How many times can you reinvent the wheel? When it comes to the cloud and streamed music, the answer always be “one more time”. Spotify Launches Connect, a new service that allows users to stream music to your home stereo or additional Spotify-compatible speakers. Spotify has chosen to develop its own standard instead of relying on any of the existing as DLNA, Apple’s AirPlay or Google Chromecast.
– All these standards fulfills its function as a general solution to a general problem. But none of them are suitable, we think, especially good for listening to music at home, says Sten Garmark, Product Manager at Spotify.
Connect’s functionality reminiscent of Google Chromecast launched in the U.S. earlier this year. Stone himself says that the solution is interesting but it is aimed more towards the TV and use is limited because it is in a hardware sold exclusively through Google. He also points out that Connect does not conflict with the other techniques because the solution is in the Spotify app, and the advantage of not having to do anything but that “it is just to open Spotifyappen so it works right away.”
Connect it should not matter what device you are playing music or were you looking for it. In practical terms this means that the Spotify app, choose which device music to play on. Because the music is streamed via wifi from Spotifiys servers and not via Bluetooth Connect will not be an additional burden on the portable devices batteries, and while the app itself is used in mobile, so does not interrupt the music through the speakers, for example, an incoming call. It should also not be any interruption if you listen to a song on your mobile device while you’re on the go and then switching to the stereo when you come home.
Many manufacturers
Sound System Manufacturers already have stepped on the new Connect train is Argon, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, Philips, Revo, Teufel and Yamaha. Hardware that is compatible will be marked with a Spotify Connect logo. Worth noting is that Sonos, which already have Spotify compatibility of their wireless sound system, not on the list. But Spotify will continue to work with Sonos and its expectation is that all manufacturers must embrace technology.
– We want to build in Connect in lots of different devices. We want it to be in the range from very inexpensive small speakers to giant expensive stereos or giant designer expensive speakers. So therefore it is important that this is a simple small software component that you can tuck in just about anything.
When it comes to system support, it’s only iOS users will be able to take advantage of the new service, Android users, however, will get a chance later in the fall and after that Connect also coming to PC and Mac. When it comes to Windows Phone as Stone wants neither say boo or laptop in the current situation.
Dust off an Ipod
Taken is obviously another way for Spotify to involve more premium users since it is only paying clientele who can use Connect.
– We roll out this premium users right now, that’s right. But the goal for us is that we want to have a great experience of listening to music at home. We think it has become a bit complicated, it’s messy and people do not listen at home to the same extent as they did for the world. We want to make life too easy as we possibly can, says Sten Garmark.
It remains to be seen if the current free users want to adopt another wireless standard for digital material, especially if it involves the purchase of new hardware. Here Spotify development from two different angles.
– We believe that many will use this by taking an old iPod Touch or an iPad at home that you have to your stereo and run through it. Then come when we launch the desktop version and you have your computer connected to your stereo and then you can get this experience without buying a single thing. But once you’re buying something new, so we imagine that in a few years it will be weird to buy something that is supposed to listen to music, but do not have a super convenient solution for listening to music built into it, says Stone and it does not take much to guess what solution he is referring to.
No comments:
Post a Comment