EYEING APPLE'S ICLOUD: WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

On the Internet, just about everybody's forecast calls for clouds these days. "Cloud computing" is one of those phrases that, in the hands of a marketing pro, can mean anything, but in general it refers to moving your data, your applications or both from an individual computer you can touch with your fingers to a Web-based service you can reach from any other computer online.

The upsides of cloud computing for you: since the information you want has ascended from your computer's hard drive to an Internet service, you can access it from almost anywhere; collaboration with other people gets a lot easier; your data is automatically and constantly backed up; bug fixes and software upgrades also happen "automagically." And because cloud services can take advantage of far more storage and processing power than a single computer or smart phone can allow, they can enable major advances in everything from voicemail to robots.

The downsides of cloud computing: You'd better have a fast and reliable Internet connection, and the cloud provider had better defend your privacy and avoid endangering your data in a server mishap.

But while Google and Amazon have built portfolios of cloud services and Microsoft has become a recent convert to the concept, Apple has only dabbled in it, fielding such limited offerings as the free iTools and its mediocre, $99/year successor MobileMe. On Monday, though, the Cupertino, Calif., company rebooted its cloud efforts by introducing a new, free service called iCloud -- and this time, it says, it's here to stay.

One difference between iCloud and the earlier services of competitors is the company behind it. The company once routinely described as "beleaguered" now attracts an outsized amount of attention; when Apple enters a market, people expect it to upend things.

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Another, more important difference is how your data -- contacts and calendars, email, photos, documents and music -- can get in and out of iCloud. Apple's built this service as a sort of heavenly hard drive to a designated set of devices, as seen in the company-provided illustration above: your Mac, your PC, your iPhone or iPod touch and your iPad. Most cloud services have far less specific system requirements, usually starting and ending with "any device with a modern Web browser."

Further, iCloud is built to mesh with specific programs. Its Photo Stream connects to an iPhone's Photos app, but not the equivalent software on an Android phone. Its iTunes in the Cloud, unsurprisingly, requires a copy of iTunes. It will let you save a spreadsheet in the cloud and easily edit it from any of your devices--so long as they run Apple's iWork productivity suite.

A third, most important difference: Unlike Google Docs or Amazon's Cloud Player, iCloud doesn't offer Web access to all the content you've uploaded. You can only access it through a dedicated app. That could be a problem, since far more computers have Web browsers than include the specific programs supported by iCloud. In some cases, such as on locked-down machines in offices, you might be allowed to install the required app.

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(Disclaimer: I've spoken at a couple of Google-hosted events.)

In fewer words: Where Apple employs the cloud as a cable, other vendors treat it as more of a window.

By controlling the service and the software, Apple expects to provide the same sort of it-just-works reliability that its control of Mac hardware and the Mac OS X operating system allows on its computers. (Since most of iCloud requires the not-yet-shipped iOS 5 update for Apple's mobile devices, we can only guess if that will work out; keep in mind the ugly debut of MobileMe and subsequent flops by other cloud services.)

Apple's focus on simplicity, however, looks likely to come at the cost of compatibility -- just as in such recent proprietary Apple ventures as its iOS- and Mac-only Facetime video-calling system and its just-announced, iOS-only iMessage text-messaging alternative.

If you've already embraced Apple's desktop, laptop and mobile offerings, iCloud could amount to a welcome hug back from Cupertino. But if your computing reality is not so orderly, Apple's cloud may seem more like a curtain.

The iCloud slogan "It Just Works" could soon turn into "It Just Works Until It Doesn't". Find out why inside.

Apple enthusiasts have been unusually enthusiastic this week, courtesy of Steve Jobs' unveiling of iOS 5 with iCloud on Monday. TechCrunch's MG Siegler today explained how magical the iCloud aspect of iOS 5 is, basically concluding that "It Just Works" as the Apple Chief himself claimed on stage during the unveiling. We think Steve Jobs unveiled iCloud in a way that was second to none, but how it will impact the average iPhone user's current experience is one of the aspects that matters now.

Steve Jobs made it perfectly clear that he wants every iPhone user to take advantage of the iCloud, and subsequently wants as many as possible to go ahead and buy iPads and Apple TVs. We like that approach, because it'll enable the company to offer solutions at an entirely different level than what's been the case in the past. However, this approach requires certain scrutiny. Let's first jump straight to a common cloud computing issue.

If we understood Steve Jobs correctly, the iCloud has its limitations when it comes to how open it can be. For cloud computing in general, shared resources enable developers and companies to get the feeling that only the sky is the limit, as long as their operations are in line with certain usage terms. The downside from a technical perspective is that if something goes seriously wrong, end-users across a large amount of apps and services will be affected.

