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Note: Apple's streaming music service arrived this week. So how does it compare with offerings from Google and Amazon?
Apple announced iTunes Match back in June during its Worldwide Developer Conference. Though it originally said the service would launch by the end of October, Apple was a few weeks late and turned on the service through an iTunes update on November 14.
Once you've downloaded and installed iTunes 10.5.1 (required), you can use the iTunes Match tools to get started. It scans your entire library to find the songs that it already owns and sells via iTunes. These songs are automatically added to your iTunes Match account, which costs $24.95 per year. If you have songs that are not available from iTunes, Apple will then upload the rest of your library, which will also be available from iTunes Match once the upload is complete.
With iTunes Match, you can use multiple computers and multiple iOS devices. For example, I set up iTunes Match on three computers and three iOS devices. It only takes a few clicks to get each separate device set up. There appears to be a limit of 10 devices in total that can be mated to a single iTunes ID / iTunes Match account. If you activate iTunes Match on an iOS device, be warned: It deletes all the locally stored music and replaces it with your iTunes Match library. Be sure to sync up your devices so you don't lose any locally purchased music.
[Before you hit the App Store, check out 10 Innovative iOS 5 Apps.]
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