If Apple outs an iTunes streaming, a recently published patent application may just reveal how it’s going to work. Rather than simply asking to fling your files up into the cloud and expecting you to wait for songs to buffer, the iTunes snapshot in the patent application shows an option to “Sync partial music”.
The ‘iCloud‘ system would store a snippet of the song on your local device and then be synced with the complete version in the crowd meaning you could start playing songs immediately without waiting. Read on for more details…
The patent application also explains how streaming playback could be adjusted according to the quality of the network available – the dummy iTunes image shows a line stating “Minimum Connection Speed 3G” – and outlines methods to authenticate that you’ve got the right to access your cloud music library.
While there’s no guarantee that this patent application will form the basis of an iTunes streaming service but it was filed back in November 2009 which means Apple has plenty of time to hone its ideas. Our vision of the iPod Cloud is looking more and more plausible!
Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (via USPTO/Apple Insider)
