Apple may have purchased iCloud.com domain for $4.5M - rumor
In what may serve as further evidence of an impending cloud-based iTunes service, a new report claims Apple has purchased the iCloud.com domain from the Swedish company Xcerion for $4.5 million.
GigaOM reported late Wednesday that a source familiar with Xcerion claims that the desktop-as-a-service company sold the domain to Apple. Earlier this month, Xcerion rebranded its iCloud service as CloudMe and moved its website to CloudMe.com.
However, at the time of the report's writing, the Whois database still listed Xcerion as the owner of iCloud. The iCloud.com domain currently redirects to CloudMe.com.
Last week, reports emerged that Apple had "completed work" on a cloud-based iTunes music streaming service where users could access music stored on a remote server. According to one report, Apple has reached an agreement with Warner Music, the third-largest record label, that would include cloud services.
The iTunes cloud service is also rumored to be free at first, though Apple is expected to charge for it eventually.
Also adding to the mounting evidence of a streaming music service from Apple is the fact that Apple indicated in February that its brand new 500,000 square-foot server farm will support iTunes and MobileMe.
Apple plans to spend as much as $1 billion on the data center, which is located in Maiden, N.C. Environmental protection group Greenpeace recently called out Apple for using some of the "dirtiest" electricity in the country for its center, which could effectively triple the company's energy usage.
In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple plans to revamp its MobileMe service with cloud-related enhancements.
Rival Amazon launched a Cloud Drive service last month, but has reportedly faced backlash from the music industry for initiating the service without renegotiating licenses with the labels. Cloud Drive offers users 5GB of free storage (or 20GB for $20 annually) that can be accessed via an Android device or Amazon's Cloud Play service.
GigaOM reported late Wednesday that a source familiar with Xcerion claims that the desktop-as-a-service company sold the domain to Apple. Earlier this month, Xcerion rebranded its iCloud service as CloudMe and moved its website to CloudMe.com.
However, at the time of the report's writing, the Whois database still listed Xcerion as the owner of iCloud. The iCloud.com domain currently redirects to CloudMe.com.
Last week, reports emerged that Apple had "completed work" on a cloud-based iTunes music streaming service where users could access music stored on a remote server. According to one report, Apple has reached an agreement with Warner Music, the third-largest record label, that would include cloud services.
The iTunes cloud service is also rumored to be free at first, though Apple is expected to charge for it eventually.
Also adding to the mounting evidence of a streaming music service from Apple is the fact that Apple indicated in February that its brand new 500,000 square-foot server farm will support iTunes and MobileMe.
Apple plans to spend as much as $1 billion on the data center, which is located in Maiden, N.C. Environmental protection group Greenpeace recently called out Apple for using some of the "dirtiest" electricity in the country for its center, which could effectively triple the company's energy usage.
In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple plans to revamp its MobileMe service with cloud-related enhancements.
Rival Amazon launched a Cloud Drive service last month, but has reportedly faced backlash from the music industry for initiating the service without renegotiating licenses with the labels. Cloud Drive offers users 5GB of free storage (or 20GB for $20 annually) that can be accessed via an Android device or Amazon's Cloud Play service.
Comments
Maybe they just bought it out to avoid confusion when they release the revamped Mobile Me.
I am getting the yearly email to renew my MobileMe right now, not sure if icloud will have email or just data, will I want to switch, or will they automatically switch me, or what...
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS55.WORLDNIC.COM
Name Server: NS56.WORLDNIC.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 28-apr-2011
Creation Date: 15-jan-1999
Expiration Date: 15-jan-2018
>>> Last update of whois database: Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:59:59 UTC <<<
I read that Mordor, sorry, Murdoch is offering MySpace for 450 mill, wouldn't that have been a nice purchase for Apple? With all the bands and musicians, shurely a nice add-on for iTunes? With an Apple-fuelled UI upgrade that might turn into a fun and useful place to go again...
Not sure why Apple would need mySpace to do that... They could just set up a similar service without the stigma that mySpace has.
I read that Mordor, sorry, Murdoch is offering MySpace for 450 mill, wouldn't that have been a nice purchase for Apple? With all the bands and musicians, shurely a nice add-on for iTunes? With an Apple-fuelled UI upgrade that might turn into a fun and useful place to go again...
Murdoch's folly is going for less than $100 million sometime this week. For a loss of $480 million or more.
Apple doesn't want that turd.
Sorry Apple, but that's a crap name.
Not sure what you are on about; it's a perfectly apt name. Apple makes/sells iProducts and services, this is their cloud service.
Sorry Apple, but that's a crap name.
Maybe they just bought it out to avoid confusion when they release the revamped Mobile Me.
If they were going to buy icloud for that then they would buy cloudme as well. Cause that's how Apple rolls.
Not sure what you are on about; it's a perfectly apt name. Apple makes/sells iProducts and services, this is their cloud service.
Well iCloud means Internet Internet, which is funny, but not all that bad.
The problem is that Apple don't own the mindshare for "cloud" like they do Pod, Pad and Mac. iCloud just sounds like Apple's version of something that everyone else is doing, not something new.
They should stick with Mobile Me or go with a name they could own the mindshare of that reflected what the service is, like iMesh or something.
Seems reasonable to replace iDisk with iCloud. Fits with the whole Mac AppStore push.
I think you got it. Makes sense to rebrand the failed iDisk if they want people to look at differently.
But cloud is still somewhat of a technical term, not sure how much it is understood by the general population yet.
Actually, cloud is a marketing term that has no solid technical meaning. Basically "cloud" is the new buzzword for old fashined hosted services. See Play Station Network and Verizon's LTE network for two different examples of why companies and individuals should be warry of falling for the cloud hype with any data or services that are important to them.
Actually, cloud is a marketing term that has no solid technical meaning. Basically "cloud" is the new buzzword for old fashined hosted services.
Maybe that's what it is now, but 'cloud' was used as slang for 'a network of connected devices' long before the marketing guys picked up on it.
July 17, 2002 ... .Mac,
July 9, 2008... MobileMe,
September 2011... iCloud...
January 5, 2000... iTools,
July 17, 2002 ... .Mac,
July 9, 2008... MobileMe,
September 2011... iCloud...
January 5, 2000? iDisk (as part of iTools)
July 17, 2002 ? iDisk (as part of .Mac)
July 9, 2008... iDisk (as part of MobileMe)
May 10, 2011? iCloud (as part of MobileMe)
1994 ... eWorld
January 5, 2000... iTools,
July 17, 2002 ... .Mac,
July 9, 2008... MobileMe,
September 2011... iCloud...
Maybe that's what it is now, but 'cloud' was used as slang for 'a network of connected devices' long before the marketing guys picked up on it.
The original use of "cloud" that I recall was basically as referring to some nebulous portion of a network that moved data around but you didn't control it or really know, or care, about the details of it, as in, "the ATM cloud". (Depicted by the little cloud image in the middle of the network diagram.) In that sense, the Internet is the cloud today, and "cloud services" is just a cute way of referring to Internet based services. It's true, though, that the marketing guys have turned the cloud into more of a fog or haze, similar to blue smoke.
Then again, the asking price should go down after the whole Royal Wedding thing is over.