iTunes Match

Breaking
March 7, 2012
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Apple announces 1080p Apple TV, available March 16th for $99

By on March 7, 2012 at 1:13 PM.

Apple announces 1080p Apple TV, available March 16th for $99

Apple on Wednesday unveiled an updated Apple TV with a new streamlined user interface during the company’s press conference in San Francisco. The iOS-based set top box supports 1080p content, Genius recommendations, iTunes Match, Photo Stream and TV shows will be available the day after they air. “People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.” The new Apple TV retains the same $99 price tag, and it will be available on March 16th with pre-orders starting today. Read on for Apple’s press release. More →

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Audio
January 17, 2012
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iTunes Match launches in 19 additional countries

By on January 17, 2012 at 7:55 PM.

iTunes Match launches in 19 additional countries

Apple has updated the company’s iTunes Match service to include 19 additional countries. The list includes Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, bringing iTunes Match availability to 37 markets in total. Apple debuted the iTunes Match service late last year. For an annual charge, customers can scan and match tracks from their iTunes libraries and replace them with tracks in the iTunes Store and store them in iCloud. Apple lets customers download up to 25,000 tracks without DRM restrictions, with the ability to match any track in a supported audio file format. More →

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Apps & Software
December 23, 2011
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Apple details international launch of iTunes Match and iTunes in the Cloud

By on December 23, 2011 at 4:25 PM.

Apple details international launch of iTunes Match and iTunes in the Cloud

Apple recently posted a support page with information about the international rollout of iTunes Match and iTunes in the Cloud. iTunes Match is now officially available in 17 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. However, 9to5Mac points out that users in other countries such as Brazil have noticed that iTunes Match is working. Apple also provided information on the international markets in which it has rolled out iTunes in the Cloud. There are more than 120 countries in total although unlike the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia, most countries do not feature broad support for repeated downloads of music, music videos, TV shows apps or books. Apple customers in Algeria, for example, can only re-download books and apps. More →

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Apps & Software
December 12, 2011
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Apple releases iTunes 10.5.2 with iTunes Match improvements

By on December 12, 2011 at 5:50 PM.

Apple releases iTunes 10.5.2 with iTunes Match improvements

Apple on Monday released a new update for its iTunes software. ITunes 10.5.2 adds a number of enhancements for iTunes Match, and it includes several additional updates and bug fixes. “iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs,” Apple said in a note with the update. Users can update their iTunes software by downloading version 10.5.2 from Apple’s website or by using the integrated software update tool. Apple’s full release notes follow below. More →

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Apps & Software
November 14, 2011
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Apple releases iTunes 10.5.1, iTunes Match to launch later today?

By on November 14, 2011 at 12:18 PM.

Apple releases iTunes 10.5.1, iTunes Match to launch later today?

Apple has finally released iTunes 10.5.1 to the public after months of internal and developer testing. Besides bug fixes, the big change that iTunes 10.5.1 brings is support for iTunes Match, Apple’s cloud-based music storage service that will allow your entire music library, purchased from Apple or not, to be accessible from all your computers and iOS devices for a yearly fee. There’s a good chance that after missing the October launch time frame, Apple will make iTunes Match available today.

UPDATE: Yep, iTunes Match is now available.

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Breaking
November 11, 2011
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Apple prepares for iTunes Match launch

By on November 11, 2011 at 2:30 PM.

Apple prepares for iTunes Match launch

Apple’s much anticipated iTunes Match service is now nearing launch after having been delayed for unknown reasons. Apple on Friday sent emails to developers alerting them that the company will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday. While a specific launch date is still unavailable, Apple did say that this final clearing of developers’ online libraries is being done in preparation for launch. ITunes Match is a service that allows users to mirror their iTunes music libraries online in iCloud for a monthly fee. Apple said the service would launch by the end of October but in a rare occurrence, the company missed its promised launch deadline. Apple’s full note to developers follows below. More →

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Apps & Software
November 2, 2011
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iTunes Match testing continues with iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2, still no public release

By on November 2, 2011 at 9:20 PM.

iTunes Match testing continues with iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2, still no public release

Apple’s iTunes Match service was supposed to be released to the public by the end of October and while we’re still not sure why the service has been delayed, Apple just released a new beta build of iTunes that allows developers to continue testing the service. Apple’s release notes are as follows:

iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2 is now available and includes a number of important stability and performance improvements. iTunes Match is also now available for testing on Apple TV.

iTunes Match stores your music library in iCloud and allows you to enjoy your collection from anywhere, any time, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer and now your Apple TV.

