Apple set to unveil cloud music service

Apple is set to reveal its own cloud music service, dubbed iCloud, to rival those of Amazon, Spotify and Google.

Ipod

CEO Steve Jobs is expected to unveil iCloud at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on 6 June. It will be the first time Jobs has appeared at a public event since March, at the iPad 2 launch event.

Apple has secured deals with four major record labels to run their music on the service, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Google and Amazon have yet to agree terms with record labels.

It is thought iCloud will scan users’ hard drives for tracks and allow them to store their music in the cloud so that it can be accessed even when they are not at the same computer.

Apple says in a press release on its website: “At the keynote [on 6 June] Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.”