According to AppleInsider, Apple will wipe out iCloud libraries for iTunes Match on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 PM Eastern. Developers have also been asked to turn off the iTunes Match on all synced computers and devices.
When Apple chief executive Tim Cook announced the iPhone 4S in early October, followed by the release of iOS 5 and iCloud, he said the final piece of that puzzle, iTunes Match, would launch at the end of October for $24.99 per year. Obviously, that deadline has come and gone with no further communication from Apple.
With iTunes Match, users will be able to upload their entire music library to a cloud server, and Apple will automatically match your songs up to songs found in the iTunes Store, and always in 256Kbps AAC format. You'll then be able to download your songs and access them on any iOS device or Mac.
A portion of iTunes in the Cloud went live in June during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), while a developer version of iTunes Match was released in late August; Apple even reportedly wiped out developers' Match libraries, fueling speculation that a launch was imminent.
Meanwhile, Google has begun inviting reporters to what appears to be the launch of a licensed Google music store on Nov. 16, one that connects to Google Music Beta, its own cloud-based music storage, and Google+.
Coincidentally, my colleague Mark Hachman just learned that Google has been refusing to remove Android apps that enable music piracy.
For more, see PCMag's review of Amazon Cloud Player and Cloud Player for Android. Also check out our Hands On With Apple iCloud and slideshow below.