Steve Jobs Resigns, but Apple's Innovation Keeps Coming
As Apple's iconic CEO takes his leave, there's a lot of speculation about Apple's future. But new products like iCloud prove that there's no cause for concern.
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PrintIn the wake of Steve Jobs resignation at Apple CEO, many people are concerned about the ongoing success of the second highest market-cap company in the United States. As an executive, Jobs has done an excellent job of building a strong team with an impressive pipeline of products. Certainly, Jobs himself was anticipating the day when his health would no longer allow him to be at Apple's helm on a daily basis.
One of those new products which is sure to be a market success is Apple’s new iCloud service, which debuted at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June and is set to launch this fall. As a small business owner, there are many things about this service that I think you'll find compelling:
First, iCloud will be especially useful to small business owners and professionals who are often out of the office or on-site and need easy access to data such as documents, images, and media files.
In addition, iCloud for business means you get everything in one place to run your small business. It will act like a hard drive where businesses can store data and then access it from numerous devices. And it’s not just a remote hard drive -- it's also a “truth” drive, keeping all your files in sync across all your devices. That means if you start editing a document at work, you can pick up right where you left off at home -- automagically!
Over a third of all small businesses that use smart phones use the iPhone. And with iCloud just around the corner, these users should be rejoicing. iCloud is seamlessly integrated in into iPhone’s iOS platform -- providing users a hassle-free way to remotely access files and documents and keep them all in sync.
And if you find yourself without a computer or iPhone (heaven forbid), don’t fret. Just sign on to iCloud.com and access your files on any computer.
iCloud will be free for iOS 5 users and will support up to 5 GB of storage for up to 10 devices. It will also allow businesses to store data online without having to download it from an individual computer or mobile device.
In addition to innovative products, however, Steve Jobs' leadership has helped many technology start-ups by providing growth opportunities. Stephen Wunker of New Markets Advisors, a Massachusetts-based consulting firm, claims that the iCloud system presents even more of those opportunities for entrepreneurs.
“The most intriguing aspect of iCloud may be the new business model it opens up," Wunker stated. "Because the service can link a user’s static content to dynamic information around time of day, location, and ad inventory, it can stream relevant ads that monetize opportunities which were previously revenue-free.
"Apple’s talent in leading people to engage with content longer than they do with rivals’ devices can create serious new streams of profit for the company.”
