iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, MobileMe? Doesn't sound too good does it? That is, 3 iDevices and an online service whose name does not begin with i, as if it does not align with Apple's standards. To correct this error Apple a bought iCloud.com domain for $4.5 million and will most likely use it for the future streaming service. Joking aside, the company acquired the domain from a company that offers online streaming services and that recently changed its name from iCloud to CloudMe.
My source, who is familiar with the company, says that Xcerion has sold the domain to Apple for about $4.5 million. Xcerion has not responded to my queries as yet. At the time of writing, the Whois database showed Xcerion as the owner of iCloud.
It seems that Apple could give up MobileMe by turning the service into iCloud or maybe it will keep it in operation in parallel with the new iCloud. For now, the company's plans are unclear, but we will most likely witness the launch of iCloud on June 6 at WWDC when Apple will present iOS 5 for the first time. iCloud goes in tune with the company's iOS but also with iDevices, and for customers we would talk about a branded service in the style of the Apple company. We expect a service that will initially be free and eventually will be available only for an annual fee, but it would not be out of the question for Apple to offer it completely free of charge as a function of iOS.
