Chief executive officer for Motrola Mobility Sanjay Jha let it slip today that Google is arming for war against Apple’s iTunes music service by launching a competitor through their Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS. It’s not secret that Google has been looking to topple Cupertino’s dominance in the music download business, having bought Simplify Media last Spring for that purpose. But the acknowledgment that Google is making ready a music service through Honeycomb means that Google Music is likely a done deal.
Just last week, Billboard magazine reported that Google VP of Engineering had been quietly contacting music executives about the new music service and promised an online store and service. In addition, Google VP Vic Gundotra has been reported as saying that Google Music would be used in both a desktop application as well as remote access to music and “unprotected” films on Android phones and tablets.
But with an already crowded field that includes Amazon and others, would Google Music be just another also ran or would it rocket to the top of the food chain and get their piece of the music download pie? Apple recently sold their 10 billionth music download through iTunes, and at .99 minimum a song, so the market is quite lucrative.
[via The Guardian]
I hope they have the ability to stream or play music locally, that way you only have to download a few cd’s for when you’re in an area of little/no service and can stream all other times, thus keeping your memory card free for other things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dttyQo3BPrk
I like the idea of google coming in bring more competition to the game.
It will take a lot of time to take off. One of the larger Android users is HTC who, when a new update to Android comes out, either takes six months or longer to implement it, or actually misses the occasional update. Google needs to use its muscle to get mobile phone manufacturers in the Android market to speed up their implementations of new updates.
Does anyone else think a partnership between Google and Amazon would be an unstoppable force? Why does Google find it necessary to reinvent the wheel? My guess is that they have a case of Not Invented Here syndrome.
I mean they already had the Amazon app coming pre-installed on phones. Just add the music collection streaming and get Amazon to rebrand it if need be and go for it. They could do the same thing with Amazon VOD and make a subscription service out of it as well. Talk about a serious boost to Google TV that would make.