Apple poised to introduce iCloud
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is taking a break from medical leave on Monday to preside over the opening of the company’s annual conference for software developers. In a break from Apple’s usual practice of shrouding its events in an air of mystery, the California gadget-maker this time revealed ahead of time what it plans to announce at the event in San Francisco. Sort of.
In a press release, Apple said Jobs and other executives will unveil the next generation of Lion, the software that powers Macintosh computers, and iOS 5, the next version of the mobile operating system for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. And one more thing: iCloud. Apple described the previously unknown iCloud as its “upcoming cloud services offering” but provided no further details of what awaits at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference. “iCloud was almost a throwaway line in the press release,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst for technology research company Gartner. “But that’s getting the most scrutiny because we don’t know anything about it.” According to multiple reports, iCloud would allow for streaming of music hosted on Apple servers in the Internet “cloud” to various devices — from computers to smartphones to touchscreen tablets.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Apple has nearly completed talks with the major music publishers over the new cloud music service after sealing deals with the four major record labels. The Los Angeles Times said iCloud will initially be offered for free to iTunes users, allowing them to listen to music hosted on Apple servers on a Web browser or an Internet-connected Apple device. Apple will eventually charge a subscription fee of around US$25 a year for the service, the newspaper said.