Apple has released its iCloud Control Panel app for Microsoft Windows computers. The iCloud Control Panel is required to enable iCloud on your Windows PC and provides access to Photo Stream, Contacts, Calendars Bookmarks and Mail.

It is quite a large download, coming in at just under 40MB.

If you need extra help, jump into our iCloud Forums.

A while back we mentioned how Apple's slipping in of the MobileMe Control Panel was earning the rightful ire of Windows users. Well, it seems Apple has gotten the message, and their news blog now reports:

If you already have the MobileMe Control Panel for Windows installed, upgrading to the latest version of iTunes (iTunes 8 was released on 9/9/08) will automatically update the control panel as well. But If the control panel is not already there, iTunes will not automatically install it. Also, the control panel will appear as an optional download whenever you run Apple Software Update on Windows.

Would that all supposedly bad guy monopolists Dr. Evil types responded to consumer push back so appropriately, eh Paul? Eh Dan? Eh Shill #3 making that post in the background for no reason?