Well, would you look at that? The
v1.2 update to MobileMe iDisk that Apple pushed out last month has a secret -- er,
did have a secret. One of the concealed new features of the app is background streaming, or as
Apple puts it, the ability to "play audio from your iDisk while using another app." For starters, it's pretty fantastic just to have this functionality in-hand for your own garage jams, but what's more is that any licensed music on your iDisk still streams perfectly fine. Only time will tell if any record labels (or that mean, mean
RIAA) step forward with a grievance, but this could very well be the beginning of iTunes in the cloud. Or a
reason for buying Lala. Or a mysterious combination of the two.
@ftgeneral
Apple may not give them money but people like you who stay long enough to read the story then comment on it do.
On your way out would you mind clicking a couple of ads, that way you can pay them even more.
Apple stories drive revenue, blog sites are addicted to them.
@hill60
youre quite right of course... but i use an ad blocker :)
Sweet. So if this is true, ill be able to stream my ripped (previously bought) CDs as well that was my hold back on enthusiasm regarding cloud based iTunes services. These news make it a go
@iRACK
previously ripped eh? i hope thats a note of nobility in your voice, or do you think Apple will be tracking down and arresting you ;)
@ftgeneral actually apple isnt responsible for you pirating music that would be those guys called the United States Government, maybe youve heard of them?
So wait is it enabled or is it not enabled? Can you use it right now?
@WestindiesKing
Just tried it. It's working beautifully.
Revolutionary!
Just in time for the end of unlimited data plans...
This wasn't sly or a secret - it was a listed feature on the app's update page when it came out! Where have you been, Engadget?
I don't believe there is anything sly about this. The various players on iOS will play any content delivered to them in a format they understand and if that content is streamable it could be embedded on iDisk or the web or anywhere else.
Jeebus. This came out a month ago. It was noted by tech blogs several weeks ago. iLounge, one of the premier iOS device news sites, noted it upon release. http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/apple-updates-idisk-app-with-ipad-and-ios-4-support/ You guys are slow.
And you're seriously calling this a "secret," a "concealed new feature"? It's the fourth out of nine changes (yes, only nine) listed in the release notes. Yes, it's not listed in the general description, probably because it's not really a big deal. I assume you could play music beforehand, but couldn't do so in the background before iOS 4. Now you can.
I breathlessly await the article showcasing the "secret" new feature that you can send email from your iPhone.
@OldNewOne Is like drones are running the show.
No research given at all. All they see is the word apple. And they are quick to jump on it.
The state of blogging is in a sad state.
Engadget you let me down :(
@FrankJL9 Shut up Shut up Shut up Shut up, the whole "engadget only does apple news" thing is so old, there is 10x more android news now, and they reported this because they just found it out, the fact that they wrote the article sounding like it just came out is irrelevant, they didn't try it before today, so they only wrote about it today, yah it shouldve been obvious that this would happen, but engadget was psyched that try figured this out, so they reported it, stop being ignorant, actually think about what's actualy going on, for a week see how Many android and apple posts there are, there will be 27% android posts, 15% apple posts, and then the rest will be random companies/news posts
@FrankJL9
Can't you find another blog that meets your criteria? Pissing & moaning here really just misses the mark. Apple leads the industry in technology, gadgets & innovation. This blog is about gadgets, technology & innovation. As much as the anti Apple crowd hates to hear it, it is a fact. Call me a 'fanboy' or whatever the latest middle school insult is, but I believe I am being a realist.
Now maybe you should just find a different interest? I am sure there are knitting blogs out there that make no mention of Apple.
Funny how all blogs are quick to jump on the same news.
Ive seen this BREAKING event posted on all blogs i frequent. Sickening.
The idisk app have been able to stream music since it was released.
In other news. Now you can tune to a different channel by using your remoete control.
This also works for dropbox although it only has a 2gb cap on a free acct.
I emailed this into engadget the day the update for this application came out over a month ago. This is OLD.
@QwaF dont worry apple just didnt see the excitement they wanted so they spread a little wealth around for them to runthis as a TOP NEWS...lol this is sad
does it work with the 3G?
@SirNoDroin
Not backgrounded, it always has done this.
If it costs $99 per year, perhaps something like Zune pass is a better service then. Why pay for music and then pay for the right to get it from the cloud (and a limited selection) if you can pay just a little more and have access to any music you want?
@lilo
Because Zune Pass doesn't do even close to everything MobileMe does. For example Zune Pass doesn't let you track your phone via GPS if it gets stolen. Zune Pass doesn't give you 20GB of storage space. Zune Pass doesn't sync your calendar, mail, contacts, pictures, etc.
@Jack
You get most of it for free from Google.
@lilo
Free, apart from the advertising.
$99 a year is worth it just to be able to send ad free advertising to my friends.
Gmail is useful for subscribing to spam harvesting websites.
WOW doesn't Pandora do the same
@Makali
No. Pandora does not do this: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/features/
@Jack Yah, your an idiot, but his idioticness was pointing out the fact that pandora can also background, which was top news 3 months ago, and engadget did know about it, but mobile me does more than stream music
@That guy 2
You can also stream porn if you upload it first.
Android's gonna do this, but for free. just sayin
@kthoag
Android doesn't do this: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/features/ for free. Or at all.
@Jack
Google Calendar+Gmail+Google Contacts+DropBox+the plethora of free "find my android" type apps does all of that, for free.
and at I/O they announced streaming libraries, no 20GB cap.
also for free.
@kthoag
Isn't Google nice giving you all this stuff for free.
It makes me wonder were they get their money from.
Wasting time on ads is not "free", especially when information is harvested from you and your friends in order to target advertising.
Android has done this for years, apple joined the club about time...its true you annoying apple fanboys
@23542354 It's not true you annoying android fanboys, honestly, every single one of you are hypocrites, I'm not exxagerating, 100% of you, android does not do mobile me, for free or at all, you android fanboys have become what you yelled at "apple fanboys" for doing
"i" stuff is so long in the tooth...sick of hearing the term.
I don't understand why someone would use this over Subsonic. Subsonic is so great to be able to stream all my music both over browser and over device as well. Plus you can set up different users and let them into your music space if you wish. Unless Google/Apple does something better, I just don't see something like this catching on.
Billy Singvosa is gay
...and those are the latest payola news.
People just need to learn to read, this wasn't some shock to anyone who cares enough to look at what updates do.
Dropbox does this too...
lol.
Does anyone know if Zune Pass music will stream? Orb used to do it, but then an upgrade I didn't pay attention to killed it =( That, or I installed a new OS and had to get the newest Orb version.
Also, does Zune Pass music stream with Dropbox?
I'm pretty sure I'm getting WP7 anyway, but I do have a Dropbox account... Going to sell my unlimited data contract come Nov. & then I get a new cust. discount on WP7! =D & now that my 3GS iOS4 is yet again jailbroke, it is now worth a little $ again! =D