iCloud Service To Cost $25 Per Year, Will Be Free Initially

Just three days short of WWDC 2011, where Apple is all set to announce its new iCloud service, reports indicated that the iCloud service will cost users $25 per year, whereas Apple is going to initially make iCloud available for free.

Apple is going to introduce iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion and iCloud at WWDC 2011 starting from June 6th. It has also been speculated that new AirPort and Time Capsule devices will also be launched. Those waiting for the next generation iPhone should keep in mind that WWDC 2011 is going to be an iPhone-less event.


It was also rumored that Apple had purchased the iCloud.com domain name for a huge sum of $4.5 million while it has been confirmed that Apple is official registrar of iCloud.com. Apple will first offer iCloud for free, it is being said, but will later on impose a $25 subscription fee.

Dubbed iCloud, the service initially will be offered for a free period to people who buy music from Apple’s iTunes digital download store, allowing users to upload their music to Apple’s computers where they can then play from a Web browser or Internet-connected Apple device. The company plans to eventually charge a subscription fee, about $25 a year, for the service. Apple would also sell advertising around its iCloud service.

Apple already has major record labels signed for distribution of content via iCloud. If all goes well, this new service from Apple could reinvent the concept of cloud based services.

[via]