MAIDEN, N.C. -- Apple's data center in Catawba County is up and running, housing what shareholders were first told to be iTunes and MobileMe Services.  But after seeing it's size and land availability for expansion, a Wall Street analyst believes investors need to think bigger.

According to financial analyst Peter Misek with Jefferies and Company, the Town of Maiden and the 500,000 square foot data facility just off Highway 321 could be ground zero for Apple's assault on the living room. "We believe Apple is about to launch a new video-focused cloud based service," Misek told investor. Right now, Netflix dominates the streaming video market.

Misek points out plans have been drawn to double this "super data center" in size. Aerial footage taken by local real estate broker Bill Wagenseller shows Apple clearing adjacent land. With a million square feet of servers, such facility could easily house an i-TV video subscription service with "a full browsing experience potentially incorporating an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone as remote control or input device," said Misek.

“What's funny is the amount of rumors that come out of this opportunity," said Scott Millar, President of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation. He's been there since the beginning when Apple first bought 180 acres in this county and then announced it's plan to build a data center for its own cloud services.

 

"Having that data available is going to drive a whole new world of opportunities and we are trying to make it happen right here," said Millar. He points out the county's building inspection office only has paper work for the current facility. 

But the data center only takes up 1/3rd of the land it owns on one side of the highway.  And in additional to the 180 acres, Apple also owns another 70 acres across the street. One local speculation indicates that land could be used for an Apple East Coast campus.  "I'm ready to get the phone call and to proceed with building anything they want," said Millar.