Apple breaks up iTunes and introduces tighter privacy controls

Apple iPhone will have a 'dark mode' and a new Mac model will be unveiled

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, U.S. June 3, 2019. REUTERS/Mason Trinca
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Apple is to revamp iTunes, will tighten privacy controls for users and make apps to launch twice as fast.

The tech giant will break up iTunes into Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV. It will also offer iPhone users a way to bypass Facebook and Google sign-ins when using new apps.

Apple is introducing a competing sign-in service and promises to be more respectful of privacy.

Speaking at the Apple Developer Conference in California on Monday, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said apps that try to find users locations using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi will not be able to get that data.

"Privacy is a fundamental human right," Mr Federighi said.

Apple also announced a "dark mode" feature for its new iOS 13 iPhone software, which allows users to have white text on a black background, saving battery power and causing less eyestrain.

Apple Maps will have features similar to Google’s Street View, while other notable new iPhone features include the option to silence unknown callers and block senders within the Mail app.

Bilingual keyboards and better predictive typing for Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Cantonese, Vietnamese and the 22 official Indian languages were also announced.

Apple’s conference shared new developments with the Find My iPhone and Find My Friends app, both of which can now track any Apple device even when offline.

A new Mac Book Pro is set to launch this autumn with prices starting at $5,999.

Mac users will be able to use an iPad as a second screen and should expect a much larger screen size compared to the Mac Book.