Google Music Logo Revealed. Where is this going?

There often seems to be a bizarre synergy between some of the things that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) do these days. Sometimes those synergies can be positive and complimentary. Yesterday we reported that Google had now made its mobile search results link up with Apple’s iTunes App Store. A couple of days before that Steve Jobs had confirmed that Google would not be replaced as the main search engine in iPhone OS.

Sometimes those synergies are less positive, with respect to the two companies relationships. If you cast your mind back to Apple’s attempted purchase of AdMob, and Google’s tactical move to snap it up from under them you should see what I mean.

At Google’s own developer conference, called Google I/O, they recently announced a music service of sorts, which allowed users to stream their music content from their desktop computer to any Android device. This service seemed to include iTunes as a source for DRM free music.

This service basically allows you to share any copyright free music from any desktop client, on any personal computer, with any Android device. All you have to do is install a small piece of software to enable this.

Google’s purchase of Simplify Media is what has given them the technology to do this. Simplify Media has had this message on their website since March :

We are unable to share our future plans at this time but hope to be able to announce the re-launch of the technology soon. In the meantime, we will continue to operate the existing service for at least the next 3 months. Many thanks to those of you who have supported us and helped us improve Simplify over the last few years! We hope you will enjoy its future incarnations as well.

In some ways the state of Simplify Media is somewhat similar to that of LaLa. A streaming music service that Apple bought, and has now effectively shut down, just prior to their own developer conference WWDC. This has sparked any number of rumors and counter rumors from bloggers and tech sites about Apple’s plans for a music service in some way based in the cloud.

Today Google revealed the logo for their “music service”. It’s certainly a Google logo!

Google Music

I wonder how much that cost them? Or how long it took to design?

At the moment the Google Music service is set to take on iTunes in the US only. And basically it functions in a fairly similar fashion to that of iTunes. You can buy a piece of music in the Android Market, download it to your device, and then play it.

When coupled with Google streaming service you will then presumably be able to stream from your desktop machine also, over the internet to anywhere you have a connection on your Android phone, or tablet.

One has to wonder what Apple’s reply will be to this. For me it lends more credence to the rumors that Apple will perhaps be announcing something along these lines at WWDC next week. Or perhaps at a special event booked roughly a week after WWDC 2010.

What are you thoughts on Google Music, Apple’s iTunes, and the possibility of a streaming audio service from Apple?
Let us know in the comments.

Google Music at Google I/O :

Advertisement

Leave a Reply