14 DAY TRIAL // Developers can download a new beta of iTunes 10.5 which now includes iTunes Match, the $24.99 subscription-based annual service that allows you to access your entire collection of songs anywhere, and serves up files that play back at 256-Kbps iTunes Plus quality, even if the original copy was of lower quality.
According to Apple, “If you want all the benefits of iTunes in the Cloud for music you haven’t purchased from iTunes, iTunes Match is the perfect solution.”
The Mac maker notes on the iCloud marketing page that iTunes Match “lets you store your entire collection, including music you’ve ripped from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes.”
For $24.99 a year, “iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to your iCloud library for you to listen to anytime, on any device,” Apple explains.
The feature will prompt iTunes to upload only what it cannot match, which means that users will not be forced to watch a slow progress bar as each and every song gets uploaded to the cloud.
“Since there are more than 18 million songs in the iTunes Store, most of your music is probably already in iCloud. All you have to upload is what iTunes can’t match,” Apple confirms.
Finally, the music iTunes matches plays back at 256-Kbps iTunes Plus quality. If the software finds that your song is of a poorer quality, it replaces it with the one that plays back at a higher bit-rate.
Developers looking to test drive the new features are being told that whatever they upload during the beta period will be deleted at the end of the trial.
To thank those who participate in the beta, Apple will offer a free beta period and an additional three months completely free of charge with a 12-month purchase.
The latest iTunes for developers can be obtained here, on the Mac Dev Center.