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I have two MacBook Airs (Running the latest version of OS X 10.9). On one of the MacBooks I decided to get rid of some of the apps that I know I am not going to use. One of the apps that I got rid of was iTunes. But, the App Store forces me to reinstall iTunes... again and again.
So, now I am wondering are the App Store and the iTunes apps one and the same? Is that why the App Store forces me to reinstall iTunes again and again?
App Store is for acquiring OS X software and alike, while iTunes is for acquiring iOS apps and everything media-related (music, movies, podcasts, etc.). Although they are separate applications, the App Store application must be relying on the iTunes "engine" for some functionalities.
You can delete iTunes on OS X, but it is not advised, because it is "integral to supporting other Apple features" like the Mac App Store. They are not the same app (that's why they have different names and different icons) but one is dependent on the other. For example on Windows, if you deleted Internet Explorer, other applications will stop working. They are not the same but they depend on one another.
Citation for dependency of Mac App Store on iTunes: http://osxdaily.com/2012/02/06/delete-itunes-mac-os-x/
At this point in time I can guarantee everyone that you CANNOT delete iTunes from your Mac. This is true at least for OS X 10.9.
Here is what I have tried 3 times: purge iTunes; then go to the App Store and check for Updates. The app store would immediately suggest that I need to get the iTunes update.
Thankfully, I had the tgz of the /Applications/iTunes.app from my other MBA, so I could install it without downloading it all over again.
Bottom line: you CANNOT delete iTunes.
