After releasing the final version of iTunes 10.5 which includes support for iOS 5-powered devices, Apple has also released the first beta for iTunes 10.5.1 to its developers to test out the upcoming iTunes Match service. If you are a registered Apple developer, go grab it now!
As AppleInsider reports, the recent release of iTunes 10.5 does not include support for the upcoming iTunes Match service, which is slated for a release later this month.
The new iTunes Match will run for $24.99 a year and will be released alongside another iTunes build that supports the service. iTunes Match will have the ability to scan all your personal music libraries for music files that were not purchased though iTunes and then matched up with Apple’s library of over 20 million songs in the iTunes Music store. Users will also be able to access their library of up to 25,000 songs from any device, and will be able to re-download songs via iTunes in the Cloud. Users will also be able to replace their matched files with higher quality 256Kbps iTunes Plus AAC files, even if the original copy is of lower quality.
Developers can test the new iTunes Match service by downloading the beta of iTunes 10.5.1, which is available for Mac and Windows. The service is only available in the United States at the moment.
