Apple Reportedly Buys iCloud.com: What Are They Planning?

As was suspected earlier this week, Apple has reportedly purchased the domain name iCloud.com.

According to All Things D, "Sources in position to know" have confirmed that Xcerion, a Swedish cloud-computing company, has agreed to sell the domain to Apple. The rumored price tag? $4.5 million.

Though the sources did not specify Apple's plans for the domain, some believe that it will be the home of Apple's long-awaited cloud music project, an iTunes-sans-desktop streaming service.

Some believe that an iCloud product may debut as an expansion of the company's existing cloud storage product, MobileMe.

A prime time to debut an "iCloud" service would be at Apple's June developer's conference, where the company has said it will "unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS."

"According to people familiar with the matter," writes AppleInsider, "Apple is prepping beta versions of both iOS 5.0 and Mac OS X Lion ahead of its annual developers conference that integrate with a service dubbed 'iCloud,' enabling users to sync and store much of the same information they currently can with the company's existing MobileMe service, such as bookmarks, email, contacts and iCal events."

Xcerion, meanwhile, has moved its iCloud site to CloudMe.com.

Do you think Apple will lay bare its plans for iCloud in June? Weigh in with our quick poll (below).

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Comments

[GreatAppsCom]

01:57 PM on 05/24/2011

GreatApps.com is now for sale.

Serious inquiries can be made to: [e-mail]

[Josh Irving]

11:24 AM on 05/05/2011

Wow, I wonder what OrangeJuice.com will go for?

My friend has it in a no-reserve auction. Register by May 21st,

Go to OrangeJuice.com if you're interested to see what a really good domain might go for!!!

Cheers

[Sundialsvc4]

07:44 AM on 05/02/2011

It should come as no surprise. Apple sells not only "consumer machines," but very powerful blade servers (and computing-network software to go with them). Your Mac can even participate directly in such a grid, of your own making. Apple didn't particularly break new ground with what they did: they just made it vastly easier to do.

The techniques for managing and for deploying shared computer resources are obviously changing, and Apple has never missed a business opportunity like that. "We know you want to do this thing, and we know how to do it really well and yet to remain compatible with what you're already doing, and we know how to make that drop-dead easy for you." Works.

[MelvinMonroe]

12:45 PM on 05/01/2011

Workers Assembling Apple Products Urged to Sign Anti Suicide Pledge
May 1st, 2011

So Foxconn’s suicide prevention nets are still up?

Via: Guardian:

An investigation into the conditions of Chinese workers has revealed the shocking human cost of producing the must-have Apple iPhones and iPads that are now ubiquitous in the west.

The research, carried out by two NGOs, has revealed disturbing allegations of excessive working hours and draconian workplace rules at two major plants in southern China. It has also uncovered an “anti-suicide” pledge that workers at the two plants have been urged to sign, after a series of employee deaths last year.

The investigation gives a detailed picture of life for the 500,000 workers at the Shenzhen and Chengdu factories owned by Foxconn, which produces millions of Apple products each year. The report accuses Foxconn of treating workers “inhumanely, like machines”.

[mercadder]

11:20 AM on 05/01/2011

I don´t beleive Apple bought that site, so late...

[ESJ247]

08:33 AM on 04/30/2011

iCloud is going to be Apple's server which will store all your music so you can access all your songs through different computers instead of synchronizing them like you have to do now.

[mlaiuppa]

02:51 AM on 04/30/2011

I'm thinking more June 2012. I don't think they'd be working on something and wait until there's only a month left to secure the domain name.

[hypnotoad72]

06:53 PM on 04/29/2011

I should be answering "Yes", given how obvious most of these speculation-laced viral marketing articles tend to be.

Still, I'd bet more money on July than June.  June is barely more than one month away.  The groundwork is being laid, obviously, but June seems too soon a date.

[basenji]

11:11 PM on 04/29/2011

Agreed. Unless of course all is ready, and they just bought the domain name that made most sense for imminent launch. iPad is bound to surpass iPod and mac sales sooner than we think.