iCloud Still Cloudy: Questions Still Linger on Eve of Release
As iCloud's launching looms on Oct. 12, there are still some things that Tim Cook-led Apple needs to clarify about Apple's newest cloud service.
The iCloud service is a storage service that is free to users of Apple devices and ferries data between devices and stores device backups in the cloud. Developers have had access to iCloud since then, and a public rollout was promised this Wednesday, Oct. 12.
iCloud was unveiled in the WWDC event last June and in the Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event in not so much detail. We already know about document-editing, iTunes Match, photo streams, and cloud syncing of settings and app data; however, some aspects of the service are still unclear for many consumers.
iCloud will come with 5GB of free storage, but users will be able to upgrade their account to up to an extra 50GB for a premium. iCloud storage can be purchased through iOS 5's settings application by end users. Extra 10 GB of storage costs $20 a year. Photo Stream images, which stay in the cloud for 30 days, don't count against users' tally for the free storage.
Questions remain about Apple's iCloud.
You can re-download purchased music from iTunes; but can you delete it? Apparently, there is no manual way to delete it to make room for new files, according to CNET News. Does the new iOS 5 hold the key for this dilemma? Right now, you can delete videos, podcasts, apps and photos, but not music.
According to CNET's report, it seems that Apple consumers will transfer videos the conventional way. Photo streaming has no support for movies, and video is not discussed in iCloud. There are no exact details regarding video specs and features in iCloud.
Google Docs made it clear regarding collaborating and editing a document. However, this is not discussed in detail on how it will work in iCloud. What if two persons are simultaneously editing the same document?
Another question hovering the new iCloud is if it is capable to save original resolution photos. If not, then you still need to sync your device to a computer and pull those full-size photos off.
A lot of people may find the current Apple App Store quite lacking of organization as there are long list of apps and no folder organization. Aside from re-downloading, how will app store experience will be different from the current?
One of the popular features of iCloud is iTunes Match. Yes, iCloud allows you to re-download songs from iTunes. What will happen to the originals when you sync? Will matched songs get erased? The process of iTunes Match and the sync-ing of devices are still unclear.
All of these questions are still in need of answers. Of course, it's still version 1 for iCloud.