Reference Auto

After dominating the market with its iPad, iPhone and iPod, Apple is now aiming for the sky: its CEO Steve Jobs is rolling out a service called iCloud, which he hopes will help Apple make major inroads into cyberspace.

This announcement marks Apple’s entry into online music, and as a start, it seems Apple wants to be a dominant player in the online music space and could be ready to pump in big bucks into the venture.

Apple has charted licensing pacts with three of the four top music companies - EMI Music, Warner Music and Sony Music. There is also buzz that Apple is in talks with Universal Music, the largest of the major record companies, for a possible alliance.

If Apple manages to strike the right alliance (chord!), it could give Apple rights to online music. Apple will, however, need publishing rights to offer a fully-operational cloud music service.

What would it mean if such a service is launched? You will no more have to store your music in a gadget. Your songs will be stored in a server (probably a few thousand miles away from your home) and you can listen to music from a litany of devices without having to worry about storing them.

But it is not yet clear if the iCloud service will offer only music or will the ambit of the service be wider, that is, to include storage as well.

So, the online space could prove to be a marketing boon for Apple because this would jack up its fan following manifold. Apple will, however, have to jostle with the likes of Google, Yahoo, Amazon and other giants.

Even though Apple’s online iTunes and App stores became popular, Apple’s Internet foray as a whole has failed to take off.

For instance, Mobile Me, which is an amalgamation of Apple’s data back-up and personal services, has seen few takers because of the company’s subscription pricing policy. Similar services online come for free.

Actually, details of the iCloud service will emerge within a week, and only by knowing what the internet-based media and storage product is all about, can a detailed analysis be made as to whether Apple can turn the new venture into money spinner or not.

So, Apple’s success in the Internet space will largely depend on the choice it offers and the pricing. If priced too steeply, Apple’s iCloud may not find many takers but with a wide variety of services, which should include more than just music, and intelligent pricing, Apple may actually see its online venture take off.