Apple buys and shuts down Asian social network iCloud
Guess why.
In a bid to direct every conceivable iCloud domain towards one website, Apple has bought the rights to iCloud.net from a small Chinese social network.It was one of the few iCloud related sites not owned by Apple, and AppleInsider reports that the tech giant paid $1.5 million in order to acquire the domain. With its network no longer having a home, the Chinese company announced that it is shutting down its services for good on March 1st. The independently owned social network had been operating since 2011.
While it is unclear when exactly the transaction took place, web domain information page who.is updated the site's information yesterday, implying that it was a recent acquisition. Apple now owns over 170 different iCloud related domains, reportedly paying $5.2 million to Swedish software company Xcerion in 2011 for its sought-after iCloud.com domain.
