icloud Feeling kinda underwhelmed by iCloud...

[Shadrack]

Don't hold your breath for any support beyond Windows for the Photo Streaming and Outlook for Calendar/Contact/Reminder syncing with iCloud...

Apple creates ecosystems of products. The results are typically extremely tight integration between products that live in the same ecosystem, and not playing nicely with other platforms.

For my needs Dropbox fills the gap left by Apple removing iDisk. App writers will no doubt continue to utilize Dropbox for certain things.

iCloud answers the question: What is the most non-intrusive way to get a particular application on iOS devices and Mac talking together? Dropbox answer the question: What is the best way to share files between multiple devices.

Oh wow, I thought the 3rd Gens could do at least iOS 4.3, didn't realize they were stuck at 4.2.1 along with my 2nd Gen.

Umm, I'm pretty sure 3rd gen iPod Touch got the 5.0 update. At least it did according to the Wikipedia (which could be wrong). I suspect Auroka has a JB iPod Touch and doesn't want to upgrade until the JB makes its way to 5.0 or something...

iOS 5 was previewed to the public on June 6, 2011.^[72]This is also the second major iOS update to drop support for older devices, in this case; the iPhone 3G and the iPod touch 2nd Generation (MB & MC models). It was released for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM and CDMA), iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, and iPad 2 on 12 October, 2011 at 10am Pacific Time (5pm GMT).

[PyX]

At first I had a bunch of problems with iCloud because I tested it in the iOS 5 betas, and I think it kept a corrupt preferences file or something. iCloud would work fine, as in… download and upload my synched categories fine, but it would upload/download void data and kill my data plan on my iPhone. After reformatting everything and starting my iPhone’s iTunes sync from scratch, it worked right out of the box.

It’s good to see that all Apple products now work in a perfect symbiosis :)

I feel bad for other people who don’t necessarily have all their products made by Apple and who can’t benefit from the whole iCloud experience. There’s clearly something to be done with that Apple…

Other than that, iCloud’s website interface is awesome, it doesn’t even look like a website, more like a true application with its modern HTML 5 / AJAX code. I fail to understand why those with old browsers are not able to upgrade. Every browser since at least the last 2-3 years update themselves automatically, or in the case of stock browsers, they’re updated when you patch the OS automatically… Those with old browsers at home, you fail.

[.Neo]

Apple creates ecosystems of products. The results are typically extremely tight integration between products that live in the same ecosystem, and not playing nicely with other platforms.

At this point it's up to other vendors like Microsoft and Google to start supporting iCloud in their operating systems. Just like Apple includes support for Google calendar/contact syncing and Microsoft Exchange (for example) in OS X Lion. Not entirely sure why you feel it should be the other way around with iCloud just because it's Apple.

Beyond that other players (like Microsoft) aren't really any better. How do I gain full Zune support in combination with Windows Phone 7 and a Mac without installing a copy of Windows?

[Shadrack]

Other than that, iCloud’s website interface is awesome, it doesn’t even look like a website, more like a true application with its modern HTML 5 / AJAX code. I fail to understand why those with old browsers are not able to upgrade. Every browser since at least the last 2-3 years update themselves automatically, or in the case of stock browsers, they’re updated when you patch the OS automatically… Those with old browsers at home, you fail.

I haven't had any issues with the iCloud website either (Firefox 7 on my work laptop and Safari on my Mac at home). But, to be honest my hardware is currently fairly up-to-date. Well, my desktop is getting up there as being 4 years old, but it was decked out when I got it so it runs iCloud website just fine. Maybe single core systems struggle? Or perhaps it is Opera or something?

At this point it's up to other vendors like Microsoft and Google to start supporting iCloud in their operating systems. Just like Apple includes support for Google calendar/contact syncing and Microsoft Exchange (for example) in OS X Lion. Not entirely sure why you feel it should be the other way around with iCloud just because it's Apple.

I guess I wasn't aware that other companies could use iCloud. I thought it could only be used through specific APIs that were only available through Apple SDKs. I'm talking about the data and file syncing capabilities. Calendar, contact, reminders, email should be based on standards that other companies can tap into for their applications. But are the file access and syncing capabilities something I can write software for for Windows for instance? Can I make a Windows application that integrates with my iOS application using iCloud?

[.Neo]

I guess I wasn't aware that other companies could use iCloud. I thought it could only be used through specific APIs that were only available through Apple SDKs. I'm talking about the data and file syncing capabilities. Calendar, contact, reminders, email should be based on standards that other companies can tap into for their applications. But are the file access and syncing capabilities something I can write software for for Windows for instance? Can I make a Windows application that integrates with my iOS application using iCloud?

Honestly, I wouldn't know if it's possible. But I'm guessing it should be looking at how Apple provides an iCloud support package for Windows Vista/7.

[Chasethebase Reporter]

At the moment I quite like it, a few UI quirks are bugging me, how the scroll bar in Mail is permanently there and looks horrible.

Otherwise it's a good combination of services, plus I like the @me extension.

[.Neo]

At the moment I quite like it, a few UI quirks are bugging me, how the scroll bar in Mail is permanently there and looks horrible.

The scroll bars aren't permanently there for me on OS X Lion? They disappear like everywhere else in the OS.

