Apple launches iTunes Match a couple weeks late

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple has turned on its iTunes Match service — although it's two weeks late.

The $25-a-year subscription promises to match every song on a person's computer and store the tunes in an online account on distant servers known as the "cloud."

The songs can then be downloaded or streamed to other Apple devices without needing to physically connect them to the computer.

Songs that are not recognized can be uploaded automatically. The service promises to function with multiple computers used by the same person by eliminating duplicates.

Apple Inc. declined to comment on the delay. Earlier it had said iTunes Match would be available by the end of October.

An earlier message on iTunes saying new accounts were not being accepted was posted in error and has since been removed.