Apple Seems Out of Character With Their iCloud Announcement

If you’re at all familiar with Apple, then you know that they like to keep secrets. That’s why their recent announcement was so unexpected; they’ll be exhibiting their iCloud product at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple usually doesn’t disclose the detail behind one of their big projects until a big event happens, like a technology expo, in an attempt to build up momentum until the last possible moment.

Apple’s Usual Strategy

A perfect example of Apple’s usual strategy is the iPhone 4. Last year they waited until the Worldwide Developers Conference had actually come before they spilled the beans, even though Gizmodo had prematurely released photos and specifications for the device almost two months earlier. Before the announcement, Apple had said nothing except that Steve Jobs would be the keynote speaker and that the show had sold out.

Their approach to the iPhone is a bit different this year though. Speculators have stated that the latest iPhone will likely have a September release date and that it hardly differs from the iPhone 4 beside some additional tweaks here and there. Apple has made it pretty clear that they intend to focus on their software during this conference.

Apple’s previous actions leave us wondering why they would make an announcement so early. One hypothesis is that it’s because some already had an idea about the software. In April, technology blog GigaOm announced that Apple had bought the iCloud.com domain name from the company Xcerion. No one is quite sure how much they paid for it, but some put the number at 4.5 million dollars.

Everyone is still completely in the dark as to how iCloud will work, how it will integrate with Apple’s current product line, and how much it will cost. So far there has only been speculation on who’s involved in the deal, record labels and movie studios, but perhaps Apple will announce more at the conference.

Other Big News

The iCloud announcement is will be just one of the most exciting things happening at the conference this year. Apple will also talk more about the Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5. We’ve already seen previews of the Mac OS X Lion but we’re still unsure of the release date and if Apple will decide to add some extra perks to it. The iOS 5 is, so far, the biggest mystery that will hopefully be unveiled at the conference.

It also happens to be another Apple play that is extremely out of character. This is the first time that they’ve given the “iOS” a numbered version and it’s even odder that they threw a “5” behind it since the last version was the first system to be dubbed the “iOS.” Previously, Apple had just referred to it as “the future of iOS.” A report published last week noted that Apple planned a complete overhaul of its system and planned to add widgets. The conference is scheduled for June 6-10; hopefully our questions will be answered then.

cnet