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专栏 - 苹果2_0

苹果最新数据中心现身卫星地图

Philip Elmer-DeWitt 2011年06月03日

苹果(Apple)公司内部流传着一个老笑话,那就是史蒂夫·乔布斯周围是一片“现实扭曲力场”:你离他太近的话,就会相信他所说的话。苹果的数百万用户中已经有不少成了该公司的“信徒”,而很多苹果投资者也赚得盆满钵满。不过,Elmer-DeWitt认为,在报道苹果公司时有点怀疑精神不是坏事。听他的应该没错。要知道,他自从1982年就开始报道苹果、观察史蒂夫·乔布斯经营该公司。

    众所周知,苹果(Apple)已在北卡罗来纳州一个名叫梅登(Maiden)的小镇建造了面积达46, 451.52 平方米(50万平方英尺)的数据中心,其最终用途仍然不得而知,但更为神秘的是它为何没有显示在谷歌地球(Google Earth)上?

    我们之前就已知晓数据中心的样子,这得感谢福克斯电视台(Fox TV)驻当地的一位摄影师以及当地的一位房地产经纪人。这位摄影师曾经私自闯进该中心,而后者则拍摄了一些视频,并最终流传到了YouTube上。

    这个数据中心坐落在美国321号公路和星城大道(Startown Road)交汇处,但是此前如果使用谷歌地球或谷歌地图(Google Maps)定位该地,会发现该建筑工地及其周边数码的地区都无法显示在卫星地图上。就在两周前,星城大道西部还是一片荒凉,除了树林和农田,就只有几条车道突兀地伸向田野中央。

    不过在本周四苹果宣布史蒂夫•乔布斯即将发布iCloud后,我们认为应该再给谷歌地图一次机会,因为我们推测“即将亮相的云服务”正是由北卡罗来纳州梅登镇的数据中心所提供的。

    不出所料,谷歌地图上果然出现了一座巨大的白色神秘建筑,有两条单向的公路连接内外,但是却几乎看不到员工所停放的车辆。

    在谷歌(Google)卫星图片上屏蔽这块特殊区域,苹果是如何办到这一点,目前仍然是个谜。要知道,负责提供这些图片可是美国农业部农场服务中心(USDA Farm Services Agency)。

    下图为iCloud未公布之前,谷歌地图上所显示的数据中心周边卫星图。

    译者:项航

    One of the mysteries surrounding the 500,000-square foot server farm Apple (AAPL) has famously constructed in a small North Carolina town called Maiden -- besides its ultimate purpose -- is why it didn't show up on Google Earth.

    We knew what it looked like, thanks to the local Fox TV affiliate, a trespassing photographer and a local real estate agent who conducted a couple of video flybys that ended up on YouTube (see here).

    But if you asked Google Earth or Google Maps to show you the intersection of U.S. Route 321 and Startown Road -- where the data center is located -- the current satellite imagery stopped a few yards short of the construction site. West of Startown Road, there was, as recently as two weeks ago, nothing but woods and farmland and a bit of driveway that ended abruptly in the middle of a field.

    After Apple's announcement Tuesday that Steve Jobs was ready to reveal iCloud -- the "upcoming cloud services offering" presumably based in Maiden, N.C. -- we thought we'd give Google Maps another try.

    Lo and behold, there it was: A huge, white, nondescript building with a road leading in, a road leading out, and almost no employee parking.

    How was Apple able to keep Google (GOOG) from displaying this particular swath of satellite imagery -- imagery provided by the USDA Farm Services Agency? That's still a mystery.

    Below: The image of the site Google Maps was delivering before the iCloud announcement.

图片来源:谷歌地图 

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