LONDON, Sep. 2, 2010 (Kyodo News International) -- Sony (NYSE:SNE) Corp. will launch a full-fledged online music distribution service based on cloud computing technology later this year, Fujio Nishida, president of Sony Europe, said Wednesday in Berlin.
The service will initially be available via Sony's network-enabled television sets, personal computers, Blu-ray disc players and PlayStation 3 game machines before being expanded to its other portable devices, according to the company.
With the move, Sony will challenge a similar service offered via the iTunes music site launched by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in 2003.
Since Sony's new service will rely on cloud computing, which delivers data housed remotely in cyberspace, Nishida said, ''That would obviate the need for file management tasks on customers' computers so they can listen to the music they like anytime they want.''
To date, Sony's online music services offered in countries such as Japan and the United States have not had much success because the technology required to provide the service differs from one country to another.
