Amazon Launches Cloud-Based Storage Service and Music Player

[Caliber26]

I'm glad to see that not everyone is super excited about this cloud stuff. I thought I was starting to get old and narrow-minded, by not embracing this new direction technology is heading in.

I don't feel data providers (particularly the wireless companies) are reliable enough to ensure a stable experience 100% of the time. Your content would only be as good as your data connection, basically. No thanks. I have no problem investing a few more dollars on devices that provide enough local storage, thus eliminating my need to worry about data caps and connection.

Also, WhyTF would I want my personal files, pictures, documents, movies, etc on someone else's server??? DropBox suffices my clouding needs, to store those occasional files I like to share between my computers and phone. No way in hell would I feel comfortable putting anything important or of real value in the hands of another person/entity. I don't care what all they delineate in their TOS/EUA's, it doesn't mean jack to me. Call me paranoid, but none of it comforts me and guarantees me any privacy. Since when is any large corporation a pillar of integrity? Ha! My **** stays with me.

 

[maknik]

Most of my music files are at a moderate bitrate: a low estimate would be 5mb for a 5-minute song. An hour a day of mobile listening for a month means 60MB * 30 = 1.8GB. And if you have mp3s at 192kbps, you'd get only about 40 minutes a day for the same bandwidth.

So I really don't see how this can be more than an occasional, niche product with a 2GB/month mobile cap. Am I missing something?

 

[Reed Rothchild]

...obviously, is the rollout of a "Kindle Tablet" running Honeycomb.

The custom Amazon front end would have icons for:

Kindle Reading App (and Kindle Store)
Amazon Music Player (with cloud storage) and MP3 Store
Amazon Prime Streaming Video (and the Amazon Video Store)
Amazon Android App Store
Cloud Storage Manager
Some sort of Web Browser

And underneath that is Honeycomb. Maybe they throw in a free Amazon Prime subscription with purchase (free 2-day shipping on Amazon purchases).

Here would be Amazon leveraging all their strengths into a physical device that could seriously challenge the iPad in ways that no other vendor can, because it creates an Amazon "ecosystem" with the worlds biggest store for physical goods attached.

People like to shop.

Maybe that's why Google have put the lid on Honeycomb source availability - they've twigged that Amazon were going to use their latest OS to produce an Android killer . Though I guess running Android doesn't exactly kill it... Hmm but Amazon are definitely encroaching as much into Google's turf as Apple's. Google are definitely going to be launching a digital locker soon, and knowing Google it will be very useful, very capacious, and very free (ish...).

Think we're seeing a battle between them, and Apple is on the sidelines wondering how they will compete and still sustain the locked down user expectations that generate their revenue. Interesting times....

 

[Man9z0r]

I think this is a great idea. Even more for Android devices. I don't like how hard it is to sync music on my android so this makes me stoked! I buy most of my music from Amazon as it is anyway. Pretty neat idea. I am curious what they do with your data if you have over 5 gigs and then don't want to pay for the 20 gigs. Do they just delete it?

I hope apple decides to lower the price of mobile me with this out now!

 

[tedson]

I was looking at Cloud Drive to see if it could be a Dropbox replacement or competition. It comes ups short by most counts. There is no native Mac OS X application to automatically sync data back and forth. Amazon forces you to upload files using Flash. I don't have Flash installed in Safari, my main browser (I rely on Chrome for the few occasions when there is Flash content i want to view) I guess the only iPhone or iPad integration is via Mobile Safari which means no Flash support. Hopefully, Amazon will expose a developer API to use so third parties can write apps to allow better iOS and Mac OS X support. Until then, no thanks.

Has anyone else tried uploading your iTunes library? Unless I'm doing something wrong there is no easy way to do so. The Flash uploader won't let me upload folders of mp3 or aac files. I have my iTunes library organized by Artist then Album. I have to manually recreate the folder hierarchy then upload the files in that directory separately. Truly a pain in the ass.

 

[Rayd5365]

Those idiots at Amazon probably still think that iOS is a close ecosystem where Apple restricts competitors in order to be able to rip off their loyal customer base.

Yep, In the case of this Amazon app/offering, that's exactly what iOS is.
The Amazon Android app lets you:
a. stream music from the cloud
b. using the mobile app, purchase music from the amazon mp3 store and
c. download that purchased music to your local android devices music library.

