“To the cloud!” is becoming a well-worn phrase. Although Apple has a $1 billion data center in North Carolina which most suspect will be used to create a cloud-based iTunes service, almost everyone and their grandmother are beating the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant to the punch. First came Amazon, now HP seems ready to use cloud-based storage to get more attention for its TouchPad iPad rival.
In a slide describing the TouchPad, the PC maker mentions a music service permitting song storage that then streams back to HP devices, ala Apple’s MobileMe.
The as-yet-unannounced service reportedly will also work with HP’s Pre, which competes with Apple’s iPhone. So far, opinion isn’t consolidating one way or the other on if HP’s gambit will work. Some observers gleefully note the proposed HP service could mean a quagmire of licensing headaches and litigation because the service streams both music owned and not yet purchased. Google reportedly is considering dropping its streaming service on account of the troubled history with the recording industry and Amazon may still face legal programs, another report suggests.
The news about HP and Amazon may work in Apple’s favor. Cupertino could sit back and see how the labels react to such a service, allowing the company to fine-tune its own cloud proposal. Additionally, HP and Amazon could act as the shock troops for cloud storage, allowing Apple to step in with a refined service. Either way, like digital music sales, streaming music and cloud-storage will happen. Apple has the experience, the customer database and the cash to both make it work and dominate the market.
