iCloud announced at WWDC
Steve Jobs gave the keynote address of the WWDC where he unveiled the iCloud. Cloud drives and services are becoming all the rage, and Long Islanders can’t wait to use them because of their convenience, and the ability to store more data than on a hard drive with the ability to access it anywhere.
The iCloud will give people access to their data wherever they are, and is the next step in computer evolution, according to Jobs. It also pushes that data to all Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, Macs and more. iPhone users will no doubt embrace the ability to access their data anywhere.
The iCloud will also serve as a backup for all the data bought on iTunes. This backup can be done wirelessly, said Jobs. Things bought on iTunes will only be paid for once, and will be available on all devices.
Best of all, an iPhone can be backed up on the iCloud, and that data can automatically be imported to a new iPhone right out of the box. Simply put in your Apple ID and password, and let the iCloud go to work.
Photos and documents can also be stored on the iCloud and pushed to all devices.
The iCloud will work on both Macs and PC’s. “We think this is going to be pretty big,” Jobs said. The basic iCloud service will be free for 5GB of storage.
Jobs also introduced iTunes Match, a subscription service that scans your computer for music files, and then matches them to the iTunes database, which then puts it on your iCloud. This service will cost $25 yearly, and there is no limit to the amount of songs you can have. The songs are even upgraded to 256 Kbps AAC, DRM-free tracks.
However, there are some drawbacks to the iCloud. There is no guarantee you can get music you ripped from a CD or obscure place on to the iCloud, and it is unlikely iTunes match will match all the songs in a music nut’s library like bootlegs, rare demos and other rarities.
Jobs said iCloud is a goal he’s been striving for years, because he’s wanted to get rid of file storage. It seems Jobs and Apple have met their goal if iCloud can work on the go and as advertised. Look for iCloud to make its way to the public soon, along with the iOS 5.