You simply cannot replicate that functionality with an ios app and get it approved by Apple.

There's one Apple approved way to get music onto your iPhone/Pod/Pad's local music library. Itunes.

Now I buy all my online music from Amazon and it get's into iTunes and onto my iPhone, iPad and various iPod's just fine. But only by using a computer and then syncing over the wire.
Wouldn't it be so much easier if I could just buy the damned music from Amazon ON my iPhone and have it sync BACK to iTunes and then onto my other devices, wirelessly.
Would Amazon jump at the chance to offer me that ability?
They most certainly would.
Would Apple aapprove that app?
Not a chance.

 

[MacFly123]

I'm really neutral toward all this, but I really just have one very valid question.......... Why, WHY does EVERYTHING Amazon does have to be sooooooooooooo DISGUSTINGLY HIDEOUS!!!???

I challenge anyone in here to show me a website uglier than amazon.com! Seriously!!!

 

[Reed Rothchild]

I'm really neutral toward all this, but I really just have one very valid question.......... Why, WHY does EVERYTHING Amazon does have to be sooooooooooooo DISGUSTINGLY HIDEOUS!!!???

I challenge anyone in here to show me a website uglier than amazon.com! Seriously!!!

I think amazonmp3.com looks pretty good. A bit lacking in some extra metadata that I'd like to see but certainly not hideous. Everything works, and works well. Much faster to navigate around my music than via iTunes. Give me speed over superfluous eye-candy any day.

The AmazonMP3 Android app looks very nice btw...

 

[Caliber26]

I'm really neutral toward all this, but I really just have one very valid question.......... Why, WHY does EVERYTHING Amazon does have to be sooooooooooooo DISGUSTINGLY HIDEOUS!!!???

I challenge anyone in here to show me a website uglier than amazon.com! Seriously!!!

craigslist.org?

 

[Reed Rothchild]

Those idiots at Amazon probably still think that iOS is a close ecosystem where Apple restricts competitors in order to be able to rip off their loyal customer base.

Yep, In the case of this Amazon app/offering, that's exactly what iOS is.
The Amazon Android app lets you:
a. stream music from the cloud
b. using the mobile app, purchase music from the amazon mp3 store and
c. download that purchased music to your local android devices music library.

You simply cannot replicate that functionality with an ios app and get it approved by Apple.

There's one Apple approved way to get music onto your iPhone/Pod/Pad's local music library. Itunes.

Now I buy all my online music from Amazon and it get's into iTunes and onto my iPhone, iPad and various iPod's just fine. But only by using a computer and then syncing over the wire.
Wouldn't it be so much easier if I could just buy the damned music from Amazon ON my iPhone and have it sync BACK to iTunes and then onto my other devices, wirelessly.
Would Amazon jump at the chance to offer me that ability?
They most certainly would.
Would Apple aapprove that app?
Not a chance.

I highly suspect that lilo777 was being sarcastic . Agree with your points though.

 

[OneMike]

craigslist.org?

craigslist takes 1st - 1000th place for all the state/city sub categories.

 

[thetexan]

Yo! check out this key clause to Amazon's Terms Of Use >

5.2.Our Right to Access Your Files.
You give us the right to access, retain, use and disclose your account information and Your Files: to provide you with technical support and address technical issues; to investigate compliance with the terms of this Agreement, enforce the terms of this Agreement and protect the Service and its users from fraud or security threats; or as we determine is necessary to provide the Service or comply with applicable law.

WTF ???!!!

Access to Your Account and Content

You acknowledge and agree that Apple may access, use, preserve and/or disclose your account information and Content if legally required to do so or if we have a good faith belief that such access, use, disclosure, or preservation is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process or request; (b) enforce these TOS, including investigation of any potential violation thereof; (c) detect, prevent or otherwise address security, fraud or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property or safety of Apple, its users or the public as required or pemitted by law.

http://www.apple.com/legal/mobileme/en/terms.html

Apple and Amazon have similar statement in their TOS when it comes to cloud storage. In fact they're so similar I wouldn't be surprised if they both used the same legal team to write their TOS.

There goes Amazon copying Apple again!

 

[jvmxtra]

Not everyone has decent internet at home, you know. And those that do might not keep a computer on 24/7. I know that I'm in that situation. Leaving my MacPro on and not asleep 24/7 adds about 400-500 dollars a year to my electrical costs.

