Wooing the web wizards

For the company that created the multi-device culture, it seems the future lies in software.

With iCloud up and running, Apple is recruiting web experts, including senior executives, in a bid to capitalise on the new business model, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Citing 'people familiar with the matter', WSJ states that the company has hired dozens of web developers since 2010, and has recently approached at least one prominent internet entrepreneur about a possible position.

As with most things, Apple typically manages recruitment internally, as well as via acqui-hires, where a giant company buys a promising start-up in order to absorb its enterprising staff.

The fact that the company is using recruiters, then, is a sign of just how tight the market is.

Apple is also battling a poor record in web apps compared with the likes of Google. However, its overall reputation as a workplace is sure to draw plenty of interest; attrition is low, with most of the top brass having occupied their positions for more than a decade, and most lower-level employees staying on board to cash in on the company's soaring share price.

The goal of the web push is to continue to make it easier to automatically synchronise users' different devices, and ultimately to reduce the need to carry around numerous devices at once.

Apple isn't recruiting for specific positions, but is looking broadly for talent, and will find a role for a candidate that is seen as a good fit, the report says.