Apple has informed developers that as the company prepares for the launch of iTunes Match, they will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday, November 12th at 10 AM PST, according to multiple trusted sources.
Apple told developers via email, “Please turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn off iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn off iTunes Match. On your Apple TV, please choose Music > Turn off iTunes Match,” the sources told MacDailyNews.
iTunes Match is built into the iTunes app on your Mac or PC and the Music app on your iOS devices. It lets you store your entire collection, including music you’ve imported from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes for US$24.99 a year.
Here’s how iTunes Match works: iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to your iCloud library. Since there are 20+ million songs in the iTunes Store, most of your music is probably already in iCloud. All you have to upload is anything that iTunes can’t match (much faster than starting from scratch). Once your music is in iCloud, you can stream and store it on any of your devices and all the music iTunes matches plays back from iCloud at 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.
Fine, but 256Kb is second-rate for a great many people. I RIP everything at 320Kb, and many RIP in Lossless. 256 is tolerable, but no real replacement. Of course, someone will be along who thinks that just because he/she manages just fine at 128Kb listening through their phone’s crappy speaker, or the barely adequate earbuds that came with their iPod or iPhone, everyone else should be satisfied. Well, with an 80Gb iPod crammed full with 8200 tracks at 320, and many more on my Mac, 128 or 256 is unacceptable.
Wow nice collection Rorschach. What I’d like to know is – how will iTunes match work on an iPod when you are out of reach of wifi? How much of your collection is stored locally on your iPod or is there a way for everything to be available even if it’s too big for your iPod?
Anything you listen to from iTunes Match is downloaded as a temp file and stored locally. It is not a streaming service.
I give. I feel very out-geeked.
Nerd…
🙂
Great opportunity for you to offer your own service to thousands of people that save music in the same format as you , right? Remember, Apple has Millions of customers. I am one of them, 256. Is just fine for me who don’t have your ears.
I just don’t get the whole iCloud deal…what’s the point of having your music collection in the cloud when you can have it all copied to a 45 buck iPod Shuffle? What syncing capabilities does iCloud have over MobileMe regarding addresses, data, etc…iCloud is much ado about nothing so far.
It’s about not syncing or backing up manually. You’ll see sooner or later…
Or perhaps they won’t “see sooner or later” because iCloud is meant to be seamless and unobtrusive, not “front and center” (like the “cloud” as seen by Google, Amazon, or Microsoft). Syncing will just work automatically, without being noticed. Your music collection will just be accessible, if a particular song in your collection is not on that device. It will all seem normal and expected, and “not a big deal.”
From Apple’s perspective, iCloud has succeeded when there are a bunch of people saying things like, “I just don’t get the whole iCloud deal…”
You must have a small music library if you can get it all on a shuffle.
you clearly don’t own an iOS device, and if you do, you’re not using it to it’s full capabilities.
I have 4211 songs in my iTunes music library…okay that won’t all fit on a shuffle, who cares? My point was that why the hell do you have to have access to those via streaming when you can have them on nearly any iPod?
More importantly, I don’t see how this iCloud concept is a money maker for .
ICloud Match will only be for iOS and OSX devices . So read iPod touches, iPhones, iPads and Macs. Other iPods will not benefit unless the Mac they sync to is on the cloud.
Apple obviously will lose the money that they received from MobileMe accounts. But this is about creating a uniformed environment between Macs and iOS devices and enabling a greater integration.
I will be signing up for iCloud Match. It will be easier to manage my content and not have to worry whether purchases are properly synced.
Think long term dudes. This is just the first iteration.
Additional note – iTunes match will also be available for PCs. It’s all about locking people into the iTunes ecosystem.
This is not about iTunes match, but about iCloud !
I read today where 56% of OS10 users are still using 10.6 while Lion 10.7 is at 16% !
Do not understand why the majority of OS10 users can not have iCloud , but Apple supports Vista!
At least let us buy ICloud for $29.00, the same as upgrading to lion,
For me and alot o folks it’s not the cost o Lion, I just do not want to upgrade when 3 of our 5 Macs can’t, one PPC and two 1st generation intel core duo!
We live Snow!