Edible Apple

Apple isn’t exactly synonymous with seamless cloud computing solutions, but Apple’s iCloud roll-out thus far has seemingly gone off without a hitch.

Speaking to Apple’s iCloud initiative, Tim Cook noted during Apple’s recent earnings conference call that the company viewed iCloud not merely as a product or service, but as an integral part of the company’s future. More specifically, Cook noted that over 85 million people have already signed up for the service.

It’s almost cliche to say it, but a clear factor in the success of iCloud is the simple fact that, as Steve Jobs explained when  introducing the service, “it just works.” The seamless syncing across devices of songs and documents, all for free, works quietly in the background as user’s don’t need to fiddle with login names and clunky preference panes etc.

The development and release of iCloud, Tim Cook explained, was a “fundamental shift recognizing that people had numerous devices and they wanted the bulk of their content in the cloud, and easily accessible from all the devices.”

Interestingly, Apple’s initial cloud strategy included an attempt to acquire Dropbox. The company, however, refused an $800 million acquisition offer from Apple, but not before Steve Jobs warned them that Apple was going after their business in a big way.

Further highlighting the seriousness with which Apple views iCloud, Cook didn’t mince words: “It’s just not a product. It’s a strategy for the next decade.”