple make this a Swift/Catalyst target in the future. After all the new media apps are all Catalyst forerunners. 
    An interesting development for sure, but I’ll need convincing. Apple’s Windows apps are worse than Microsoft’s. 
    muthuk_vanalingamSoundJudgment
  • Reply 7 of 13
    I sure hope they do a LOT better job at coding these new Apps for Windows use. Their iTunes app was as buggy as it comes to install... update and maintain on the Windows of the past. Not very encouraging.
  • Reply 8 of 13

    terun78 said:
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    Apple dropped Safari for Windows because nobody used it. It's market share percentage was a rounding error. Windows already has several browsers available.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    trydtryd Posts: 143member
    I hope they do a better job on Windows than they have done on MacOS. Music is horrible compared to iTunes for working with large libraries. I have almost given up on playing music from my own library, but maybe that was the point all the time?
    edited November 2019
  • Reply 10 of 13
    tryd said:
    I hope they do a better job on Windows than they have done on MacOS. Music is horrible compared to iTunes for working with large libraries. I have almost given up on playing music from my own library, but maybe that was the point all the time?
    Why's that? Curious as I haven't updated yet.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    terun78 said:
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    Apple should focus on improving Safari on iPad OS (etc) first.  Microsoft’s Edge Browser is better...

    Maybe that’s your answer... scrapping Safari.
    Now that's the best joke I've heard of all day. Edge is the worst browser out there, just look at its market share. Soooo bad in fact that the next version will be based on Chrome.
    I know it's a nit-pick, but Edge Chromium is Chromium based just like Chrome is Chromium based - Edge Chromium is not actually Chrome based.

    Edge sucks for sure, but Edge Chromium that is currently in preview is great, and of course all Chrome extensions function in Edge Chromium.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    terun78 said:
    This is interesting! It would be nice if they brought Safari back to Windows as well.
    Apple should focus on improving Safari on iPad OS (etc) first.  Microsoft’s Edge Browser is better...

    Maybe that’s your answer... scrapping Safari.
    Now that's the best joke I've heard of all day. Edge is the worst browser out there, just look at its market share. Soooo bad in fact that the next version will be based on Chrome.
    I've switched over to Microsoft Edge Dev channel on all my Macs. It's a better browser than Safari. I can sync through my MS account and use the superb Web clipping in the Onenote extension and have that information available everywhere is huge. Safari feels slower and dated by comparison.

    Apple seems to have lost interest in Safari. It's also extremely shortsighted to not have produced Windows version of Music. iTunes has always been dreadful but the Windows version was so crap I was embarrassed for Apple. If you want to be taken seriously as a services company you have to go to where the users are and provide ALL users with a similar experience. For many reasons the Mac platform is not the draw it once used to be but Apple could retain leaving customers to its services if the experience was better but at the moment the appalling experience pushes customers into the arms of the competition.
    edited November 2019
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