I dunno. I could see it... As long as you access the "iCloud Web Service" from an iDevice or a Mac there will be loads of useful and functional tools and features for you to take advantage of. It'll be 4x more expensive than AWS but the integration with Apple's ecosystem will be fantastic!

If you try to access it from a PC or an Android device though you'll have your bandwidth throttled and all your images will be reduced and compressed like it's 1999.

But you’ll only be allowed to deploy code that’s been reviewed by Apple.

That would be an interesting restriction/value-add. So many things block cloud IPs due to the heavy abuse they get from them. Apple could offer high deliverability IPs and block clearing as services.

This does seem to be the normal course for services companies, and that's where Apple is headed.

They used aws, gcp, azure.

The aws contract will end this or next year, I don’t recall.

They’re offering Xcode cloud build.

It’s only logical for them to also grab a piece of market share of a highly profitable / high margin market.

They’re doing the same with EV, AR, etc.

I am long apple

I wouldn't be too surprised. They already have or are rolling out cloud development environments with XCode cloud.

They don't have anywhere close to the capacity to produce the necessary amount of silicon

What other verticals does it have to seek out next, if growth is demanded by shareholders?

Apple shareholders aren’t demanding growth - they’re doing fine and given Apple’s history it’d make more sense to expand their consumer footprint, especially internationally, since that’s an area where Apple has considerable strength.

Cloud computing is also a hard field to move into: you need a significant amount of capital up front but customers will be slow to migrate. Google is struggling, I’m not sure what pitch Apple would come up with which is obviously better.

There's all kinds of consumer-oriented things they can expand into, like they're currently doing with sports on ATV+. I don't see how competing with AWS could ever work out for them, absent some anti-competitive stuff like allowing additional functionality for apps that use AppleCloud for their backend.