If you’re looking for the future of computing, look no further than the cloud.
Cloud computing allows users to store files to a centralized server accessible from any device connected to the Internet. Many companies offer cloud backup for people’s files, so this phenomenon is nothing new.
However, many people don’t know about this helpful and revolutionary service.
Google offers cloud services with Google Docs, which allows users to save and edit documents over its servers.
Sony also just introduced cloud storage for PlayStation 3 game saves if you have a PS Plus subscription.
While these are nifty services, they all only apply to certain types of documents — nothing so far regarding multimedia. That is, until Amazon came along.
With Apple’s domination in the music field with iPods, iPhones and iTunes, it’s surprising it hasn’t tried to control the cloud space as well.
Actually, if Apple controlled the cloud, they couldn’t overcharge for iDevices with more memory.
Google has been breathing down Apple’s neck in the mobile phone industry by controlling the market with 33 percent of users selecting Android — as compared to the 28.9 percent choosing RIM (BlackBerry) and 25.2 percent choosing iPhone — according to The Huffington Post. Google is even going after iTunes with plans to launch its own music store.
Yet again, the search giant has not announced plans of taking its music service to the cloud.
Finally, there’s Amazon— the company really taking advantage of using clouds.
The online retail giant not only has its own music service trying to compete with iTunes, but also a video streaming service to compete with Netflix and a newly launched app store to compete with Apple.
While all of these services are less widely used than its competition, Amazon and its music service made a significant leap last week when the company announced Amazon Cloud Drive and Amazon Cloud Player.
Cloud Drive offers Amazon users the ability to save their media to its servers. Amazon is offering 5 gigabytes of storage for free with upgrades ranging from 20 gigabytes to 1 terabyte for $20 to $1,000, respectively.
While Cloud Drive is nothing new, Cloud Player is what separates Amazon from Google or Apple.
Cloud Player will allow users to play their content saved to Amazon Cloud Drive on their computer or Android device — notice an absence of iOS.
Amazon also offers other nice perks.
Any album bought through the Amazon Music Store is stored to your Cloud Drive for free.
Also, if you buy one MP3 album from Amazon, you will automatically be upgraded to 20 gigabytes of storage for free for one year.
Amazon also brags about how other files — such as video, movies, photos and documents — can be saved to the Cloud Drive as well.
Amazon took a big step leading the way with its Cloud Player, and it won’t be long until Google and Apple follow.
Google will be next, offering a more “open cloud experience,” with Apple following by bragging about how its service is “the best and only way to experience the cloud.”
Despite it being the first, Amazon’s service will lose once Apple launches its cloud, but Amazon’s leap has shaken things up in the cloud market — and that’s a good thing.
Adam Arinder is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
 
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Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]