The one thing Android users have lacked is a neatly integrated, user-friendly avenue for the purchase and access of content; your basic one-stop iTunes-type shop for Google phones. Sure, a few OEMs and carriers have taken shots at making it work (Samsung's Media Hub comes to mind), but no one with any real expertise has been up to the challenge... until Amazon launched its Cloud Drive, Amazon App Store and Cloud Player products.

I think we just witnessed a monumental change in the mobile content landscape. Amazon effectively beat Apple to the punch with cloud-based content, and when Jobs or Schiller take the keynote stage at WWDC in June, the expected cloud-based iTunes announcement will be just a tad less awe-inspiring. What's interesting is that Apple has never sweated being behind on a feature or two, because it knew that a little extra loving would make all the difference in the end product. This time, Apple may be hard-pressed to best Amazon’s slick, well-executed offerings. From the Amazon App Store right down to the uploader that will snag all your tunes (even your iTunes) and shoot them straight up to Amazon’s cloud, this is something that carriers far and wide are going to be looking to pre-install on Android devices as a major value-add.

As an on-again, off-again iPhone user, I know that one of the most appealing aspects of Apple products (iOS- or OS X-based) is the ease with which one can find, purchase and access content. For a long time, I appreciated the fact that my mobile device and home computer were as deeply integrated as they were with the world's premier content delivery platform, namely iTunes (also OS X and its suite of media creation and storage products). It was after the hard drive crashed on my Macbook that I realized the devil's deal to which I'd agreed. All of my photos were locked up in an iPhoto file that couldn't be unlocked with anything other than another copy of iPhoto. What was I to do but buy another Mac, right?

Apple has incredible control over not just the record industry but its users' personal content as well. It’s a company that depends on this content ecosystem (a.k.a “vicious cycle”) to drive adoption of its hardware and it's the prime reason that the company has protected its closed system as ferociously as it has.  Nevertheless, I became frustrated with Apple's insistence that all of my media be inextricably linked to its proprietary software.

It's control of my content that led me recently to start dabbling in Android. I recently made the semi-permanent (I think I'm waiting for the iPhone 5 but am slowly warming to the Android world) switch to a Galaxy S phone and have been relatively pleased. While there are things I hate about Android (the Galaxy S is no iPhone 4 for ease-of-use), it's been an interesting learning experience. One of the biggest flaws I found in the Android space was the lack of any centralized media storage or retail outlet. Before Samsung’s Media Hub was up and running, I realized that there weren’t any immediately accessible ways to buy, rent or download a movie on my phone. Well, let me rephrase that: There weren’t any obvious outlets available like the one to which I’d become accustomed (iTunes).

Amazon just went ahead and changed all that with its App Store and Cloud Drive products. Now Android users have a slick third-party option that bests even Apple’s iTunes because it makes users’ music, video and documents available anytime, anywhere, so long as they’re connected. They’re also offered by Amazon, a company that is well-versed in connected devices (Kindle) and the content (eBook) that makes them special. Add to that an massive existing customer base with established accounts and billing in place, as well customer service and you have the makings of, well, an iTunes killer? 

The implications of Amazon’s bid for your content are far-reaching. I had to laugh when I realized that my carrier, AT&T, had blocked the Amazon App store from being downloaded to my device. The carrier has not been friendly to the third-party app stores at all, including sites like GetJar. Must be part of the legacy left behind by so many years of dealing with a shadowy entity like Apple. AT&T says it’s all about ensuring the security of app stores other than the Android Market, but I’m not sure I’m buying that explanation. They have said that they’re still working on the details with Amazon, so we’ll see.

While Amazon’s latest offerings are just one part of the wave of cloud-based services and storage options we’re seeing today, it’s currently the one with the widest reach and the most polished reputation. Will it be an iTunes killer? Probably not, but I will say that watching Amazon this past week has most definitely made me think twice about waiting around for the iPhone 5.