Cloud is the buzzword of the day. The Wall Street Journal has sources that indicate that not only has Apple been stocking up on low-level engineering talent for its cloud-based initiatives, but they’re also looking for higher level executives with a background in cloud-computing.
In recent weeks, Apple has been looking to recruit senior-level executives with backgrounds in Web-based software, according to people familiar with the matter. It has approached at least one prominent Internet entrepreneur since at least earlier this year about a possible position, according to these people, who say the details of the possible job were unclear.
From iTools to .Mac to MobileMe, Apple never got web services quite right. iCloud and iTunes Match are certainly steps in the right direction, but frankly, it’s good to hear that they are taking this aspect of the market much more seriously. I wouldn’t be surprised to see significant improvements and additions to iCloud within the next year. Let’s just hope Apple sticks to it this time.
Looking at other cloud services, I’m left feeling incomplete. Amazon and Google have a lot of coin invested in that market, but their products are still fairly kludgy. Trying to hook them into your native ecosystem is a mess. If Apple can get the right people, they have a chance to dominate by being seamless with OS X and iOS. Why would an iPhone user ever use an Amazon cloud account if iCloud is baked in? I’m crossing my fingers that Apple can deliver on the seamless experience going forward.
Is iCloud serving your needs? What do Google and Amazon have that iCloud doesn’t? We want to hear from you. Please take a moment to comment on this post to expound on the good, the bad, and the ugly of iCloud.
Source: WSJ
