Apple’s ‘McQueen’ platform could mean a totally private iCloud

According to several reports, Apple is quietly working on its own cloud infrastructure.

Codenamed ‘McQueen,’ Apple’s initiative is said to be a means to wean itself from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Specifically, Apple is reportedly dismayed by AWS, which loads images and video slowly to smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has reportedly told Apple it can’t scale fast enough to support iCloud’s growing ecosystem. Separate reports claim Apple is also going to use Google’s cloud platform, but that seems like a stopgap at this point. Apple has been buying real estate globally — reportedly for McQueen — and has already committed to growing its data center footprint domestically.

The 💜 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

The project will take several years, but Apple reportedly sees McQueen turning a profit in three years time thereafter.

While this likely means iCloud data transfers will be faster, it could also be a security measure. Should Apple choose to disavow itself of access keys to your iCloud account, there would be no way for it to turn over any data to government agencies.

It’s a method already in use, most notably by SpiderOak. Its ‘zero knowledge’ cloud solution puts you in total control of your data; the company doesn’t even know what’s there.

That’s a feature most probably aren’t concerned with, but Apple seems increasingly interested in making great products and services — not dealing with the government. McQueen could be a ploy to serve Apple as much as its users.