Let's imagine that iCloud functionality becomes a key part of third-party iOS applications down the road. What kind of assurance can Apple provide developers when it comes to the operational aspect of iCloud? The truth is that Apple can't assure anything beyond what anybody else can assure. "It Just Works" could easily turn into "It Just Works Until It Doesn't", and there'll be no quick, temporary fix such as holding your iPhone the right way. Let's not forget that iOS is known for working smoothly on a detailed level.

Additionally, how will iCloud data transfers be dealt with? iMessage is a part of that aspect too. For those thinking that iMessage will kill BlackBerry Messenger, BBM is a separate subscription service that doesn't affect the rest of a user's service plans.

Let's say a user owns an iPhone with a small data plan. And let's be real here, an increasing amount of iPhone users have small data plans. Will people more often hit data speed limits? How would that affect usage of iOS apps in general? Sure, one can always blame the carriers for data issues, but then again, carriers invest more in infrastructure than most people realize. If you and I aren't willing to pay for that infrastructure, iCloud as well as iMessage wouldn't make sense in the first place.

At the end of the day, Apple enthusiasts have plenty of reasons to be enthusiastic. However, just because Steve Jobs says that "It Just Works" doesn't mean that the iCloud will turn out to be a magical aspect of iOS. The iCloud isn't a brilliant multi-touch gesture or a top-notch touchscreen display, it's an aspect of the iOS experience that could have a big impact on end-users, developers and companies that all rely on the iOS ecosystem. Words like "automatically" and "push" primarily aim to glorify something that probably requires serious attention, viable guidelines and careful usage.

Post by wakjawa78

iOS 5 and iCloud: 5 Interesting Tidbits

This fall Apple will do battle in the cloud with Google, move further into the so-called post-PC world, and take a shot at one of Research In Motion's most prized BlackBerry features. Apple unveiled its software plans for the future with its introduction of the next versions of OS X, iOS and its new online sync service, iCloud. The three new products will work together to store your data online and make it available to your iOS devices and your PC for free, with the exception of non-iTunes music downloads. But that's not all Apple introduced, the company also took a shot at some popular iOS apps and made an interesting choice for baked in social networking integration in iOS 5.

If you want to catch up and find out what's new from Apple, check out PCWorld's rundown of OS X 10.7 "Lion," iOS 5 and iCloud. But here's a look at five interesting things off the top of my mind about Apple's iOS 5 and iCloud.
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Battle for the cloud
Both Apple and Google now have online storage strategies in place to duke it out in the mobile device space with Android and Chrome OS taking on iOS devices. But as blogger John Gruber pointed out, each company has a slightly different approach to the so-called "cloud." Android has a native app solution, but Google wants to push the Web as the primary development platform with tools such as Chrome OS and the Chrome Web store. Apple, meanwhile, is focused on downloadable apps that connect to the Web individually, although iOS also supports Web apps. Which strategy do you prefer?

Was Twitter supposed to be Facebook?
Apple is integrating Twitter functionality into iOS 5, but I can't help wondering if Twitter was Apple's second choice. The Twitter contacts integration feature in iOS 5 left me wondering. With iOS 5 you can integrate your friends' Twitter handles into their contact information for quick access to their Twitter ID. That's a nice feature, but Twitter is really more about connecting with like-minded people you don't know as opposed to connecting with friends. Facebook, however, is an ideal social network for storing contact information in your address book since you're more likely to have a personal relationship with Facebook friends compared with Twitter followers. In fact, the Facebook iPhone app already offers functionality that integrates your Facebook friends with your iOS contacts.

There were rumors in April 2010 about Facebook integration coming to iOS 4, but that didn't pan out. We also know Apple had problems dealing with Facebook over Ping, the music-based social network in iTunes Apple introduced in late 2010. So I have to wonder if Apple originally hoped to integrate Facebook into iOS, but went with Twitter after talks with Facebook soured. That's just speculation, but with about 600 million Facebook users in the world, wouldn't Facebook integration have made more sense?

Are we post-PC yet?
When Apple introduced the iPad 2 the company kept calling its slate a "post-PC device." But that didn't make much sense since you needed a PC to activate the iPad in the first place. Now, however, Apple has cut the cord between iOS and your PC. This means you could actually buy an iPad and forego getting a PC, right? Maybe, but the iPad still isn't that great at switching between tasks such as moving between a word processing document and a Web page. The iPad is closer than before to being a PC replacement, but I doubt the iPad is ready to become most users' full-time device.

Apple eats apps
Apple is also sending an interesting message to developers with iOS 5: if your app becomes popular, we might try to kill you by integrating similar functionality into the OS. With iOS 5's Reminders app, the company is going after popular To Do list apps such as Remember the Milk, 2DO and Priorities. Safari Reader and Reading List could upend Instapaper and Readability. The new camera could mean the end of Camera+ and QuickPix. Apple's iCloud goes after Dropbox and iMessage could replace apps such as Whatsapp and GroupMe.

