Apple is set to release a major update to its cloud service, iCloud, that will include new features for sharing images and may be positioned to compete with Instagram, the social photography service that was recently acquired by Facebook for US$1bn in cash and stock.
This is according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that cites anonymous sources “familiar with the matter”. The new features are expected to tie in with the recent updates to the company’s iPhoto application, which is now available for its iPad tablet.
The updates are likely to be announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next month. One of the anticipated updates is the ability to synchronise videos between devices in the way that Apple users are currently able to do with images.
Apple released its iCloud service last October, offering users 5GB of free storage that they can use to back up their devices, contacts, calendar information, notes and images and that allows them to stream their last 30 days of images (up to a maximum 1 000) across multiple mobile devices.
The updates are expected to form part of the next update to Apple’s mobile operating system, the forthcoming iOS 6. iCloud has proved popular, with more than 125m users having signed up to date.
With Facebook and its recent acquisition, Instagram, dominating the sharing and distribution of images, the move seems in line with Apple’s attempt to regain some ground in the mobile photo-sharing arena. Its devices may account for a great deal of the imagery on Facebook and Instagram, but it would like to gain greater control over the sharing process itself. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media