Apple to discontinue iBooks Author, iTunes U soon, asks users to migrate to its other services

FP TrendingJun 12, 2020 14:59:28 IST

Apple has decided to discontinue its two products, iBooks Author and iTunes U. The Cupertino-based tech giant has informed that iBooks Author will no longer be updated and not be made available to new users as of 1 July. On the other hand, iTunes U will be shut down at the end of 2021.

“iTunes U will continue to be available to all existing customers through the 2020-2021 educational year,” said Apple.

Those who have previously downloaded the iBooks Author will still be able to access it from their App Store purchase history. Users will also be allowed to use the app on macOS 10.15 and earlier.

The company is working on a tool in order to let users transfer content into Pages. Many of the iBooks Author functions have already been integrated into Pages, reported 9To5 Mac.

The iTunes U users are being advised to take to other services like Classroom and Schoolwork. Classroom turns iPad into a powerful teaching assistant. It helps teachers guide students through a lesson, see their progress and keep them on track.

Schoolwork helps teachers easily share class materials, get students to a specific activity in an app, collaborate with students and view student progress.

The tech giant has been asking people publishing content on iTunes U to move it to Apple Podcasts or Apple Books.

Apple is also reportedly working on the bundled subscription-based on iOS 13.5.5 beta version. As a result of this, it may soon come up with a service bundle that would include different apps such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+ in a single subscription.

However, rumours of an "Apple bundle" are not new. In 2019, reports emerged suggesting that the company was planning to bundle all its service subscriptions in one in order to gain more subscribers.