Microsoft Wants A Proper iTunes App For Windows 8

Eveybody knows that iTunes is a very popular application among all users of all kind of devices. That`s also the reason why Microsoft wants the iTunes app included in their Operating System. As most of you already know, iTunes is an application developed by Apple that works both as a media player and as a media library. It is used for playing and downloading music and also videos for iOS based devices (such as the iPod, iPad and the iPhone).

Apple already developed an iTune version that works on Windows 8, but Microsoft wants more than that: the current iTunes app is an old style app, not a WIndows 8 app and that is exactly what Microsoft wants. However, Apple does not seem too interested in providing this app too soon. The chief financial officer of  Microsoft’s Windows division, Tami Reller, revealed that we shouldn`t expect a new Windows 8 iTunes application any time soon.  She was also pointing to the fact that Microsoft really wants it but in the end it does not depend on them: “ITunes is in high demand. The welcome mat has been laid out. It’s not for lack of trying.“.

Tom Warren, the founder of Win Rumors and Senior Editor at The Verge, confirmed the above (that Microsoft is trying to get itunes on Windows 8) saying that anonymous Microsoft sources disclosed that among the apps that received the most searches in the Windows 8 store, iTunes ranks very very high. It is easy to understand then why Microsoft is trying to get Apple to make a Windows 8 version of its popular service. Microsoft has been trying very hard to develop an application as good as iTunes is, but so far,this seems to be pretty much an impossible mission.

As we already said, Apple already has an iTunes version available to buy on the Windows 8 store but the problem is that it is made for Desktop mode, which is centered around the traditional keyboard and mouse interface. Microsoft however wants Apple to make iTunes as a Metro App - Metro apps are available to buy from Microsoft own version of Apple’s App Store. Metro is an interface made with touchscreen devices in mind and these devices represent the current direction in which the market is heading.

Apple has no reason to develop a Metro version of iTunes for Windows 8. A very important thing to note here is that Microsoft Office, an internal Microsoft app, is also stuck as a desktop app for now, still not doing the transition to a Metro app yet. And, as we mentioned, that is a Microsoft app.

We can guess that the vast majority of the people searching for a Metro iTunes app are Surface (Microsoft’s tablet running the Windows Operating System) users and that might actually be one of the reasons why Apple is not hurrying to develop a Metro iTunes app as it is not in their best interest to help a competitive product (Microsoft Surface is in direct competition with Apple’s iPad line of tablets). If you are a Windows 8 user would you like a specific Metro version of iTunes or are you content with the current desktop iTunes app? Please leave  your opinion in the comments section below.