'iTunes Producer 2.6' Appears in OS X Software Update

itunesproducer
Several readers have noticed the appearance of 'iTunes Producer 2.6' in their OS X Software Update. iTunes Producer is Apple's submission tool for music (and books) to the Apple iTunes Store.

iTunes Producer: This free software application allows you to prepare your music for direct delivery to iTunes. Use it to encode your music in AAC format; enter album, song, and cover art information; and send your prepared files directly to Apple for consideration.

The appearance has generated some confusion amongst users who are unfamiliar with the software, suggesting it may have been inadvertently pushed to unintended users via Apple's OS X Software Update mechanism.

iTunes Producer is also the publishing software for iBooks Author books, so the update may be detecting users who have simply installed iBooks Author as well. When publishing books from iBooks Author, users are required to register for an iTunes Connect account in order to download the iTunes Producer software.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...

Top Rated Comments

Movura Avatar
179 months ago
By the looks of it, it's also the new Application Loader. This is what I see when I log in with my account...



I'm guessing that they're rolling everything into the one package.

I'd also suggest that this isn't meant for public consumption just yet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tubbymac Avatar
179 months ago

iTunes Producer is also the publishing software for iBooks Author books, so the update may be detecting users who have simply installed iBooks Author as well.

I do not have iBooks Author installed but I still get iTunes Producer showing up in my software update, so I don't think the above is true - at least in my case.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SkippyThorson Avatar
179 months ago
I was all ready to jump on here and ask, or submit something to Arn via Messages, but of course the folks on here were quicker than myself. :p I always appreciate how on-the-ball the team is.

Anyhow, I installed it after reading about it here. I have a book going in iBooks Author that, when finished, I'd like submitted, obviously. Any tool that makes this easier is a welcome addition. It installed just fine, yet Software Update does try to look for and install it again, as some here have mentioned. Also to note, it really doesn't look like it was ready for primetime, but that's just my opinion.

Personally, I can't see any negative impact if you submit content to any of the App Stores. The only downside as far as I can tell is for users who are trying to save precious space on a MacBook Air or a smaller SSD. It's not a huge program by any means, so it doesn't bother me.

My only question regarding it is why such a Utility (not a full-featured program, really) would go into the general Applications folder and not in Applications -> Utilities, much like QuickTime 7 that got pushed there when the new version came out.

I have one thought too; I really feel like I've seen that orange ball in the icon somewhere before. I can't put my finger on it.

-----

ghwis.wordpress.com (http://gwhiz.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/itunes-producer-under-the-hood/) (which I've never heard of; Google-searched it) wrote a long article with tons of screenshots, info, and a walkthrough back in 2007.

Looks like iTunes Producer has been around a while; I at least found version 1.6 built in to iTunes. Perhaps this new version just divides this out of iTunes and makes Producer its own application; ready to suit any Apple Store; whether it be iOS Apps, iTunes, Mac Apps, iBooks, etc.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdeFowler Avatar
179 months ago
Showing up for me. I have Xcode installed but not iBooks Author.

This would never happen in Steve's day /jk
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sky Blue Avatar
179 months ago
Wow, the icon is mid-00's Apple.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westacular Avatar
179 months ago
I do not have iBooks Author installed but I still get iTunes Producer showing up in my software update, so I don't think the above is true - at least in my case.

Same for me. In fact, I'm running 10.6.8, so I can't even install iBooks Author, which is Lion-only. But iTunes Producer 2.6 is showing up for me in software update.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)