iCloud: Apple Investing Heavily in the Cloud & Is Actively Hiring Experts at Cloud Computing [Apple Wants to Put Everything Into the Cloud, Now Hiring Executives & Developers to Build Cloud-Centric Apps; Integrated Apple TV Coming Soon?]

Posted on TFTS by J. Angelo Racoma on Tuesday, 22. November 2011 under: Computers & Computing, Internet Highlights, Mobile/Cell Phones, PCs, Notebooks, Netbooks & Tablets

Apple may be an expert at developing integrated systems that offer end-to-end solutions, from hardware to software. But even as devices like the iPhone and iPad dominate their respective markets, Apple will need to take charge of its cloud computing initiatives, in the face of stronger brands like Google.

Apple is reported to be actively hiring senior-level executives with expertise in developing web-based software. While details are not being disclosed at this point, this development points toward one thing: iCloud. Even with the recent launch of iCloud, and related services like iTunes Match, Apple seems to be lagging behind in cloud-based services, compared to the prominence of competitors’ apps like Google Docs, Calendar, YouTube, and the like.

Currently, iCloud lets iOS and Mac OS X users store content remotely and have these pushed to their various devices, which include the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac computers. The service also lets users access their calendar, contacts and email through a web interface. However, Apple knows it will need to do more than sync information to be dominant in cloud computing. In June, shortly before his resignation as Apple CEO (and eventual demise), Steve Jobs said the company is “going to demote the PC and the Mac to just be a device,” and “move the digital hub, the center of your digital life, into the cloud.”

To date, app development has not been a focus at Apple, and top-level engineers often prefer to work with companies like Google and Facebook, which are web-centric from ground up. Apple is reportedly active with hiring lower-level staff with backgrounds in web app development, although it now seeks to hire senior executives, who can help drive the company’s strategy (and business models) in building cloud-based applications.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has even turned to recruiters to help them find good talent, noting that Apple has historically preferred in-house hiring, especially when it comes to top execs. Apple reportedly doesn’t have specific Web-centric positions at this time, and wants to build up talent in the director-level and above, signaling that the company is serious in betting their corporate strategy on the cloud.

Analysts say that with its focus on the cloud, Apple might be paving the way for its rumored integrated Apple TV in the near future, which can enable consumers to watch digital content on their various devices, including smartphones, tablets, desktops, notebooks and the TV.

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