iCloud: A Typical Apple Move
June 7th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I’m having a little debate with a friend regarding Apple’s new iCloud service for iTunes.
He thinks that Apple got internet music right with this new service, and that streaming isn’t necessary. I think their new service is cool, but misses the boat because it doesn’t include streaming.
Time will tell us who is right in this debate, but the debate got me thinking. Yesterday, even after the WWDC keynote, I was holding on to a thin thread of hope that Apple would see the error of their ways and open up iCloud to internet streaming. Today, I’m coming to the realization that Apple will probably not make the move to streaming.
It’s a typical Apple move if you think about it. The masses get excited about a particular service and Apple releases something that they deem superior. I think that’s what we are seeing here with iCloud for iTunes.
Apple probably thinks streaming music is messy. And, they are probably right. It is dependent on users having constant access to wifi or 3g. It puts a strain on the data networks. And, to make music stream easily you end up sacrificing sound quality.
By downloading the music to the device you are using, you have great sound quality and constant access. Sounds like an Apple argument, right? That’s why I would be completely surprised were Apple to release streaming capabilities.
I think we’ll have to live with this form of iCloud for a while, which really isn’t bad. It’s just not quite the full service many of us were hoping for. As for the little debate I was having, I still think I’m right but we’ll see what the masses say. If enough people demand streaming Apple may be forced to change their outlook on music in the cloud.
Did Apple miss the boat with iCloud for iTunes?
June 6th, 2011 § 3 Comments
Did Apple miss the boat by not including music streaming with their iCloud offerings announced today? I think so.
Don’t get me wrong, iTunes Music Match sounds great. Almost too good to be true. It’s hard to believe the Apple was able to get the record companies to agree to let them scan your music folders and match the songs in iTunes for $24.99 a year. That’s amazing. But here’s my gripe, I don’t want to have to download my music to listen to it. I want Apple to host it, allowing me to stream over wifi, or 3g. Downloading across multiple devices would be a great added bonus, but streaming is really what I was hoping for.
Amazon and Google seem to get it. Both of their services allow streaming. Amazon will even let you download music you’ve purchased through them from their cloud player. Why didn’t Apple take one more step and allow streaming? If they had, their service would have been heads and shoulders above everything else. Instead, we’re left with something that has great potential, but isn’t quite there.
I hope Apple sees the light and adds streaming. If they do, they can count on having me as a loyal customer.
Time to recover from my weekend
May 31st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Time to recover from my weekend.
Friday
Got off work early. I have early Friday’s through the summer. Pretty excited about it.
Stopped by Amoeba Music on my way home. I picked up new releases from the Civil Wars and David Bazan.
Did a little yard work.
Went to the movies with the wife. We watched the new Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris. Unbeknownst to us, it had a strange correlation to our San Francisco trip.
Saturday
Breakfast at Mimi’s
Shopping at Costco and Nordstrom
Memorial Day BBQ in Irvine with the in-laws.
Sunday
Lead worship at Glendale Church of Christ
Took a much needed nap
Small evening gathering with friends. Wine, cheese, tortilla soup… good stuff.
Monday
Found an entry table for the house. Now we need to stain it.
Cleaned. The house was a mess.
Played electrician. Replaced a few light switches and outlets.
Erin bought a new fridge. Good sale. It should arrive next week.
Late Memorial Day dinner at Outback.
Lady Gaga and Cloud Storage
May 24th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I have a dirty little secret to admit. I bought the new Lady Gaga album the other day.
I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
Now that I have you concerned about my musical taste, let me tell you why I actually bought it.
I bought it for $.99 through Amazon so I could get 20 Gigs of free cloud storage with their new service. Resting a little easier now? I figured it was the cheapest way possible to obtain my free 20 Gigs. And, it was also a good opportunity to test out the service itself.
I’m not big into digital music. I feel like it is too easy to lose. If your hard drive crashes, you’re done. It has always scared me. I’d much rather have a physical disk as backup. So, the idea of purchasing something I’m really interested in didn’t appeal to me. At this point, I’d rather have it on cd.
So, when Amazon announced they were running the $.99 promotion with the new Lady Gaga album I thought it was the perfect opportunity to see if a digital locker, or cloud storage, was going to change my opinion about digital music.
After just a few moments of use, I have to say I like the system. It could be the answer to some of my digital music concerns. Cloud storage does seem a little more permanent and less likely to experience data loss.
There is one potentially large issue that could come back to bite users of this service though. And it worries me a little. Amazon didn’t secure agreements with the recording industry before launching the service. I’m not sure what that will mean, but it’s something that holds me back a little.
Also, I worry about the possibility of the service going down at times, or experiencing heavy traffic. What will that mean for users? And, of course you have to worry about the amount of data you’re using. You don’t want to be billed by your cell phone provider for exceeding data limits.
A few more issues will have to be addressed before I feel completely comfortable joining the digital music revolution, but I do like the potential I’m seeing. I’m anxiously awaiting opportunities to check out Music beta by Google, and the forthcoming iTunes offering. In the meantime however, I guess I have that new Lady Gaga album to listen to.
Codes and Keys First Listen
May 23rd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Want to hear Death Cab for Cutie’s Codes and Keys in it’s entirety a week before it’s released? Head over to NPR First Listen http://n.pr/lXDhzn.
I just finished my first listen and I really enjoyed it. It’s tough to pay close attention while at work but for a casual listen the piano and synth driven songs worked quite well. I didn’t hardly notice that the guys set their guitars aside a little more than usual.
Codes and Keys, as a whole, is lighter and brighter sounding than their last couple while still maintaining the signature Death Cab sound. I wouldn’t call this album “pop” but it does venture in that direction at times.
The album seems to build steam as it moves along which provides for an interesting dynamic. Aside from the songs that have already been receiving radio and internet play (You Are a Tourist and Home Is a Fire) one of the songs that stood out to me most was St Peter’s Cathedral. It had a great sound that grew and grew as it progressed. I almost expected it to be the album closer but was surprised when it was followed by the folky Stay Young, Go Dancing.
I’ll have to listen to it a few more times before I really develop an opinion but I liked it. Give it a listen yourself and join me as I pick up a copy on May 31st when it finally comes out.