PS Never mind, in the message viewer section you do see them. :/

[Auroka]

Umm, I'm pretty sure 3rd gen iPod Touch got the 5.0 update. At least it did according to the Wikipedia (which could be wrong). I suspect Auroka has a JB iPod Touch and doesn't want to upgrade until the JB makes its way to 5.0 or something...

Not to go off-topic but...

8GB 3rd Gen iPod Touches are just re-branded 8GB 2nd iPod Touches.

Can't complain though, I did get it free with the back to school special. :)

[Ryster]

I think the web interface is awesome, but I'm using Firefox 7. :)

What browsers are you guys using? IE9, Chrome, ...

Chome 16 Dev here (although I have tried it on the non-beta version at work, it's just as slow).

Also .Neo and Xtrem $niper, you need to get over yourselves. The icloud mail app IS crap. And yes, that's a person opinion, nothing more. It runs like a 2 legged dog on Google chrome, and I've tried it on several machines. Not tried it on IE so can't comment. As others have said, it seems to run much quicker on Firefox (not tried it on Safari).

[Xerax]

It's just SkyDrive with less features really :/

[Xtreme $niper]

Chome 16 Dev here (although I have tried it on the non-beta version at work, it's just as slow).

Also .Neo and Xtrem $niper, you need to get over yourselves. The icloud mail app IS crap. And yes, that's a person opinion, nothing more. It runs like a 2 legged dog on Google chrome, and I've tried it on several machines. Not tried it on IE so can't comment. As others have said, it seems to run much quicker on Firefox (not tried it on Safari).

Have you used SquirrelMail recently? Yeah, that's the webmail client that comes with most apache hosting services. Go check it out and then tell me again that iCloud's webmail sucks. I don't need to "get over myself" in any way because all I did was call you out on your poorly worded post.

Nonetheless, you are all forgetting what Apple is all about. Apple wants you to buy into the Apple ecosystem. They have no interest in servicing Windows users any more than the bare minimum. If you want the full Apple experience, you have to buy into the entire ecosystem. And then once you're there, you have to stay updated every 4 years otherwise you fall out of the ecosystem.

That's it. It's not complicated. This is a business and it is run incredibly well. Don't like it? Don't buy in. There are plenty of alternatives that would do what you want Apple to do.

[Shadrack]

It's just SkyDrive with less features really :/

It is really quite different from SkyDrive. SkyDrive = ~DropBox = MobileMe's iDisk = cloud data file storage. iCloud is more of a syncing service right now, and there really aren't any data file storage capabilities beyond what apps are out there (i.e., GoodReader App can be used to store files on iCloud, but then it is only accessible from other GoodReader apps).

Where Apple will eventually win out is with the iCloud SDKs and API. This, and the fact that now everyone most people with an iOS device has iCloud, will make it ubiquitous beyond what SkyDrive offers. But they are really different concepts as far as "what is the cloud". Apple is working in a direction that kills file systems on the desktop as much as they have been successful at killing file systems on mobile devices (for better or for worse is yet to be determined). SkyDrive embraces the file system.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

Isn't it up to others to start supporting iCloud?

MS' Exchange ActiveSync protocol has pretty much become a standard for syncing contacts and calendars with multiple devices. Since all major Mobile OSes support Exchange ActiveSync it should have been a no brainer for Apple to add. Then no one would need to start "supporting" iCloud. It would just work from day 1...

Apple dropped the ball on that part and they should resolve it really.

[Shadrack]

MS' Exchange ActiveSync protocol has pretty much become a standard for syncing contacts and calendars with multiple devices. Since all major Mobile OSes support Exchange ActiveSync it should have been a no brainer for Apple to add. Then no one would need to start "supporting" iCloud. It would just work from day 1...

Apple dropped the ball on that part and they should resolve it really.

I agree with your sentiment, but Apple's approach doesn't surprise me. 1. ActiveSync costs licensing money. 2. Apple doesn't want to make it easy for people to transition from their platform/ecosystem to another competing platform.

[.Neo]

MS' Exchange ActiveSync protocol has pretty much become a standard for syncing contacts and calendars with multiple devices. Since all major Mobile OSes support Exchange ActiveSync it should have been a no brainer for Apple to add. Then no one would need to start "supporting" iCloud. It would just work from day 1...

Apple dropped the ball on that part and they should resolve it really.

Using the same logic Google should have never released their services either and we in our turn should just embrace a potential Microsoft monopoly over the cloud.

[Shadrack]

Using the same logic Google should have never released their services either and we in our turn should just embrace a potential Microsoft monopoly over the cloud.

Google went with ActiveSync.

[Japlabot]

Once I take the time to look into a way to sync my Google contacts with iCloud contacts, I'll be a happy camper. My blackberry sync with Google like clockwork, but I need to find a way to get that to move across to Apple as well. Haven't put much thought into it yet, though.

It's pretty easy.

http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740

[Xtreme $niper]

It's pretty easy.

http://www.google.co...y?answer=138740

Oh wow, that's an interesting little workaround. Thanks!

[Dashel]

I simply don't see the benefit of push based syncing for media content. Nor do I get their many file restrictions or lack of a web interface.

[Elliott]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how third-party developers use it. Having iCloud sync my app data across devices will be awesome.

As for iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars, they're just IMAP, CardDAV, and CalDAV. Open standards that are fairly simple to implement.