Apple announces iTunes Match, no-upload cloud-based music locker (updated 3x)

Apple used today’s WWDC keynote address to announce a brand new service called iTunes Match - which was also referred to as “iTunes on the cloud.”

iTunes Match will scan your iTunes Library and match songs to an upgraded, 256kbps AAC DRM-free file on Apple’s iCloud server. The service will cost $24.99 per year but it remains to be seen what will happen if you stop paying the annual subscription fee.

Apple touted ‘Match as a huge advantage over competing services from Google and Amazon, because while they can take “weeks” to upload your library, iTunes Match takes “just minutes.”


Apple also touted the service as having the “same benefits as music purchased from iTunes.” Presumably this means that you’ll be able to re-download tracks and see your music history on all of your devices.

Update: Apple has updated its iTunes Terms and Conditions — presumably to address all the new cloud features.


Update2: Apple has posted it’s iCloud features page.

Update3: Sadly, iTunes in the Cloud doesn’t allow streaming of music to your devices, like Google and Amazon do. Deal breaker?

Apple's iCloud like 'new iTunes'

Apple is set to launch its iCloud service which will allow the users stream data stored on Apple servers to their devices including iPhones, iPads and iPods. Don’t think of iCloud as the new MobileMe, think of iCloud as the new iTunes.


The service will be directly competing against similar services launched by Google and Amazon. Cloud computing is going to prove crucial because the mobile devices battle is no more a battle between devices.

What is Cloud Computing?

Let’s say you’re an executive at a large corporation. Your particular responsibilities include making sure that all of your employees have the right hardware and software they need to do their jobs. Buying computers for everyone isn’t enough you also have to purchase software or software licenses to give employees the tools they require.

Whenever you have a new hire, you have to buy more software or make sure your current software license allows another user. It’s so stressful that you find it difficult to go to sleep on your huge pile of money every night.

Soon, there may be an alternative for executives like you. Instead of installing a suite of software for each computer, you’d only have to load one application. That application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job.

Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs. It’s called cloud computing, and it could change the entire computer industry.



The iCloud has the potential of changing the very basic pattern of media consumption, which in turn may increase demand for more Apple devices among the masses. The iCloud itself may not be something revolutionary, but the forthcoming gadgets designed around it may indeed turn out to be a million dollar opportunity for Apple.

At a time, when Google and Amazon went ahead and launched their cloud services without taking music labels into confidence, Apple took a different route and successfully negotiated with the major music labels. The iCloud service from Apple, however, is much more than just music based service. Users can store almost any type of data in the cloud and access it from almost all of their Apple devices including iPhone and iPad.



It’s not the first foray of Apple in the cloud. It’s earlier web based service, MobileMe — a platform for online services and software from Apple – did not exactly take off at the start, and the service had several breakdowns in its life. Despite its shortcomings, MobileMe in the end ramped up three million users, not bad indeed, but it still is just a fraction of the total number of users iCloud is expected to bring to the Apple.