"Maybe the Olympics isn’t a good comparison, but where [IBM's Special Events Web Service] has 2000 square feet, Apple has one million square feet — 500 times as

"Maybe the Olympics isn’t a good comparison, but where [IBM's Special Events Web Service] has 2000 square feet, Apple has one million square feet — 500 times as much." How about "data center" is just a cover story, and the real purpose of the building is manufacturing? The big (water) tank would make more sense for a manufacturing facility than a data center (Cringely's speculation of diesel doesn't make sense - it is awfully large for diesel). Some aerial footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDXSSi1qStA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDXSSi1qStA The end of the building nearest the helicopter looks like a loading dock for semis. Overhead imagery of the completed building: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/01/apples-new-data-center-is-visible-at-last-from-space/ http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/01/apples-new-data-cente... There is very little parking - that hurts the manufacturing theory (unless it is highly automated...).