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.

Apple is now set to roll out iCloud, its cloud-based platform that will offer a choice of instantly-pushed services across all its products.

It will come for free and access to iCloud will pave the way for users to buy App Store and iBookstore items prior to downloading them at no extra cost to all compatible Apple devices.

“Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices,” said CEO Steve Jobs, while unveiling the iCloud.

He added, “iCloud keeps important information and content up to date across all devices. All of this takes place automatically and wirelessly. Since it’s integrated into our apps, you don’t need to think about it, it just kind of works.”

Former MobileMe services such as Contacts, Calendar and Mail (5GB ceiling) have been re-architected and rewritten so that they seamlessly integrate with iCloud. This will let users share calendars with friends and family, while Mail is ad-free and has been hosted by me.com.

Apple has given a shot in the arm to data security also. iCloud uses Wi-Fi to automatically and securely back up music, apps, books, photos, images and device settings purchased from any Apple device while they are connected for charging.

Now, iCloud is available in beta version while the final one will be available in a few months from now alongside iOS 5. It will be compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac systems running on Mac OS X Lion.

As use of smartphones and tablets with limited storage are burgeoning, demand for cloud-based services are on the rise. In fact, technology firms such as Amazon and Zynga are already scurrying to stake their claim on the cloud market.

Apple’s iCloud is a game changer. For instance, Apple’s new iTunes Match service will scan hard drives of users and automatically make songs available on the iCloud. Compare this to Google and Amazon cloud-based storage service where users will have to upload every song all by themselves.

Apple, while launching the iCloud, has already incorporated a technology that is futuristic and it is to be seen how other companies follow the bellwether (Apple) in rolling out similar services.

But Apple has managed to make its iCloud compatible with all its devices and this will not only boost iCloud usage but also give a fillip to sales of Apple’s products.