iTunes U is being expelled. Parts of this education application are being replaced by other teaching aids developed by Apple. But the company won‘t continue to offer free classes.
The service launched back in 2007 as a giant repository of educational material from universities around the globe. Apple later expanded it with the introduction of an app in 2012 for iPad and iPhone.
But the company announced on Wednesday, “Apple will discontinue iTunes U at the end of 2021. iTunes U will continue to be available to all existing customers through the 2020-2021 educational year.”
Apple recommends its Classroom and Schoolwork apps instead
In making this announcement, Apple quickly points users toward its other free options. It offers Classroom, software that helps teachers guide and monitor their students. This app recently received a significant update. And Apple’s Schoolwork app helps students and teachers collaborate on school assignments.
And those two are just the most obvious. “Apps such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand, iMovie, Clips, and Swift Playgrounds have education-specific features that are used regularly by teachers and students,” notes Apple.
iTunes U dismissed
Today, the iTunes U app promises that it “allows anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to learn from a large collection of free education content in public courses from leading schools, universities, museums, and cultural institutions.“ This feature is going away.
Apple suggests educators transfer their content to Podcasts. Or put it into an ebook.
