Apple's upcoming iCloud service will use Amazon Web Services and Microsoft's Azure cloud services, according to a report in The Register.

Apple has apparently forced non-disclosure deals on Amazon and Microsoft -- a common practice, as other vendors have often whispered to us -- but the latest report confirms rumors from June, which were based on some analysis of Apple's iMessage service.

The weird thing about this is that Apple recently finished building a billion-dollar data center in North Carolina. Steve Jobs showed off pictures of the massive building and the servers inside it during his WWDC keynote in June, where iCloud was announced.

Several possibilities:

Apple is storing content and most user data in its own data center, and is using AWS and Azure only for backup or for other limited functions. For instance, Apple might only be using Microsoft's Azure Content Delivery Network to stream content more quickly.

Apple is hedging its bets now by relying on other vendors while it gradually builds out its own data center capability and expertise.

Apple has built a mostly empty building to intimidate its competitors. This wild theory comes via Robert Cringely, who did some math back in June and figured that Apple's data center was far huger than it needs to be even if Apple wanted to store every movie and song ever made for on-demand streaming.

See also: What Kind Of Gear Is Apple Using In Its New Data Center?