Which Apple software release added formal podcast support in June 2005?

iTunes 4.9 was the Apple software release that added formal podcast support in June 2005. Apple announced the release on June 28, describing built-in tools for discovering, subscribing to, managing, and listening to podcasts.

Before iTunes 4.9, podcast listeners generally relied on separate software to monitor RSS feeds, download new episodes, and transfer them to a portable player. Apple integrated those tasks into a familiar music application. Its new podcast directory launched with more than 3,000 free programs, giving the format a major discovery and distribution channel.

The release helped move podcasting from a specialist internet practice toward a mainstream consumer medium. It also made automatic subscriptions easier: users could choose shows, and new episodes could be delivered over the internet to a computer and then synchronized with an iPod. QuickTime and GarageBand were related Apple audio products, but neither was the release that formalized podcast management.