“Scheduled to go live sometime this spring, Apple’s 505,000-square-foot North Carolina data center is, according to COO Tim Cook, intended to support iTunes and MobileMe,” John Paczkowski reports for AllThingsD.
“But we don’t yet know in what capacity, and Cook’s remark, which is at once unambiguous and utterly cryptic, leaves plenty of room for speculation,” Paczkowski reports. “And theories about the potential capabilities of this new facility abound.”
Paczkowski reports, “In a research note this week, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi reviewed a few of the more plausible ones, which run the gamut from the long-rumored iTunes streaming service to the back-end for a natural language voice interface and navigation service for its iOS devices.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We think they’re using it to generate speculative blog posts.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]
You don’t spend billions of dollars without know exatly what every inch of this place will be used for including the mops in the janitor closet
OT: I’d be more interested in what they do with the geolocation and the AI company they bought. maybe a navigation system with intelligent voice input? for that, a 3.5 inch screen is too small, and 9.7 inch is too large. maybe there IS some good use for 5 inch screens after all?
…or host soon to be acquired Netflix?
Yes, they are still clueless as the Apple tsunami rushes towards them. Has anyone told this group about the second farm of equal size that has yet to be build on the same property. Think different and BIGGER much BIGGER!
Apple is getting ready to flip the switch on the iTunes Network Digital Satelite tv downloads with a-la-carte/ subscription options. Apple TV is no longer a hobby.
Well, they’d better make the Apple TV 2 available in the remainder of the world, then. In the mean time ISPs are doing their best to create enough momentum hoping when the ATV2 comes it won’t be a real threat anymore.
This facility will demonstrate to extraterrestrial aliens that human technology has advanced enough for them to want to talk with us (or at least with Apple).
The move by Netflix is a precursor.
Apple can, and likely will, begin funding original programming for on demand delivery. Buh-Bye studios..hello Apple.
Let’s fast forward to 2012.
Apple has an excellent cloud service that includes gussied-up versions of MobileMe for web-based email and iWork for SharePoint-like features. If I don’t want my data on someone else’s server, or I have a contractual obligation not to put it on someone else’s server, Apple will give me the wherewithal to make my own cloud with my own storage. If I need another server in a hurry, I can run down to the Apple Store, buy a Mac Mini, bring it back and set it up. Or I can just find an unused Mac and set it up as a server. Unlike with Microsoft, I don’t have to pay for the server software, and it has I don’t have to pay for client access licenses. The server includes all the features of several of the Microsoft server products.
Can anyone see where Apple is going with this?
Steve outlined it very clearly a decade ago, it’s called the ‘Digital Hub’. 😉
They’re going to use it to broadcast “Apple Keynote TV – Steve Jobs Keynotes All Day and All Night”.
NC Data Center is the elephant in the room.
When it starts moving, watch out !!!