Apple’s new iTunes 11 media management and playback software may launch as soon as today, according to a statement in a Wall Street Journal profile of Eddy Cue, the company’s vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The New iTunes,” as Apple refers to it, was introduced in September during the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 keynote with a promised launch date of October. After a major executive shakeup at the company in late October, Apple announced that iTunes 11 would be delayed until November.
Now, with November nearly over and in the absence of further announcements from Apple on the progress of the software, a brief mention in a Wall Street Journal article on Mr. Cue, published Wednesday, suggests that iTunes 11 will finally reach users’ desktops as early as today:
This week, Mr. Cue faces a test of how well Apple can keep up in online services with the launch of a new desktop version of iTunes, which is expected as soon as Thursday.
The new iTunes has been delayed a month by engineering issues that required parts to be rebuilt, according to people who have seen it.
Once launched, iTunes 11 will bring one of the most significant redesigns of its interface since the software was first released in early 2001. Also included is iCloud support for syncing playback position between iCloud-enabled devices, allowing a user to start a movie, audiobook, or podcast on one device and pick up where they left off on another.
iTunes 11 will be a free download for OS X and Windows users, although exact system requirements are not yet available.