After months of rumors, AppleInsider has noticed download requests to the Mac App Store are now redirecting to new IP addresses. These IP addresses are part of a group that Apple owns, therefore suggesting that the company has now switched on its content delivery network.
This switch will be devastating for Akamai, which depends on Apple for over 10 percent of its business. Akamai is used by loads of popular technology companies. Content Delivery Networks are essentially groups of servers spread out around the world, distributing files to users. This means that users get files from close servers, which should make downloads faster. Without a content delivery network, all users would download files from one set of servers, which might be far away geographically. Accessing servers from other continents typically involves going through underwater cables, which slows down connections significantly.
Some sources believe Apple has invested as much as $100 million in this content delivery network. It'll likely be worth it in the long run, since Apple will save significantly on fees and have a more dependable download network (hopefully more capable of surviving major iOS updates).
