Spotify has seemingly gone from being in limbo to being “made” in one step. It is reported that Apple has given the music application the go-ahead to appear on the iTunes app store – despite the fact that it directly competes with the core music functions of the iPhone.
What is Spotify?
We’ve reported on Spotify numerous times on GoMo News in the past, because it has always seemed like a damn good idea to us. It is a simple, downloadable client that allows you to listen to any song, by any artist. Through your 3G or WiFi connection, your iPhone can stream the song you select straight to your headphones. It literally turns your smartphone into the ultimate music player. No more worrying about storage space, or trying to remember whether you have an album or not – you could simply stream the songs you’re thinking of straight to your ear, anyplace, anytime.
There’s a free version, for those who don’t mind being bombarded with advertising.
So where’s the competition with Apple?
There are two points where Spotify directly competes with the iPhone. First, since it allows you to listen to any track you want to, it will pull revenue away from iTunes. A lot of people would just stream the song they want instead of having to buy it through Apple. That’s all right though, because you need an internet connection to use the service, right? It can’t compete with the ability of the iPhone to play a track without an internet connection… right?
Wrong.
The second, and perhaps more controversial, point where Spotify competes with iTunes is “caching”. Spotify will actually store songs you have selected so that you can listen to them later when there is no available internet connection. And so, since the app uses the iPhones own storage space to compete with it, most observers believed that it would never be approved. And yet, here we are.
When will we see the app?
Not sure. The only info we’ve gotten from Apple is that it would be released “very soon”. The app will have a monthly subscription fee of £9.99.
What we think?
So how come this has been approved?
There’s an interesting question. More than just a few people are wondering whether it has anything to do with the burgeoning FCC investigation into Apple, and possible anti-competitive behavior on its part. Spotify has had video teasers for operational versions of its app available since May. That’s a long time for Apple to be sitting on their app – and it’s certainly a very convenient time for it to suddenly approve the app.
