Apple to Offer Some iCloud Services Free, Aggressively Price Mac OS X Lion?

Apple may offer some iCloud services free for users who make the upgrade to Mac OS X Lion, according to AppleInsider sources.

People familiar with Apple's plans indicated to AppleInsider that at least one of those secrets is expected to be that at least some of the services included in iCloud will be offered for free to Mac users who make the upgrade to Lion. iCloud is expected to replace the company's existing MobileMe service, which offers e-mail and remote file storage, along with syncing of bookmarks, contacts and calendar events, at a price tag of $99 per year.

The site notes that the price tag will likely still remain for those who stay on Snow Leopard or for Windows users. It's also believed that music streaming will not be free due to high licensing costs. However, Apple may offer an introductory price or free trial to entice users to try the service.


A separate source predicts that Apple may aggressively discount Mac OS X Lion. This approach was employed with great success for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. At only $29, Snow Leopard doubled the previous record-setting launch of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Finally, Apple is also said to be working on a 'Mentor' tool that would come with Lion to help people set up their new system, including external devices like printers and routers. It's unclear if the tool will make the cut for release.

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