No one can deny that the race to the cloud is accelerating faster than ever. Amazon launched their cloud solution first, although Apple quickly gained ground following their iCloud announcement during WWDC 2011.
Amazon is looking to reclaim their pole position with an update to their cloud player that includes newfound iPad support, unlimited storage space, and free hosting for media purchased through Amazon.com.
“Customers are already enjoying Cloud Drive and Cloud Player and now for just $20 a year, customers can get unlimited space for music,” Amazon’s Craig Pope explained to investors. “Additionally, we are adding free storage for all MP3s purchased from Amazon MP3, and support for the iPad. Our customers love Cloud Drive and Cloud Player and we’re excited to innovate these services on their behalf.”
Pope touted iPad support as being the most significant addition to Amazon’s Cloud Player. “Also new, Cloud Player for web on iPad. Cloud Player, combined with unlimited space for music in Cloud Drive, enables customers to play music stored in the cloud on any Android phone, tablet, Mac, PC, and now on their iPad.”
While iPad support and some intriguing additions makes Amazon’s Cloud solution a bit more compelling, iCloud still offers the most robust feature set for iOS and Mac users.