Hmm. I didn't quite understand your brief description of iCloud at the top there, so I just went and took a look at Apple's site… sounds really interesting, though I'm not sure I'm really sold on having EVERYTHING stored in the cloud and having to use even more data transfer to access all your files. I'll be curious how it ends up playing out when its released.

Of course, having just bought an Android, the service itself probably won't be of much use to me, but Amazon has been on top of or ahead of the game on this stuff for awhile and has been releasing regular improvements and additional features to their most dedicated user base (ie. Amazon prime subscribers), so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they release a similar service fairly soon.

The only issue is that Google hasn't announced their pricing, either. They may never do so, for all I know. At least for the time being Amazon has made it appear that as long as you're an occasional purchaser of music from their MP3 store, you'll get unlimited music storage. Certainly, they have the space for it all (maybe not for *my* collection, but for the average Joe or Jane…).

If I had an iPod capable of running iOS 5 I would be very interested in what Apple's offering is like in comparison. I doubt there would ever be an Android client for it, but if Apple does well with it there's a good chance that Amazon, since they already have a repository of MP3s for their store, could offer a similar service very quickly.

2012 is going to be an interesting year for cloud storage. Maybe that's the life-altering event we're all inferring from the coming end of the Mayan Calendar…

This is actually really helpful. I've been using a combo of Amazon Cloud Player for the stuff I actually own, and Spotify to check out new music before buying it. I have not splurged for Spotify premium yet so I haven't tried out the app, but I've been really happy with Amazon's service so far so I'm not entirely sure I even need it.

What I'm not clear on, and what will probably make a difference in the service I really commit to, is if my current storage limit and the unlimited music storage are permanent features, or if they're somehow tied to my Amazon Prime account, or if I'm going to have to buy into the 20GB plan when my current plan runs out in March (after getting it for free with a music purchase) – basically if the cost ends up being high, I may start looking at Google more closely.