Apple looking into the cloud (LAT, WSJ)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Moore

According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, Apple is in the process of prepping its very own movie cloud.

Apple reps have been negotiating with the studios to finalize deals that would allow consumers to buy movies via iTunes and access them on any Apple device, The LAT reports, citing knowledgeable sources.

The news comes at the same time as the majors, save Disney, launch UltraViolet, the cloud based digital locker which enables users to access content they've purchased via myriad devices without manual transfer.

Apple's service is expected to launch in late 2011 or early 2012, The LAT reported citing sources.

The LAT notes that although the studios have spent years building Ultraviolet, people familiar with the thinking of several executives say they'd be happy to see Apple join as well, since it accounts for 66% of online movie sales and rentals.

"This is going to be a huge boost to a struggling online movie business," Arash Amel, digital media research director for IHS, told the newspaper. "Apple is going to make it work right off the bat."

LAT sources said Apple is also considering allowing people who buy and store movies with Ultraviolet to easily watch them on Apple devices via apps.

But movies purchased from the iTunes Store aren't currently compatible with the UltraViolet system.