Apple quietly moves iTunes to the web

(2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.)

Apple has slowly (and very quietly) been moving its iTunes platform to the web.

The company rolled out a new web-based preview feature on February 4 that enables people to browse iPhone and iPod Touch applications via a web browser.

Instead of being obliged to fire up the iTunes desktop application every time you want to view iPhone application details and read reviews, Apple will now direct you to an application preview page (while at the same time opening the "do you want to launch iTunes" dialogue window).

Apple's graduation from software to browser will come as music to the ears for users with very large personal collections of music, movies, applications, podcasts and videos - those who struggle to even open iTunes yet alone use it to browse for new apps.

Apple's iTunes software used to be a brilliant way to shop for music, make playlists, purchase apps and download movies but in recent years the program has failed to keep up with the bulging wealth of content available in the store (and personal collections).

Apple first started rolling out the web-based version of iTunes, called "iTunes Preview" in November 2009. The feature enabled people to view songs and artists available through iTunes through their web browser. In the beginning of 2010 Apple added music previews to iTunes Preview whereby people could listen to snippets of a track without opening iTunes.

Insiders believe Apple is working towards a full roll-out of iTunes.com which will hopefully free users from the iTunes desktop software and add to iTune's wide-spread appeal.

To view iTunes Preview in action visit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/remixed/id304625071

Or: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284882215&mt=8