Spotify — which some of you may recall happens to be this writer's favorite music service — has finally released an iPad app. And while the app is pretty great, it might leave you wondering why on earth we had to wait forever and a day for its arrival.
The arrival of the Spotify iPad app comes about two weeks after the music service's executives held a press event to announce their partnership with Coca-Cola. When asked about the iPad app during this event, Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek said that it was "in the works."
Now that the app is finally available through the Apple App Store, I wish I could go back in time to the moment Ek muttered that answer and ask "what's taking so long?" — because I can't really tell by using the app.
Don't misunderstand me: The Spotify iPad app is pretty great. It's significantly better designed than its iPhone counterpart and it's more fun to use than the desktop Spotify app — but it has no genuine surprises or mind-blowing features.
The Spotify app takes advantage of the iPad's screen real estate with an interface that consists of content- and information-filled panes, through which you can swipe back-and-forth. You can see how that works in the charming video demo provided by Spotify:
Looks pretty, right? That was my first thought when I saw the app. (Though I may have also giggled and mumbled that it's "swipey.") But that's basically all there is to it. Spotify's iPad app is a prettier version of the desktop or mobile apps you're already familiar with.
Sure, it has all the nice little features such as Retina-friendly graphics, high-definition cover art, a better search function (all the results appear in one spot, rather than being separated into tabs as on the iPhone app), grouped inbox messages, gapless playback, and solid AirPlay support. But it has nothing to justify taking almost as long to arrive as the Facebook iPad app, my most recent eBay purchase or Jessica Simpson's baby.
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