Apple Launches iTunes Match

Apple Launches iTunes Match

Apple on Monday November 14, 2011 has launched iTunes Match. The launch was delayed by over two weeks later than the date originally announced.

The Apple iTunes Match enables users to match any song on their computer with a song that’s in the iTunes library, be it downloaded from iTunes or an illegal piracy facilitated site or ripped from CD. For an annual fee of $24.99 the mp3 format songs would be “matched” by original song as well as artist in the iTunes. It will then be synced through cloud sharing across the devices. However the unmatched songs could be manually uploaded manually to Apple iCloud.

But there is a limit to the goodness here; for there is a limit to the number of songs that can be matched. Libraries with more than 25,000 songs cannot use the Match service. Despite the limit the iTunes Match still seems a notch better than many other cloud-based services (music streaming) such as Amazon, Rdio, Google, so on. Besides, iTunes Match also has another advantage. Those songs that are bought from iTunes with the DRM label can never be played in Amazon or the Google cloud-based services. Analysts also say that it’s a good move by Apple with regards to music storage. Users will not experience hoarding issues as the users can match user tracks which will correspond to that of what is there in the Apple’s library. This means users get a licensed copy, and the unmatched tracks are kept safe digitally. The iTunes Match is also a means to re-download the tracks to any of the devices. For the safe keeping and specialized storage service you are of course paying a fee.

The initial let downs with the iTunes Match that will put off users are long time taken for the matching (could it be an initial glitch as there’s huge rush on the servers?), and a user complained his 1GB library which comprised of illegal pirated downloads took about 15 minutes to match and the upload of unmatched songs taking even longer.

Also the inability to download all tracks irritates users. Additionally it is also difficult to add/delete songs at a later point of time. While the iTunes Match is supposed to make transfer of files to any device hassle free, the long times and chaotic management as of now is even bigger headache. And to add illegally downloaded songs to the iTunes Match can be disaster and bigger piracy by any standards.
This is what the Apple iTunes Match looks like initially. What do you guys think of the cloud-based music service?

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