Apple plans to shut down iBooks Author and iTunes U
It’s pointing users to other apps like Pages, Classroom and Schoolwork.
Apple is discontinuing two products you’ve probably forgotten about: iBooks Author and iTunes U. As of July 1st, iBooks Author will not be available to new users, and Apple plans to discontinue iTunes U at the end of 2021.
Existing iBooks Author users will still have access to the app, but it will no longer be updated. Apple says it’s working on a tool that will allow users to transfer content into Pages, and that should be ready soon. As 9to5Mac notes, many of the iBooks Author functions have already been integrated into Pages.
iTunes U will be available to existing customers until the end of the 2020-2021 educational year, and Apple is pointing users to other services like Classroom and Schoolwork. For those publishing content on iTunes U, Apple suggests moving content to Apple Podcasts or Apple Books.
Neither of these changes are surprising, as we haven’t heard much about either app for several years. Since Apple’s other products pick up where iTunes U and iBooks Author leave off, users who may still be clinging to the apps have viable alternatives to choose from.
