Why can't my Apple ID use a "domain owned by Apple?"

Any luck in getting an answer from the brain trust in Cupertino? This is such an obvious question made so much more frustrating by the lack of information as to, "why". Perhaps they are too bust designing the iSock.

This is EXACTLY what I need help with, anyone??

I am wondering the same thing....I have gmail just to get an Apple account. I would cancel the gmail if I could

BUMP this I have the same issue. Not only it doesn't make any sense at all that this happens, it is also detrimental to Apple. I'm also using my gmail account as my apple ID. Not conductive to customer loyalty, specially for the detail minded/obsessed.

Same issue here.

I hope more people are having this ... so that Apple can pay attention to it.

Uh, yeah... why can't we use our @me or @icloud email as our Apple ID ??

When you use an existing AppleID to create an iCloud account, you obviously create a new email address as part of the whole iCloud suite of services. That iCloud email is also automatically registered as an AppleID and you can use it as such.

What you cannot do is change any email address that is in use as an active AppleID with another email address also registered as an active AppleID. Since you need an AppleId to create an active iCloud account, both this, and the newly created iCloud address are in-use or active AppleIDs. You can indeed use your iCloud email address for other Apple services, but you cannot merge it with the AppleID you used to create the iCloud account in the first place.

Same here. Can't understand why I should keep my deleted Address as my (primary) Apple ID.

I got the same problem/question. I just can't understand the logic in this! I want to cut all ties with my gmail but I've used my AppleID with it as primary for several years and don't want to lose all the info associated with it.

Only way to get away from the gmail seems to be to create another email at another company, which is pointless..

I want to have a "pure Apple ID", why is that impossible!?

I have the same issue.

I think Apple should know about our concers.

Maybe www.apple.com/feedback can help us.
Have you tried sending them a message?

No, I have not. Did not know about that one. I'll try it and hopefully other users does the same, thanks.

I like the idea of sending feedback. I have seen a number of threads discussing the same issue and there seems to be no way around it at the time. This has to gather enough visibility in order for Apple to address it. I'm leaving the feedback now, suggest all do same. www.apple.com/feedback

Any updates on this?

The answered by Michael Black is the answer, for the most part. The first part is right. The second part is blurry.

When you create an iCloud account using your Gmail or Hotmail, or whatever, you have also created an Apple ID. With iCloud accounts, you get to create an email that ends with @me.com or @icloud.com, however those are considered an alias. You cannot go create another new Apple ID or iTunes account with the alias.

If you create a brand new iCloud account and it is not created by using a 3rd party email like google or hotmail, then the Apple ID and email are the @icloud.com - and since that is the name of the Apple ID, you simply sign into iTunes Store with that email address.

Therefore, if your original Apple ID that you made was from a gmail or hotmail, etc- then you sign into iTunes Store using that gmail or hotmail address.

If you made a new iCloud account and did not create it based on gmail, etc- then sign into iTunes Store with your @icloud.com account.

So to summarize, when asking the question why you cannot use your iCloud email as Apple your ID, the answer is "you can't". That's really disappointing. I wish they would fix this.