Apple's 500,000-square-foot mystery

I think it's going to be for Mac applications. It could be huge, and like everything else with Apple, it might usher in a new era in computing.

Or like as not it is a place where Apple can offer applications in a cloud-like way. Like as not it will be a place for a developer to get virtual shelf space for new Mac applications. They don't have that today.

Apple has struggled at this level for some time. I think we might see some real excitement coming into then year, enough to provide the oomph to break out of this range, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Apple-hype conjecture gets bandied about this week, focused on the mystery of its 500,000-square-foot North Carolina data center.