I could get the 500GB paid amazon cloud storage account for that much!

What do you stream? ok, if it was everything and plus you don't have great internet at home, it might make sense.

If you only stream music, I can see getting NAS and just stream from home. But ok, it could make sense for someone like you.(weak internet and only mbp which i wouldn't use my precious mbp to be served as server either no matter how good my internet is)

 

[MacFly123]

I think amazonmp3.com looks pretty good. A bit lacking in some extra metadata that I'd like to see but certainly not hideous. Everything works, and works well. Much faster to navigate around my music than via iTunes. Give me speed over superfluous eye-candy any day.

The AmazonMP3 Android app looks very nice btw...

Ok, no offense, but you are not a designer are you lol??? And I have yet to see anything on Android that looks "very nice", just sayin'!

craigslist.org?

Haha, I will give you that they are at least on par, but Amazon has no excuse being the biggest online retailer in the world and one of the biggest internet presences on earth that is making tons of money!

 

[Gasu E.]

I dont understand the point of this. Is storage really an issue on peoples computers? I understand the mobile app, but why not just store the files locally?

You can access it from any device, and it's still there if your house burns down.

 

[Reed Rothchild]

Ok, no offense, but you are not a designer are you lol??? And I have yet to see anything on Android that looks "very nice", just sayin'!

No offense taken, but seriously how is the web interface to my digital locker so offensive?

screenshot.

Not that I'd normally be accessing my media via a desktop website. That's why Amazon also offer a nice and visually friendly app for your mobile devices .

 

[marksman]

It is funny the same people who would have blasted Apple to the moon for doing something like this not only don't call Amazon out on it, but actually blame Apple for it.

It is silly yet predictable.

 

[marksman]

I agree that the convergence of data cap limits by commodity access providers and the evolving cloud of data are directly at odds, but ultimately the way around that will come from large grid wifi solution. Google has already started trying to do this.. and they and others will eventually make it happen the less available the current home and wiress providers are... You will be able to get wireless access in most places for free and use as much data as you want... The way the current bandwidth providers are going, it is absolutely going to happen.

They are going to essentially create their own demise. Yes bandwidth usage is going up, but the providers need to figure out how to keep up and stay with the changing times. Instead they are going in the opposite direction. These concerns about having all your data in the cloud and then streaming it is legitimate given current and future caps by providers... Like I said though, ultimately it will be blown off by a consortium of the content providers who want people to access them as much as possible. The commodity providers either will have to catch up or be cut out.

 

[ten-oak-druid]

I think amazon and the kindle are the only legitimate competitors to the ipad/itunes store. And I don't know if they are really direct competitors.

Anyway, amazon's kindle and overall user experience are not direct rip offs of Apple and that is refreshing.

 

[BrianMojo]

^ this

it is very good news that Amazon jumped into the water first. now it places the pressure on Apple. Apple will juice up their service (if it already wasn't) to top what Amazon is offering.

Fingers crossed this happens. If Apple can release a product that syncs your personal data wirelessly and painlessly (ala Android) and pair it with syncing your media wirelessly and painlessly (like this Amazon product) they'll finally have gotten to where they need to be.

 

[SirHaakon]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Holy wow. iTunes is officially dead to me.

 

[SirHaakon]

Here's an album for 99 cents; increase your storage by 15 gigs for just a buck.

http://www.amazon.com/Neroli/dp/B001LK0HVU

 

[Doctor Q]

I uploaded an album from one of my iTunes folders and Amazon sorted them alphabetically. I didn't see a way to maintain the track order so I created a playlist and dragged the songs into it one by one in track number order.

That was really awkward. Is there an easier way to do this or didn't they consider that songs within albums have track numbers?

 

[SirHaakon]

I uploaded an album from one of my iTunes folders and Amazon sorted them alphabetically. I didn't see a way to maintain the track order so I created a playlist and dragged the songs into it one by one in track number order.

That was really awkward. Is there an easier way to do this or didn't they consider that songs within albums have track numbers?

If the mp3s have track information embedded in them, they maintain correct order when you upload them. Songs you've downloaded from iTunes should be fine. If it's stuff you stole from somewhere else, who knows who encoded it or what settings they used.

 

[SBlue1]

thanks but i dont need this.