Best Buy may sound like an unlikely contender in cloud music service segment, but defying the conventional wisdom, the big box
retailer took plunge in the area, which is fast becoming ultra-competitive. In last couple of days, we have seen big wigs like Google and Apple make their Cloud debuts and now it is Best Buy's turn. Reportedly, the company has already soft launched the new service.
As far as the beta version is concerned, currently it is lets the users listen to only 30-seconds of their own music. If you want to enjoy the full length songs, then you need to pay for Premium account which will cost you $3.99 per month. However, the company has not provided any details regarding the storage capacity. The service is currently compatible only with iTunes library. Hmm, that makes it pretty restrictive, but believe us, this is not the only problem with the new service. Interestingly, the premium version of the service won't be available for iOS devices, thanks to Apple's policies.
Negating the basic concept of Cloud service, Best Buy requires you to download their app for using this service. According to the initial reviews, the software itself is too buggy. If you want to access your library via a smartphone, then you would be required to register each and every device you would be using. Cloud computing is still in nascent stage, so there are going to be many hit and miss trials. Even the offerings from Amazon, Google and Apple are not flawless. However, if Best Buy intends to take on big guys, then it needs to come up with a brighter idea, which the service, in its current form, is certainly not.