Survey Shows iCloud May Have 150 Million Users on Launch

[Michael Essany]

Talk about getting started with a bang. According to the findings of a proprietary survey spearheaded by Mike Abramsky, a prominent analyst with RBC Capital Markets, more than three-quarters of iPhone owners will use Apple's iCloud on launch. Those figures were derived from a poll of 1,500 respondents earlier this month.

In other words, the forthcoming iCloud service could debut with a built-in user base that tops 150 million people. “This high response rate affirms the growing interest in storing, syncing and sharing music, photos and documents across multiple devices [such as] smartphones, tablets, PCs and TVs,” wrote Abramsky in the report.

Although part of the reason iCloud is so attractive is because it's free to use, iTunes Match comes at a price. And even though the music file matching service will cost $24.99 annually, the RBC survey shows that nearly one-third of respondents expressed interest in the service and a willingness to pay the asking price. If so, RBC estimates that iTunes Match will generate upwards of an additional $1.5 billion in annual revenue for Apple.

Beyond the obvious revenue potential, Abramsky says the new services only stand to strengthen the Apple fan base's love affair with the Cupertino-based tech giant. Further, "because it stores user data, iCloud along with iTunes is expected to enhance loyalty and stickiness of Apple’s customers, helping defend against threats from Android, helping grow a defensible install base of users who continually upgrade to next generation Macs, iPhones, iPads and iPods,” Abramsky reasoned.

Source: Financial Post

[Antman217]

Who doesn't want to use iCloud?!

[Jcbzr]

I'll stick to 4.3.3 for a while...

[Axecaster]

Who doesn't want to use iCloud?!

Maybe people who prefer standard or high definition recordings over the streaming variety?

[AngryPIG]

Who doesn't want to use iCloud?!

my mum