Apple Launches iTunes Match

More than a month after the release of iOS 5, Apple has finally made its cloud music service iTunes Match available to the public. With the release of iTunes 10.5.1 (available here), Apple now offers iTunes users the ability to sync their music library across devices by "matching" each song with a high quality version stored on Apple's servers. Any other songs can be uploaded.

The service is an extension of iCloud, the cross-device content syncing feature rolled out in iOS 5. That feature lets users sync contacts, calendars, mail, apps and other data between iPads, iPhones, iPods and Mac computers. For an additional $25 per year, they can now include their entire music collection in Apple's cloud.

Mike