All You Want To Know About iCloud, Apple WWDC

Tell us about the iCloud,” our readers are continuously writing to us. Of course, we will review the iCloud the day it is launched (sometime this Fall). In the meantime, here is all you want to know about the iCloud and the Apple WWDC, but didn’t know whom to ask! (And yes, you can still use iCloud even if you are on Windows.)
‘And one more thing’ is what he should have said. These iconic words have become as much Steve Jobs’ trademark as his blue Levis 501 jeans, black turtle-necks and sneakers. That is how the Apple CEO has been introducing breakthrough products, at the tail end of his keynote address, as if it’s an afterthought. As soon as Jobs says the magic words, black drapes uncover glossy banners and shining posters advertising the new product all over the seminar hall. Over the past decade or so, his keynotes have changed the course of both popular culture (especially with iPods) and computing (especially with iPads).
Apple’s product launches are kept under tight wraps, are beautifully choreographed and get the media and Apple enthusiasts worldwide, every time, like a parlour magic trick that does not quite get old, although oft-repeated. These product launches also give Apple millions of dollars’ worth of free publicity, which is why the company is known to be paranoid about its product developments, and information is strictly rationed even within the company and its top management, on a strict need-to-know basis.
“Some kinda new interesting cloud stuff,” said Steve Jobs at the Apple WWDC when introducing the iCloud at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. WWDC is the Silicon Valley speak for Worldwide Developers Conference and the phenomenon is not unique to the Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California company. Any tech company worth its salt holds developers’ conferences. Google’s version is called Google I/O, IBM’s event is dubbed Innovate and so on. This particular edition of the WWDC had about 5,200 attendees, some 120 sessions, over a hundred hands-on labs and over a thousand Apple engineers available, if you happened to have a particularly thorny Cocoa problem. Moscone Center, Apple’s venue of choice, has always remained the same for its developer conferences, although the company had to return people because they could not be accommodated. Tickets had sold out in just two hours.
But all that had happened before. What’s different this time is that Jobs has deviated from his script. What’s also different is, this “some kinda new interesting cloud stuff” is more interesting than new.
Remember MobileMe?
MobileMe, about to be retired next year, is among those Apple products which did not click well with its gushing fan boys. MobileMe was about pushing user data to the cloud and actually hit the stands well before the word ‘Cloud Computing’ became the next sizzler in the IT world since sliced bread or ERP.
Hot or not, it had a hefty price tag attached ($99 for a 20 GB subscription per year) and a lot of users chose not to renew the service after their trial periods expired. The complimentary .mac e-mail IDs which came with the service were tempting, but did not prove to be seductive enough, especially as companies like Google offered more or less what MobileMe was offering (e-mail, calendaring, online documents and so forth) for free.
MobileMe also had more than its fair share of technical issues, forcing Apple at one time to extend the subscription for a complimentary time period by way of apology. Syncing was challenging, the service could be slow and CNET reported that at one time, the service locked about 1 per cent of its users out from their own e-mail.
One For All & All For One
Apple has become wiser now. Steve Jobs may make mistakes (the NeXT Cube comes to mind), but the man does not make the same mistake twice. Let us look at the key points regarding what the iCloud does:

• With iCloud, when anything changes on one of your devices, all your devices are wirelessly updated at the same time, if you are so inclined.
• Devices which will support iCloud include the iPhone, iPad and the iPod Touch. It will only support iOS5 and Lion (so you have to pay $29 upgrade cost if you are currently on Snow Leopard) with a valid Apple ID.
• Using iCloud with a PC will require Windows Vista or Windows 7 while Outlook 2010 or 2007 is recommended for accessing contacts and calendars.
• iTunes in the cloud will let you download tracks you may have previously purchased, to all your iOs devices for free.
• Music not purchased from iTunes can also walk and quack the same tune by using iTunes Match, a service that will replace your music with a 256 kbps AAC DRM-free version, if you can match it to the over 18 million songs in the iTunes Store. Which, let’s face it, will be a match for most of our music, for the most of us.
• Apps which you buy via one device will be automatically available in all. Ditto, books.
• The Photo Stream part of the iCloud will automatically upload photos you take or import, on any of your devices, and wirelessly push those to all your devices and computers.
• When you are charging your devices, they will be getting automatically backed up into the iCloud as well.
• iCloud Storage will store documents using iCloud Storage APIs, and will automatically push them to all your devices. Therefore, when you will edit a document on any device, iCloud will automatically update the rest of the copies.