To be fair, many of these features make a lot of sense integrated into the OS such as improving the camera, iCloud storage and iMessage. But Safari's Reader and Reminders, I'm not so sure about. Will these new features upset developers? It's hard to say, but some are taking the news in stride. Marco Arment, the developer of Instapaper, believes Reading List could actually help his business. "If Reading List gets widely adopted," Arment said on his blog. "...A portion of those people will be interested in upgrading to a dedicated, deluxe app...And they'll quickly find Instapaper in the App Store."

Another stab at RIM
Whenever I ask BlackBerry users why they still stick with RIM devices over an Android device or iPhone, they usually point to one reason for sticking with RIM: BlackBerry Messenger. BBM is a messaging client that allows you to communicate with any other Blackberry user around the world, similar to Apple's recently announced iMessage. Some critics are pointing to iMessage as a possible BBM killer that may push BlackBerry even further into obsolescence, at least for the consumer market. But then again apps such as Whatsapp already bring BBM-like functionality to non-BlackBerry smartphones and that hasn't killed BBM. However, none of those apps have been built into the OS like iMessage, which may make it easier for BlackBerry users to switch.

Post by wakjawa78

Apple's iCloud and what it means for wireless data service

Apple's new iCloud services announced at the World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco on Monday will put everything from mobile apps to digital pictures to music in the "cloud" where users can easily store and access them. But what will this mean for your wireless data bill?
Apple's CEO Steve Jobs was in San Francisco Monday to unveil the iCloud service, which acts as a digital hub that will store and replicate content so that it can be shared among multiple iOS devices, such as iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads.
"Now the (digital) hub is in the cloud," he said during the keynote according to CNET's Live Blog. "If you get something on your iPhone, like a picture, it goes up to the cloud, and gets pushed down to the other devices automatically."
What this means for consumers is that they will no longer have to connect their iOS devices to a computer to back-up information or sync their music. They also won't have to connect their devices to a computer for software updates. Their iTunes music collection, photos taken on their iOS devices, videos viewed on those devices, iBooks, email, calendar information and more will all be stored in the Apple iCloud so that users can access them on any iOS device.
Unlike other cloud based services that may require users to manually upload music, Jobs said that Apple has automated the process to make it easy for users.
It all sounds great for people with iOS devices, who want access to all their content on any device. But how will all this content travel between the iPhone or iPad and the iCloud? Will this put a big strain on carrier networks, and cost consumers more money on their data plans?
Daily updates could indeed put a strain on already struggling cellular networks. But Apple seems prepared to mitigate this problem by forcing some of the data intensive activities to be done over Wi-Fi instead of over a carrier's cellular network.
This is especially important given that many iPhone users may not have an unlimited data plan from AT&T. Verizon Wireless, which began selling the iPhone 4 this year, has also said it plans to get rid of its unlimited data plan and move to a tiered offering.
Experts believe between Apple's use of Wi-Fi, plus the low-bandwidth nature of some of the updates, it shouldn't be a problem for most consumers. For one, much of the data that will be transferred between devices will be contacts, emails, calendar updates, and other text-based data that doesn't gobble up a lot of bandwidth. What's more, when devices are synched they will only be updating new information and not reloading the device entirely.
Secondly, software updates and major data transfers will likely be reserved for Wi-Fi only. Forrester analyst Charlie Golvin was at the WWDC event Monday and he said that Apple's daily updates of iOS devices will happen over Wi-Fi only. And the bigger software updates, which will also happen automatically from time to time, will also happen over Wi-Fi and will only occur when devices are plugged in to an electrical source. This is important because it means that the software updates won't drain the battery. Additionally, iTunes updates and syncing will also happen only over Wi-Fi.
What happens when Wi-Fi is not available? Apple didn't mention that. And Golvin said it's hard to say whether Apple will make it possible to do some these more data intensive transfers over a 3G, or in the future, 4G wireless networks.
Other experts speculate that Apple will give consumers a choice in the setting menu how they access the cloud-based content and backups.
"There are several ways that Apple could manage data usage," said Ross Rubin, an analyst with NPD Group. "For example, it wouldn't be surprising to see Apple uploading photos at a lower resolution when on a bandwidth constrained network."
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Gartner said that Apple already requires certain apps that are too large to be downloaded via Wi-Fi. And he said he expects the company to give consumers some choice in how they set up their data usage.
"They may give you the option to load your pictures now or to queue them until you get to a Wi-Fi hotspot," he said. "And you'll likely have the option to turn off the updates."
The new iCloud services will be available this fall. So expect Apple to discuss more details about how the service works as the launch date nears.



Original content : cnet.com