They do operate data centers already and are building more[1] but the lead times on such large infrastructure investments are not insignificant. By using cloud

They do operate data centers already and are building more[1] but the lead times on such large infrastructure investments are not insignificant. By using cloud providers they can meet the current demand while still investing for the future and later repatriating those workloads back to their own infrastructure when it is ready. [1] http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/10/02/apple-inc-massively-expanding-its-icloud-data-centers-in-nevada-oregon http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/10/02/apple-inc-massivel...