Apple's iTunes Cloud-Music Service Delayed

One of the cloud services Apple was rumored to plan on launching for its users was an iTunes cloud music service, but it seems that we might still have a while to wait before the full-scale service is made available for users. However, rumor has it that the Cupertino-based company might actually plan the near launch of such a service, but with limited functionality.

Speculation on a possible music service being launched by Apple emerged a while ago, and was fueled by the purchase of the online music streaming service LaLa late last year. The possibility that users would soon enjoy an iTunes streaming service increased in early 2010, when sources familiar with the company's plans suggested that Apple would plan the launch of a version of iTunes that would make users' iTunes libraries “available from any browser or net connected ipod/touch/tablet.”

For the time being, no official info on the matter emerged, and a recent article on Cnet suggests that it might actually take longer than expected for Apple to make these plans official. In case the said service would indeed be released this year, it would offer only limited features to users, while the full-scale cloud music service would become available at a later date.

The main reason for this delay seems to be the fact that Apple wasn't able until now to obtain the necessary licenses to store and distribute music from the cloud. Not only did the company not negotiate the licensing deals that would enable it to distribute music from the cloud, but the LaLa team reportedly worked on a video feature for the service, and not on a specific music offering, sources said.

Recently, one of the LaLa founding members, who moved to Apple after the acquisition, has left the company, something that might have contributed to the said delay. It is also possible that Apple did not know specifically what kind of service it wanted to offer to its users, which resulted in some of the aforementioned delays, but nothing has been officially confirmed for the time being.