Apple iCloud said beyond media, in iOS 5 and Lion

Sources claimed Friday that the iCloud name was likely what it would call its upgraded cloud services and wasn't just confined to a media locker. The just-acquired name would find itself on both iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion and sync not just music in a locker but MobileMe and possibly more. Betas of iOS 5 and Lion were expected by AppleInsider to show at WWDC in June.

Little is known about what if anything else the service would involve, though a more cloud-like approach to hosting photos and videos has been raised as a possibility, along with deeper social networking ties. Photos and videos have been staples of Apple's online services since iTools but have usually been limited to visiting a web page and not direct access.

Talk has continued of Apple possibly making some core services free, though the media locker side might cost money to appease music labels. Apple is consciously aware of the advantage Google has had with its free mail, calendering, and contacts on Android and might be eager to head off this with a free service instead of requiring a $99 yearly fee.

Apple has only given small hints but did confirm that its North Carolina datacenter wold go live this spring and said it would play a part in iTunes and MobileMe.

By Electronista Staff