Icloud

iCloud.com, iWork for iOS 5 beta apps go live

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Aug 1, 2011 a 10:06 pm

iCloud.com is now live... if you have an Apple ID that works with iCloud. Here's the thing -- it's meant for developers right now, and Apple IDs are still fragmented to the extent that for some people, iCloud might not be too useful yet.

For example, you may try to login with your MobileMe ID and be told it hasn't been migrated to iCloud yet. You might try to login with your iTunes ID and then, once you're in, be told you need a MobileMe address to access Mail. You can set up a new, free iCloud ID, but then all of the content you have connected to your existing Apple ID(s) won't be there.

So, yeah, meant for developers. Still, it's nice to see it up and running, and get a preview of the design (which we're guessing is a fairly straight front-end port of the SproutCore web app code from Me.com, now running on the all new iCloud backend.)

Current web apps available include Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find my iPhone, and the new Documents, which currently offers Apple's iWork formats for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. (The last three of which require the new iWork for iOS beta apps, downloadable via Apple's developer site.)

Gone are iDisk and Gallery. iCloud is no doubt an attempt to abstract away the file system-like behavior for the former, but will a web front end for PhotoStream be made available to replace the latter?

Meanwhile, on iPhone you just get a placeholder card, nicely rendered, and the ability to get more information and a link to the developer beta.

Gallery of screenshots after the break.

Apple adds iCloud TV Show re-downloading to iPhone, iPad

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Aug 1, 2011 a 1:54 pm

Our writer at large, Chad Garrett, spotted TV Shows in the Cloud today on his iPhone. It seems Apple has pulled the trigger on TV Show re-downloads, much as they've always allowed for apps and previously announced for music. It's limited to TV Shows (no movies), and to the US for now, but it's nice to see Apple adding functionality to iCloud so quickly -- even before the formal launch this fall.

Are you seeing TV shows under your purchased content in iTunes.app?

Update: Not all shows yet, apparently. Perhaps some networks haven't (yet) agreed to be part of the service?

iOS 5 "whispersync" working for podcasts between iPhone, iPad?

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Jul 21, 2011 a 1:56 pm

We haven't been able to prove this ourselves yet, but we recently received several tips from regular podcast listeners, all on iOS 5 beta 3, who say they began listening to one of our shows using the Music (formerly iPod) app on iPhone and then went to continue listening later on their iPad, only to find it automagically began playing right where they left it.

Daily Tip: How to download previously purchased apps, songs, and books in iTunes

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jul 15, 2011 a 10:03 pm

Heard about Apple's iCloud beta and wondering how you can use it to download all your previously purchased apps, songs, and books in iTunes? Well you're in luck, because with iTunes 10.3, it's easy (although music is currently limited to US users only. Sigh.) Read on to find out how, after the break.

[Inside iTunes]

Introduction to the new and improved TiPb Forums!

By Jeremy, Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011 a 3:00 pm

As Rene previously mentioned, we have been making massive changes in our forums the past few weeks in effort to provide you with one of the best Apple related communities on the web. And the changes do not stop here, in the next few weeks we will continue improving our community to the best of our abilities.

Listed below are some of the hottest forums currently within the community. We are proud of the improvements that have been made so if you have not already done so, please take a moment visit our forums and register today!

The week in iPad

By Rene Ritchie, Sunday, Jun 26, 2011 a 12:17 pm

Missed a compelling piece of iPad news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We're not collecting absolutely everything in iPad here -- you can hit up TiPb.com/iPad for that! -- but we're carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! -- these double as show notes for our iPad Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

iOS 5 beta 2 gallery

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jun 24, 2011 a 8:07 pm

For some strange reason, our tip box is now overflowing with 960x640 screenshots (what, no iPad love?) showing a few changes from today's iOS 5 beta 2 release. Among the more interesting ones:

Welcome screen now has an info button to give you your UDID number, should you have failed to record it previously (Thanks Apple!)
The iCloud icon in settings is no longer purple. Long live brush metal cone fill!
Lock screen notifications get a new, single pop up. You can pull down the full list if you like, and if you get multiple notifications, they start to stack again like they did previously.
Wi-Fi sync in now working, but you need to be connected to a power source.
iCloud has bumped Exchange from the top spot in mail account setup, while MobileMe has been condemned to the bottom.

We'll update as we receive more. Screenshots after the break!

Apple posts MobileMe to iCloud transition guide

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jun 24, 2011 a 3:33 pm

Apple has posted a guide to help users transition from MobileMe to iCloud. The good news? Just like TiPb's been telling you from the start, there will be web apps for Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Find my iPhone. Also, if you need more storage, you'll be able to buy it. The bad news? iWeb, MobileMe Gallery, and iDisk are toast.

iWeb, Gallery, and iDisk users are encouraged to move their data off MobileMe before the June 30, 2012 cut off date, and knowledge base articles have been posted to give additional information.

iPhone Live 157: Verizon capped

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jun 24, 2011 a 12:25 am

Rene, Seth, and Mickey discuss dueling iPhone 5 rumors, more iPhone nano rumors, Verizon data caps and tiered plans, and will Droid users defect en masse? This is iPhone Live!

Show notes

Hosts

Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie)

Seth Clifford (@sethclifford)

Mickey Papillon (@TCPJ_Mickey)

New Airport Extreme, iOS-friendly Time Capsules imminent?

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jun 21, 2011 a 8:30 am

Information on Apple's new Airport Extreme 802.11n, dual-band routers has just hit the FCC, according to Engadget, who speculate:

it'll also arrive with support for the new three-stream standard for 450Mbps over both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands

Meanwhile, 9to5Mac has a source that claims Time Capsules could be bumped up to 2TB and 3TB models, and both the Time Capsules and Airport Extreme could drop in price as well.