Sources Say Apple Really Did Cough Up Big Cash for iCloud Domain

[Michael Essany]

After days of speculation, it appears we may finally be able to confirm that Apple paid up big time to secure the domain iCloud.com. With Apple rumored to be planning an iTunes music streaming service of the same name, it was apparently justified for the company to cough up a reported $4.5 million - yes, $4.5 million - to lock up this prime digital real estate for the future.

On Friday, John Paczkowski of Digital Daily reported that his sources are confirming the purchase by Apple. The seller of the hot domain in question was Swedish cloud computing company Xcerion. Although sources didn't confirm the $4.5 million purchase price, it was hinted that the price may actually be that high, if not higher.

Just what Apple plans to do with the domain is unclear. Presumably, it will have something to do with whatever cloud-based services the company is rumored to be ramping up in its 505,000-square-foot North Carolina data center.

For the last three months, we've been hearing that Apple's revamp of the MobileMe platform may transform the $99 annual-subscription product into a free service. Supplemental to that - or in addition to it - could be the long-awaited "digital lockers" that will enable Apple customers or subscribers to access their digital content from remote locations. This is precisely why the nearly-universal buzz surrounding the iCloud purchase suggests that the domain name holds clues to what the new service will be called and what service it will provide.

Source: All Things Digital

[x12_Carnage]

It all makes sense now.of course! :P
I like the idea of being able to access my content from a remote location

[KawiKami]

I like the idea of MobileMe finally being free. I can't access my MobileMe now because I didn't renew my subscription. It's some BS

[Memphiis]

Ah at last I can free up space on my poor 16gb iPhone 4... down to my last gb I think {

[indyracer05]

What I would do is create like a million websites with random words and an "i" in front of the word so that if apple wants a new website address, theyd have to pay me to give them the address thus making me money(:

[TheJailbreakGenius]

Apple has decided it can't make parts smaller. For the i5, apple will remove storage like the TV. All your info will be stored in the data center. This will stop jailbreaking, reduce device size and will open up more space for battery and processor updates.

[TheJailbreakGenius]

What I would do is create like a million websites with random words and an "i" in front of the word so that if apple wants a new website address, theyd have to pay me to give them the address thus making me money(:

It costs a pretty penny to buy a good server, and many of those domains may already be taken.

[dtbeavin]

Apple has decided it can't make parts smaller. For the i5, apple will remove storage like the TV. All your info will be stored in the data center. This will stop jailbreaking, reduce device size and will open up more space for battery and processor updates.

You really think there is a possibility of them taking all storage out of the iPhone and using data centers??? Don't know if it would stop jailbreaking though. Might put a halt in it for a while though. That would be crazy if they did that, but this is Apple we are talking about.

[REVODesign]

Apple has decided it can't make parts smaller. For the i5, apple will remove storage like the TV. All your info will be stored in the data center. This will stop jailbreaking, reduce device size and will open up more space for battery and processor updates.

Thank you. I didn't view it from that point of view, but it honestly seems like that could be true. But it is Apple we are talking about, its about Innovation not duplication...

[FTBoomer]

I don't understand the hoopla over this. AudioGalaxy is free and I've been streaming my 25,000 song library over WiFi and 3G for free for years now at FULL bitrate.

[politicalslug]

Sadly this means nothing. Apple has been known to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on companies that with tech they never deploy. Five million for a domain name seems like chump change in light of that.

I don't understand the hoopla over this. AudioGalaxy is free and I've been streaming my 25,000 song library over WiFi and 3G for free for years now at FULL bitrate.

Don't get me wrong, I too love AudioGalaxy, and before that I was happy with SimplifyMusic, but I can't help but think that Apple's solution will work as seamlessly as the iPod app. AudioGalaxy's search is crap, and they still can't manage to play the next song in an album without creating a playlist of sorts. Hell, even SimplfyMusic's app was more "intelligent". Of course, they got snatched up by Google (presumibly for Google's own music service) but simplify's solution kept crashing. On the other hand, SimplyMusic allowed each user to share their entire library with 30 friends... both mobile and browser based... which was AWESOME (when it worked) and it's something Apple will never implement because of licensing.

Apple has decided it can't make parts smaller. For the i5, apple will remove storage like the TV. All your info will be stored in the data center. This will stop jailbreaking, reduce device size and will open up more space for battery and processor updates.

Not a chance! Maybe in 20+ years this will be feasible. Without true network ubiquity this could never work. Besides, hosting data and streaming services are more costly for the provider so that cost will be passed to consumers. NO THANKS!