iCloud

The ultimate guide to iCloud

Everything you need to know about Apple's iCloud -- PC-free, iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, Find my iPhone, Find my Friends, and more!

iCloud is Apple’s online service designed to make managing your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV, and your iTunes content easier and more automatic than ever. iCloud currently consists of PC-free set up, back up, and restore features, mail, contacts, and calendar sync, iTunes in the Cloud for apps, books, music, movies, and TV shows, Documents in the Cloud, Photo Stream, Find my iPhone, and Find my Friends. Basic iCloud service is completely free. Extra storage can be purchased for an additional charge, and there's an optional iTunes Match services that runs $24.99 a year.

iCloud: The ultimate guide

More coverage

Poll: Are you happy with iCloud?

By Georgia, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 3:02 pm

After what seems like a years of speculation and months of rumors, Apple has finally shown us iCloud and... what do you think? Is it the perfect solution you've been waiting for, or did Apple once again prove they don't get the 'net?

How does it compare to Amazon and Google's offerings for the stuff you want to do?

Did they have you at "iCloud", will you try it out and see if they can win you over, or was it DOA to you?

Vote in the poll and let me know what you really think in the comments!

iCloud app: Photo Stream

By Leanna Lofte, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 2:53 pm

Apple has announced the iCloud app Photo Stream - it brings the cloud to photos. When a photo is taken with one of your devices, it will be sent to the cloud and then to all other devices, including the Apple TV - automatically.

Photo Stream may be an individual iCloud app, but it is tied into the already existing Photos app on iOS devices. There will now be a new album called "Photo Stream". On a Mac, you will find it in iPhoto, and on a PC, it will be the Pictures folder.

Apple will store the most recent 1000 images in the cloud for 30 days. Move them into a different album on your Mac or PC to save them permanently.

iOS 5 feature: over the air (OTA) automatic daily backups

By Allyson Kazmucha, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 2:42 pm

If you're tired of consistently having to sync your device to iTunes in order to back it up (I know I am), get ready for a big change. iOS 5 is bringing automatic OTA backups! The backups will be available over Wifi and will back up each day.

Backups will include -

Your purchased music (what about stuff in our iTunes that isn't iTunes purchased?)
Media (books, photos, videos)
Device settings and app data.

What does this mean for end users? It means gone are the days of having to worry about losing your data if your device gets stolen or damaged.

Get a new one, sign in with your Apple ID and there's all your data. Just the way you left it.

Excited yet?

Apple introduces iCloud, new FREE server hub and sync for all your stuff

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 2:29 pm

Steve Jobs put sneaker to WWDC stage again today to introduce iCloud, their new cloud services offering that aims to replace a lot of the local, cabled computing of our past with new, wireless computing for the future.

And best of all, it's going to be FREE. Everyone gets 5GB, and books, Photostream, and apps don't count. It works with 4.3 (as a beta) today, and iOS 5 in the future.

Content storage Keeps all your stuff, syncs it to all your devices

MobileMe Written from the ground up to support iCloud

Calendar sharing: No more workarounds needed. You can share your events.

iOS 5: software updates will now be delivered OTA (over-the-air)

By Cody Allison, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 2:20 pm

It looks as though Apple has decided to take all future software updates wireless and Apple will now stream all iOS updates over the air (OTA). This could be a great thing for folks who don't want to depend on a computer to have to update their devices and even better if iCloud ends up bringing iTunes to you wirelessly.

Apple is "cutting the cord," according to Forstall. New menus and a new Welcome screen will also be implemented into iOS 5 as well.

Are you excited about Apple cutting the cord on software updates or a little wary? How do you think this will effect the future of jailbreak?

iCloud to be more about replacing iTunes than actually streaming music? [rumor]

By chrisoldroyd, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 7:16 am

Could iCloud be much more than a streaming music service and data store? John Gruber of Daring Fireball seems to think so. He has put together a post on what he expects at today’s WWDC Apple keynote and reveals a snippet of fourth hand information that is quite interesting.

WWDC 2011 meta live blog

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Jun 6, 2011 a 2:35 am

Apple's WWDC 2011 Keynote is here, and it's bringing iOS 5, (iCloud)(http://www.imore.com/tag/icloud), and Mac OS X Lion loaded for bear. We'll kick things off about 12:45pm, so sit back, grab a beverage, and watch along with us for all the coverage, color, and commentary you've come to expect from TiPb!

Note: Apple hasn't announced a live stream, and unless and until they do, we're assuming there isn't one. We'll update if and when we hear otherwise.

Here are the go times!

10am PDT
1pm EDT
6pm BST

Apple Time Capsule to be local hub for iCloud?

By Rene Ritchie, Sunday, Jun 5, 2011 a 11:36 am

Cult of Mac's source claims to have the inside info on just how Apple's new iCloud service will work, and they're saying Apple's Time Capsule (Airport Extreme + hard drive combo) will serve as its local hub.

Files saved on your computer are backed up instantly to Time Capsule, which makes them available to remote Macs and iOS devices.

Is this the iCloud login screen? [Updated]

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jun 3, 2011 a 7:59 pm

With WWDC 2011 only days away, the leaks coming faster and more furiously, and one of the big ones might just be shown in that image up top -- purportedly the [iCloud](http://www.imore.com/tag/icloud/] login screen, by way of chpwn on Twitter.

Question is, will it replace MobileMe as Apple new internet services portal, or will it be a second point of entry?

UPDATE: And... it's a fake.

[@chpwn]