Apple releases iTunes Match

 　　SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Apple on Monday released a new version of its media player program iTunes, adding the much- anticipated scan-and-match service for music iTunes Match.

　　The feature, included in iTunes 10.5.1, can scan a user's library to find music and match the content to the music available in iTunes Store. If it finds a match, users don't need to upload the music and can listen to them anywhere, even better-quality versions, on any devices running Apple's iOS operating system. Music that doesn't match is automatically uploaded.

　　With a subscription¹ fee of 24.99 U.S. dollars a year, users can store up to 25,000 of their own songs in Apple's cloud server. The iTunes Match is currently only available in the United States.

　　Subscriptions² for iTunes Match are unavailable for a while Monday morning due to excessive demand.

　　The iTunes Match was first introduced in June along with Apple' s iCloud platform, the company's cloud service enabling users to sync their files, apps and content among Apple devices.

　　Unlike Google and Amazon, Apple got the official blessings³ from all four major music labels, making the company only need to keep one copy of each song in its cloud server, eliminating the uploading work for users and redundancies for servers.

　　When Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the feature in his last keynote address in June, he touted⁴ the feature as "an industry leading effort," saying that the 24.99-dollar price is cheaper than Amazon's offering and Google has not announced a price yet.

　　The release is also ahead of Google's latest music push. In an email invitation sent out last Friday, the search giant said it will hold an event called "These Go To Eleven" on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Tech news website The Verge⁵ reported that it will be the debut⁶ of the company's cloud music service Google Music.

1 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

2 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

5 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。