Apple [AAPL] really isn't messing when it comes to iCloud, working hard to position the service as the virtual glue which combines all its platforms, hardware and software together into a unified force, and plotting to unleash the service right near the launch of its latest iPhone 4S.
Simple by design
For all that, the company continues to craft its service with the same kind of simplicity with which it focuses any of its other attempts. Don't walk to the iCloud and expect it to transport you like some demi-god through a temporal warp to a planet with better designers, but join up to take a trip on a service as it delivers something a little closer to that with each iteration.
Apple's quite gifted at delivering simplicity which hides complexity, so the iCloud mission statement remains a simple one: "iCloud stores your content and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices."
The power of everything
Simple, huh? But, as your digital content marries ever more closer with your offline life, that's going to be a mission that eventually encompasses everything.
Right now it's about photos, storage and distribution. It's about iTunes media -- so when the iCloud launches you'll be able to download any songs you buy on any of your devices automatically to your Mac for no charge.
It's also about documents, meaning those synced with iCloud are updated across all your devices. So you can begin workoing on your Mac, move to your iPad and finalize what you do on your iPhone.
Which sounds nice, until you realise that what this means is that Apple has just managed to deliver a simple and seamless way by which you can manage your working productivity and offline chill-out to media life.
Contacts, Calendars and those few titles you might purchase from the iBookstore also get a little fluffy iCloud edge.
Apple today also confirmed the feature I warned you would make it to the Mac, that Find my iPhone has been updated to find your Macs as well.
Your digital life gets everywhere
Apple's Eddy Cue -- who heads the iCloud mission for Apple -- also introduced a new app, Find My Friends. This lets your find your people using the same Find My iPhone process. You can even time when locations are shared, which should be handy for parents trying to track down those 10 percent of UK children who already own iPhones.
Apple also talked about its $24.99 iTunes Match service. This will scan your drive and if it finds something you have it doesn't will automatically upload that track. Otherwise it simply matches your music with a track from its 20 million strong archive.
The iCloud breaks on October 12, iTunes Match launches at the end of the month.
Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when these items are published here first on Computerworld.
Simple by design
For all that, the company continues to craft its service with the same kind of simplicity with which it focuses any of its other attempts. Don't walk to the iCloud and expect it to transport you like some demi-god through a temporal warp to a planet with better designers, but join up to take a trip on a service as it delivers something a little closer to that with each iteration.
Apple's quite gifted at delivering simplicity which hides complexity, so the iCloud mission statement remains a simple one: "iCloud stores your content and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices."
The power of everything
Simple, huh? But, as your digital content marries ever more closer with your offline life, that's going to be a mission that eventually encompasses everything.
Right now it's about photos, storage and distribution. It's about iTunes media -- so when the iCloud launches you'll be able to download any songs you buy on any of your devices automatically to your Mac for no charge.
It's also about documents, meaning those synced with iCloud are updated across all your devices. So you can begin workoing on your Mac, move to your iPad and finalize what you do on your iPhone.
Which sounds nice, until you realise that what this means is that Apple has just managed to deliver a simple and seamless way by which you can manage your working productivity and offline chill-out to media life.
Contacts, Calendars and those few titles you might purchase from the iBookstore also get a little fluffy iCloud edge.
Apple today also confirmed the feature I warned you would make it to the Mac, that Find my iPhone has been updated to find your Macs as well.
Your digital life gets everywhere
Apple's Eddy Cue -- who heads the iCloud mission for Apple -- also introduced a new app, Find My Friends. This lets your find your people using the same Find My iPhone process. You can even time when locations are shared, which should be handy for parents trying to track down those 10 percent of UK children who already own iPhones.
Apple also talked about its $24.99 iTunes Match service. This will scan your drive and if it finds something you have it doesn't will automatically upload that track. Otherwise it simply matches your music with a track from its 20 million strong archive.
The iCloud breaks on October 12, iTunes Match launches at the end of the month.
Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when these items are published here first on Computerworld.
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