iCloud icon revealed, LA Times says service will cost $25 annually

Quote: "The article states that while iCloud will start with hosting music, it will branch out to movies, TV shows and other digital content, which we imagine will be the sort of content currently hosted by MobileMe. This fits with the rumors that iCloud will be superseding MobileMe."
OK, so does this mean that MobileMe is now $25 or is the services it provides (email, syncing and iDisk) becomes free and the music locker thing is added for $25?

"The L.A. Times says the agreement has Apple sharing 70 percent of iCloud's revenue with music labels and 12 percent with those who hold the songwriting rights. Apple will pocket the remaining 18 percent, or $4.50 out of every $25 subscription."

So what I can do for free with AudioGalaxy and a 1TB hard drive, Apple will be paying the music labels $17.50 a year? Can't believe Apple would agree to such a deal.

Amazon's Cloud is a much better deal in that all the music purchased from Amazon doesn't go towards the storage cap. Theoretically, you can stream all your music for free for Amazon's Cloud Player. Has Amazon negotiated a better deal than Apple could get for themselves?

Apple's .Mac, MobileMe and now iCloud models have never made sense to me, unless you just want to throw your money at them.

Interesting. The payment directly to writers (and probably publishers) sounds like the work of BMI and ASCAP, as they consider streaming to be "airplay", like radio. This may finally allow Apple to build iTunes web widgets for music previews on blogs, Facebook, artist sites, etc., which is sorely needed.

Very nice that Apple is taking it out of their own cut and not the label's—which would ultimately cost the artist.

So will we now have @icloud email addresses? I hope not. As someone who started with @iTools, then moved to @Mac, I never give anyone the @me address. Just go back to @Mac and leave it alone.

I just renewed my MobileMe subscription! i hope that iCloud will be part of it...

They killed iSync, took the icon background, and then iCloud will kill MobileMe and take its cloud shape. Then they will be combined into one. The circle of life.

hope the email and ical sync is free.... google offers the free email and cal sync, thats one of androids benefits! maybe they will support the services with iAds??? not really interested in the music locker, just the other stuff...

I think it's kind of interesting that the iCloud logo has the exact same shape to it that the MobileMe icon currently has...