The new build, iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2, is available for download immediately from within Apple’s developer portal. Once released, iTunes Match will allow users to mirror their iTunes libraries in iCloud for $25 per year.

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Mobile
November 1, 2011
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Apple misses iTunes Match launch deadline

By on November 1, 2011 at 12:10 PM.

Apple misses iTunes Match launch deadline

Apple has failed to make good on its promise to deploy its iTunes Match service by the “end of October.” A beta version of the service, which allows users to access their entire music library in iCloud from any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or computer, originally became available in late August and it was first included in early builds of iTunes 10.5. The service was supported in the latest iTunes 10.5.1 developer build, too, but that version expired on Tuesday. It remains unclear when Apple will officially launch iTunes Match or what is causing the delay. iTunes Match typically wipes a developer’s library before a new version launches, and the last wipe occurred on Thursday. That suggests either a final build or a new developer build of iTunes 10.5 will be rolled out shortly. More →

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Apps & Software
September 30, 2011
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Apple releases iTunes 10.5 beta 9 to developers

By on September 30, 2011 at 1:40 PM.

Apple releases iTunes 10.5 beta 9 to developers

Apple released iTunes 10.5 beta 9 to developers on Friday. Apple said the new release includes a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements. The update is required for developers currently testing Apple’s iTunes Match beta. Additionally, Apple reiterated that iCloud libraries will be deleted at the end of the beta period. Apple said known issues include:

  • The scan & match feature is not yet complete. Some songs may not match (even if they is available in the iTunes Store) and will be uploaded to iCloud. Other songs may match to a different version of the same song on the iTunes Store.
  • You can only add music to iCloud from one computer at a time.
  • After updating to iOS 5 beta 7, your music may fail to play. If this happens, turn off iTunes Match in Settings > Music, then turn it back on.

Read on for the full release notes from Apple. More →

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Apps & Software
August 30, 2011
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Reports mixed on whether or not Apple's iTunes Match will support streaming [video]

By on August 30, 2011 at 9:00 PM.

Reports mixed on whether or not Apple's iTunes Match will support streaming [video]

When Apple originally announced its new iTunes Match service, which was launched to developers yesterday inside iTunes 10.5 beta 6.1, the Cupertino-based company said the service would allow users to download previously purchased music. At the time, it appeared the benefit for iTunes Match was that it would allow users to pull down any track from iCloud to an iOS device without being near a computer. The setback to downloading tracks, however, is that your iOS device storage will still likely be clogged with music. According to Insanely Great Mac, it appears that iTunes Match actually supports streaming and not just downloading, which could make the service’s $25 annual fee much more competitive with products such as Spotify, Rhapsody, Google Music Beta and Amazon Cloud Drive. Insanely Great Mac’s video, which we’ve provided after the break, shows that users can download a song by tapping the iCloud logo, or just stream it by tapping the song title itself. According to AllThingsD, which cites an anonymous Apple executive, users will only be able to listen to a song as it downloads and iTunes Match will not support true streaming when it launches this fall. Hit the read link for the video in question. More →

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Mobile
August 29, 2011
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iTunes Match now available for developers

By on August 29, 2011 at 8:45 PM.

iTunes Match now available for developers

Apple’s iTunes Match service, which lets you store your entire music collection, including music you have ripped from a CD, or purchased or downloaded elsewhere, is now available for developers for testing. Apple’s iTunes Match service automatically scans your music library and checks your digital music files against Apple’s 18 million plus music library. If Apple has the song, you’re able to play it back at full quality, effectively transforming your library into an iTunes-approved one for only $25/year. Apple is giving developers a three-month extension on the normal 12-month subscription package for their troubles.

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