Sony announced today (May 22) that it's bringing its streaming service, Music Unlimited, to Apple mobile devices.
It's not the company's first foray into mobile: The service has already been available on Android phones, Sony's Walkman MP3 players and the PlayStation Vita mobile game console (as well as computers and Sony TVs and other home-theater gear). [ 10 Best PlayStation Vita Games ]
Moving to the iPhone now takes it to the second most popular smartphone operating system in the U.S. after Android. [ Americans Like Android Phones More Than the iPhone ]
Like several other mobile music services, Music Unlimited is not free. A basic, $4-per-month subscription provides access to genre-based channels, as well as custom-made channels built around a particular artist. Similar to Apple's iCloud, Sony will also stream any music that you verify you already own on your PC, using an app called Music Sync.
Upgrading to the $10-per-month subscription adds unlimited on-demand play of songs from millions of tracks, according to the Sony website, as well as the ability to create playlists and other features. (These prices were the same playing on a PC. Going mobile doesn't increase the price.)
Sony now competes more with streaming music service Spotify, which currently offers free on-demand play on computers. (The company is hoping to keep this service free by making money off advertising.) Getting Spotify on mobile devices costs $10 monthly; there is no lower-cost option. [ Spotify Will Always Be Free, Founder Hopes ]
If you have an iPhone and are curious to try out the new Sony app, you can sign up to get the first 30 days freeon Sony's site.