Anticipation is an odd sort of thing. There’s a fine line between disappointment and excitement, and the more you anticipate something, the more defined that line becomes. When it comes to a certain feature, or a certain device, there’s so many things that come together to make the perfect product, or fall apart to make something that no one wants. Of course, with so many people out there who will use the feature or device, it’s almost impossible to displease everyone. Or make them all happy. The question is: how close to making everyone happy, or making everyone mad, did Google’s announcement of Music Beta get?
Everyone knew that Google was working on something in the music industry, especially as it relates to their mobile platform Android. But, while the majority of people were anticipating some kind of launch last year, Google didn’t get around to it until yesterday. With their Music Beta unveiling, they also discussed updates included with Android 3.1, and the upcoming version of Android, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. But, for those who were looking for their music fix, Music Beta was the solution.
Unfortunately, it’s not like what we were expecting. Many believed Google was working on coordinating with those in the industry to bring a music purchasing and storage platform to Android. Something that would legitimately compete (or try to) with Apple’s juggernaut service, iTunes. Unfortunately, that’s not what we got. Google proved that the cloud is indeed a definitive part of the mobile industry’s future, and they showed what it would be like to store your music in the cloud, and access it when you want.
There are other ways to do this, sure. For example, Amazon just launched their Cloud Player service, which is featured for Android. It allows you to store your music on the cloud, and then play them on your device without having to use your precious storage on your device. Nothing revolutionary in of itself, but Google is now facing some stiff (and already anchored) competition on their own platform.
And what’s Google’s long-term plan for Music Beta? Is it going to be just a music storage system, which also lets you play music over your Internet connection? I can certainly see that being the case, along with the implementation of the new music player in Android 3.1. However, is that enough to really get anyone’s attention? After all, Amazon’s Cloud Player is already out and available for everyone to use, and depending on how much money you want to spend, you could probably store your whole music collection for as long as you enjoy listening to music.
Can Music Beta compete with Apple’s iTunes? That may not be the big question right now, considering it’s still in its infancy and the general public can’t get their hands on it, but you can bet in the near future that will certainly be the question on people’s minds. And, will Google eventually implement some form of music buying segment to the feature, even if it just means including Amazon’s MP3 Store? We’ll just have to wait and find out. But, until then, let me know what you think of Music Beta. Was it everything you thought it would be?
