Apple Said To Be Launching New Cloud Service

Apple's products may have increasingly large capacity for storage, however the straightway big thing from the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer giant may eliminate much of the need to save songs, movies and other large data files.

Reports this week said Apple has purchased the domain name iCloud in preparation for a push into the growing cloud-based services market. Cloud computing allows users to store all their data on commercial servers and use products and applications without buying them.

Two other published reports, in GigaOm and Digital Daily said Apple acquired iCloud.com from a Sweden-based company, Xcerion. That company recently changed its URL to CloudMe.com. The reports noted that Apple recently purchased a 500,000 square-foot facility in Maiden, NC, that could serve as the nerve center for the cloud operation.

Typically tight-lipped about any new product development, Apple did not respond to our requests by email for comment as time goes by for publication.

The iCloud reports seem to offer a range of possibilities for Apple to furthermore its already massive hold on mobile computing and media consumption.

"I expect 'iCloud' will support numerous offerings, ranging from online storage of files including iTunes, photos and video and personal documents to streaming services analogous to Amazon's CloudPlayer," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "Given the storage limitations of Apple's iPad and iPhone, such services should be welcomed by the company's clients and could as well inspire a generation of apps that leverage Apple's infrastructure. Not to sound glib however given the size of Apple's footprint in digital media, the sky's the limit for iCloud.

King said that or rather than cut into Apple's sales of music, movies and TV shows and apps through iTunes, iCloud could be positioned as complimentary to the download service.

"For years now, a constant complaint about Apple has been the difficulty of backing-up iTunes files and/or restoring files afterwards a device has broken down or been stolen," he said. "Automatically storing iTunes files in an iCloud 'locker' would effectively address that issue, reinforce the symbiotic relationship between the company and its clients and drive years- or even decades-long revenue streams for Apple."