Apple to launch iMovie and iWork into the cloud?

Macworld rumours see Mac software going online

View more images

2 January 2009 13:40 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Pre-Macworld rumours suggest that Apple is about to take some of its popular software suites into the cloud. The rumours see iMovie, Apple's video editing software, and iWork, its productivity software, going online.

"Reliable sources" of Apple Ink's Seth Weintraub suggest that an iMovie update to be announced at Macworld next week will "largely focus on internet video in the cloud for the YouTube generation".

Weintraub says: "I've heard that iMovie will largely (if not entirely) be a web Application and Apple would offer its users to 'upload your movies to us and edit them there'".

Apple blog 9to5Mac has the skinny on iWork's move online, the blog states, again quoting anonymous sources:

"iWork is going into the Cloud. Not just storage, either. We are talking interface for Numbers, Pages and Keynote (which is going to see some interesting new templates and transition additions). Yes, the iWork applications are now going to be web applications".

Cloud computing - online (and usually free) software applications that can be accessed anywhere and easily shared - is seen as one of the next big things for software companies. Google has arguably led the way in this area, but Microsoft is hoping to catch up with its "Azure" platform.

Apple going "cloud" is being seen as a smart move, especially considering the web-based nature would open up Apple's software solutions to those other than current Mac users - a move that might well worry Microsoft.