For music lovers it was like a liberation. When steve jobs resigned on 23. When the first ipod was introduced on october 2001, it became possible to have all your songs with you at all times, in your pocket as the legendary apple boss liked to explain. Together with the management program itunes, the company made music mobile.
What was spectacular back then is now normality – or almost obsolete again. Because the music also moves into the cloud.
Practical access
Cloud computing, i.E. Storing all kinds of data in a virtual place that can be accessed from anywhere, has been the trend in the world of technology for a few years now. At the same time, technical helpers are becoming more mobile, more handy and more powerful. Unimagined possibilities creep into the user's consciousness and take possession of it. Once you realize that it's not just practical to have access to, say, friends' addresses, or to continue writing on a document, even though you're not sitting at your computer at home, you'll want to know more. The songs bought years ago and favorite songs are always on the CD that you do not have with you at the moment. So if you could always … Could have them with you?
Can you. Because in addition to the pioneer itunes, which is now supplemented by the icloud, the major internet companies google and amazon are also vying for the favor of users. The advantage: you can listen to music outside the closed world of apple and are not dependent on its ecosystem. If you already have an apple device and are happy with it, you won't necessarily switch, especially since it's not that easy to move songs purchased from itunes to another platform – not to mention the time involved.
Google music play
Google has its "music play the platform has also been open in germany since the end of last year. For those who already have an account and use various services, this is a quick and easy way to upload and store music files and listen to them on different devices. According to the open principles, the service can be used with a windows computer as well as with an iphone or a linux notebook and of course google's own operating system android. From the start you can upload up to 20 000 own songs. Songs purchased from google store are not counted towards the limit.
Amazon cloud player
Amazon has introduced its cloud player rather stealthily. If you have bought MP3 files from itunes from time to time and downloaded them accordingly, you won't see anything at first. Only after logging in, with a few minutes of time delay (and without a corresponding notice), the already purchased and unsolicited stored music is displayed in a very clear list. It's also easy to find so-called premium offers, which offer more space in exchange for corresponding subscription fees.
Windows and mac users can use the service equally. Linux users are treated as mostly stepmotherly and consequently not mentioned in the instructions. But you can help yourself with the free music management program bansheebehelfen, which integrates the amazon store and allows downloading with a simple mouse click.
What you ultimately choose (if you are at all comfortable with the cloud) is certainly a matter of taste. But the selection of songs available in the respective stores also plays a role. And of course the issue of privacy. Because if you don't want to register, give your account data (for the purchase), address and e-mail address, you won't be able to use the brave new virtual world. But once you have decided, you have a lot of trust in the respective provider. Whether it will be abused, unfortunately, you can not exclude from the outset.
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