June 8th in App Reviews, iPad News, iPhone, Mac by Jonathan Norman

iCloud – The Future? What’s Next?

Now that Apple has announced iCloud and we know what it does and doesn’t do, I started wondering when they (Apple) will attempt the same solution for their other offered media? As it stands iCloud will sync and keep copies for you, essentially, of your music and apps, as well as iBooks. Going so far as to scan your iTunes Library for music and allow you to have access to it anywhere (via the iTunes Match service for 25$ a year).

So when will Apple go after the movie industry too? What about the book and publishing industry? I mean why stop at music and apps? How about movies we have purchased as well? iTunes Match could scan and match those we ripped from our DVDs too. The same can be said for books. Sure, they said these are also included in iCloud already, at least those purchased through iBookstore, but how about iTunes Match for those ePubs we have from other sources, DRM free of course!?

I know this sounds like a pipe-dream with the state of these two industries and mobile/streaming services as well as vendor lock-in, but if you would have said Apple would pull off iTunes Match with the music industry a little while ago, I would have laughed you out of the room. It’s possible, and I have to think given Apple and Steve’s take on the cloud and iCloud, as well as Apple devices, that he too has this in mind for the future.

Maybe iTunes Match as a tiered pricing.
Single Service (Music) = 25/yr.
Two Services (Music/Movies) = 50/yr.
Three Services (Music, Movies, Books) = 75/yr.

I know I’d subscribe and love it. How about you?

The author of this post is Jonathan Norman

"Jonathan" aka "ReDMoSqUi" aka "Jon" aka "Jack" aka "Red" holds a degree in Business Education and is a Computer Technology teacher in North Carolina. Jon has worked on various websites since becoming interested in webdesign in the mid 90's, including sites for bands such as Incubus and Dredg. "Red" is married with two children and has a weird obsession with technology, music, and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey! Contact me via email: jon(AT)theipadfan.com

Jonathan Norman

I think the differences between the two services are glaring. It really depends on what it is you WANT. iCloud isn’t a streaming service, which turns some off…personally, this is a good thing to me…I don’t need something ELSE eating into my data limits. Instead, it gives me access to all my content, even away from the computer. I don’t need to carry it all with me, but if I find I want a certain song I know I have at home, boom, I can get it without issue. For iPhone, iPad, MacBook, whatever. I like this better than uploading everything and then streaming it needlessly to whatever I’m using. But, again, to each his own.
http://www.callnerds.com/blog/apple-vs-android-the-war-over-the-future-of-music/#axzz1QUYqlRcE Bryant jaquez

I can’t wait!!! Although if i can find a way to get google music beta to work on my ipad, i might just use that instead… because it’s free. But so far I can’t get that to work so 25.00 a year is looking pretty good.
http://www.thetechfools.com Jonathan Norman

I think this is the whole problem with the changed landscape for customers. WE have changed how we use media, but the industry feels it needs to get a second piece of us for it. It’s like how people went out and bought DVD’s of movies they already owned on VHS. Most did this, and didn’t think twice if it was a movie they loved. The quality was better, the ease of use better, and it wasn’t as big of a deal. The issue is, I have the ability to take the now existing medium (DVD) and port it to the new medium (digital file) and there isn’t this issue of “it looks bad now” or “it looks like a copy of a copy”. Therefore it’s hard for one to justify paying for it again. I own this movie, and the sooner the industry realizes that whether they like it or not people will be ripping their OWN movies, the better.
Macdemon

I would like that feature too.

I’ve had to ‘purchase’ films and TV shows I already own on DVD, so I reckon the film industry owes me something in return!!!!!!!!!!!

If they don’t comply I will do it anyway, I feel it’s only right. I should NOT have to pay twice, just to get electronic versions I already own. :(
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http://twitter.com/jonathannorman1 Jonathan Norman

True. I think though, as we did with music industry execs…eventually the other industries will realize there is money to still be made…and hopefully the deal struck here will be the stepping stone to that.

It’s a pipe-dream as I said, but I really hope to see it. Even if it works, as you said…stick in the dvd and have iTunes recognize it that way.
Anonymous

The difference is that music ripping is (almost) universally accepted as legal, and iTunes has had CD ripping since launch. But under the DMCA, DVD ripping is supposedly illegal and has never been supported by iTunes. Maybe a version of “stick in the DVD, if iTunes recognizes it, it’ll add it”, but that’s as far as it will go.