Apple has inked deals with Universal, Sony Music, EMI and Warner Music for a $100M licensing agreement, with the notable exception in the deal being Disney.
Disney was one of the first media companies to sell its videos to Apple's iPods, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs being one of the company's largest shareholders. Disney quietly keeping out of the iCloud service only builds on the speculation that the company has potential plans for its own digital locker service in the future.
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Disney CEO Bob Igler says cloud computing is something that his company sees as important for the future of digital family entertainment, but wouldn't give any specifics on Disney's lack of participation in the Apple deal.
Similarly, Disney decided to opt out of Warner Brother's cloud-like "Digital Everywhere" service that will allow users to purchase films and television shows on devices connected through a digital format already endorsed by numerous studios.
Disney's website is rumored to be receiving a facelift to allow consumers more flexibility in acquiring Disney media, which includes movies, television shows and music. Igler says a new and improved Disney.com could be launched in the coming year.
Whether the facelift includes a digital streaming service, remains to be seen.
