Apple is rumored to release its next-generation iTunes 11 as soon as Thursday following a delay due to "engineering issues" which forced the company to rebuild select areas of the new program's code.
Screenshot of iTunes 11 store.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple could release the media store and player by Thursday, which would make the launch about one month later than originally planned.
The fresh information came in a WSJ profile on Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, the head of Apple's iTunes group who recently took over iOS Maps and Siri after former iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted from the company.
In October, Apple announced that iTunes 11 would be pushed back from its promised debut date, but failed to offer an explanation as to the delay, saying only that it "wanted to take a little extra time to get it right." At the time, spokesman Tom Neumayr said the new iTunes would roll out sometime in November.
iTunes 11 is expected to sport a clean, iOS-inspired user interface with tighter integration with other Apple services like iCloud.