iCloud is now out for all Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 users, quietly working its way in the background to store all your important details and data in a server in a faraway land. It does also work with PCs however, something Apple hasn’t made much of a song and dance about. If you’re a Windows iPhone user, you’ll want to check out this free new download which lets you monitor it straight from your desktop.
Tagged ‘iCloud’
That iTunes Match music streaming video we saw yesterday might not be as simple as it first seemed. While the clip from Insanely Great Mac appeared to show the iTunes cloud service streaming songs directly from Apple’s servers, AllThingsD has heard from an Apple spokesperson that things are slightly more complicated. Apple says that what looks like streaming is really the ability to listen to the song while its downloading to local storage.
Apple is keeping its cards close to its chest about precisely how the iTunes Match service will work when it launches for real in the US later this year but it seems it will feature very limited caching for songs. A music industry source told All Things D that while Apple has streaming rights, it doesn’t trust mobile networks to effectively handle on-demand streaming. That’s a little odd since Spotify seems to be doing just fine.
Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (via AllThingsD)
There’s still no ETA for iTunes Match in the UK but the the developer beta has just gone live in the US revealing more details on how the iCloud-based music sharing service will work. The big news is that iTunes Match will allow you to both download tracks from your cloud library to a Mac or iOS device and stream them directly.
To kick off iTunes Match will scan your music library and compile a list of tracks from what it finds. Songs already in Apple’s cloud library will be streamed from a master recording at 256kbps.
Music that iTunes Match doesn’t recognise will be uploaded to iCloud based on your local copy. You’ll then be able to access the cloud library of up to 25,000 songs on up to 10 devices (five of which can be computers). Take a look at iTunes Match in action on video after the jump…
Here’s a wild rumour to sit alongside the latest chatter about the iPhone 5 launch: the cheaper iPhone we’ve been calling the iPhone 4S is coming, will have substantially less flash storage than we’re used to and will rely heavily on iCloud to do its magic. The new name being pinned to this currently mythical device? The iCloud iPhone. Yes, really.
It’s a pretty crazy idea but one we’ve explored in the past with our mock up of the iPod Cloud (which you can see above) which we suggested could use local storage tied to some clever caching algorithms. Read on for the full story on the rumour and the arguments for and against the iCloud iPhone…
The prospect of iTunes Replay, an iCloud-based movie streaming service which would allow you to re-download previous purchases for free, was revived in a string of rumours last week. However, reports from the US have now doused those claims with the cold, cold water of reality.
While the latest Apple TV update gave US owners the ability to stream any previously purchased TV show from the cloud, it seems arguments over rights have stopped the iTunes Replay plans in their tracks. Apple is reportedly struggling to get all the major movie studios on board and that doesn’t bode well for the UK…
When Apple announced iCloud, it promised to keep MobileMe accounts active until June 30, 2012. Now it’s revealed how the transition from paying £59 for 20GB of storage with MobileMe to the selection of iCloud storage plans will work. While iCloud offers 5GB free, MobileMe customers will automatically signed up to the 25GB plan.
The extra 20GB of storage will be free until the MobileMe shutdown date of June 30, 2012. That means MobileMe customers switching to iCloud will get a few months reward for their loyalty but you should make sure to mark your calendar. Apple is also automatically signing up users for recurring billing, so you’ll have to stump up £28 when MobileMe closes if you don’t downgrade your plan before then.
Out Autumn | From £free | Apple (via Mac Rumors)
HTC has bought Dashwire, a Seattle-based company which builds back up, remote access and device syncing. While HTC already has HTCSense.com fighter.
The deal gives HTC an easy way to share documents, music, video and images between PCs, Macs and Android devices. Dashwire’s software can also sync a whole lot of other data including contacts, messages, calendars and voicemail. While HTC hasn’t revealed what it plans to do with Dashwire yet, we expect to see some of its technology baked into future versions of Sense.
There’s another interesting element to the acquisition. Dashwire bought up a batch of patents related to mobile syncing back in April. Adding those to its war chest could help HTC in its ongoing lawsuits with Apple. So while the purchase may just be all about making future HTC phones better, there’s that other level to consider.
Out TBC | £TBC | HTC
Remember the days of purchasing content from iTunes only to later realize you accidentally deleted the files or forgot to back up? According to a report from appadvice.com, Apple is planning to launch its new iTunes Replay service in the coming weeks — a service which will put these fears to rest. Soon you’ll be able to re-download music, movies and TV shows without a call to customer care, any time day or night.