Wanna Join Sir Paul In The Cloud?
With iCloud, Apple is encroaching Google territory. The search giant has just launched Chromebooks, which are, in effect, really thin clients, with all the applications and the data residing in the cloud.
If you are using iCloud, you will have a similar seamless integration experience, as far as your data go, especially if you have multiple Apple devices. (If you are on a high-bandwidth connection, you will probably won’t even notice if your application software is on the cloud or not).
Not only that. Apple is taking its first step and a giant leap towards consumer applications which do not reside in an Apple box, thereby providing competition to any technology company, big or small, which has a similar offering. Incidentally, this comes in the wake of Hewlett-Packard (HP) launching Sir Paul McCartney’s private cloud-based digital library, with over a million items in the collection.
So Much Free Storage!
As you may know, iCloud includes 5 GB of free cloud storage for your mail, documents and back-ups. Music, apps and books which we purchase, as well as the Photo Stream, do not count against the storage limit. Incidentally, Dropbox, a popular cloud service, also offers its users a free 5 GB threshold, charging for more storage if the user needs more.
We have said that music, apps and books we purchase, do not count against the storage limit! How is Apple giving you what looks like unlimited, infinite storage? Elementary, Watson. It is not as though you will not notice the difference.
Take pictures, for example. When photos are sent to your iOS device, they will appear in a Photo Stream album that holds a rolling collection of your last 1,000 photos. The iCloud will store new photos for 30 days, which will give you the time to download and save the photographs locally (so, if you are thinking of buying an iPad, better make it the one with the bigger memory).
What about music? Well, Apple already has an extensive library. It has iTunes. What you will have, is the access to Apple’s copy of the song that you have bought, which, in practicality, is the same thing, since you would have got it from them in the first place. Apple is not making multiple permanent copies of the same song if a zillion users just happen to buy the same track and store it in zillion different locations within the iCloud. You are not downloading the music from Apple and uploading it back again in the iCloud.
If you are in the USA, chances are you use Netflix, the movie rental company which has on-demand television shows and movies. You can watch the movies as long as you are connected to the Netflix server. It is going to be something similar with your music in the iCloud. It will let you access any music you may buy in iCloud, as long as you are connected to Apple’s servers and Apple’s storage. Plus, you will have them locally, if you so choose, and can enjoy them offline. The same thing goes for books and apps.
When Can I Have It?
Sometime this fall, says Apple. The iCloud beta and Cloud Storage APIs are available immediately to iOS and Mac software developers. And iTunes Match will be available for $24.99 per year, but it is slated to be available in the USA only for the time being.

A first look at Mac OS X 10.7 Lion

PREVIEW

Amid the fanfare of Steve Jobs' return to the stage for the WWDC 2011 conference, Apple went into plenty of detail on how the latest big-cat OS will integrate with iOS devices, mimic iOS features, work with iCloud and much more.
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, set for release next month and priced at £20.99, introduces a big shift toward centralising all your content, whether it's on your desktop, your iOS device or in the newly launched iCloud.
Many of the features in Mac OS X Lion have been made public in the past and all point toward an integration of data across multiple platforms.
More multitouch
Apple executive Philip Schiller started off talking about how multitouch gestures are the standard interface for iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads, and some gestures can already be used on Mac notebooks and Apple's Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. But with Lion, Apple says it's adding even more gestures and fine-tuning existing swipes and pinches with a much smoother, more realistic feel.
Apps go full screen
Next came full-screen apps. For a long time now, many Mac users have complained about Mac apps not having the ability to go full screen (Windows switchers are particularly aware of this). Thankfully, with OS X Lion, Mac users will now have the ability to view any app full screen, so they can get to work without all the usual distractions. To switch to a different app or return to the desktop, users can simply swipe the trackpad.
Mission Control
Mission Control is another long-awaited OS X feature that will become available with OS X Lion. With a swipe on the trackpad, users will be able to see, at a glance, everything that's running on their Mac, from apps to their associated open windows along with what's running in Spaces. With a centralised location to see everything running on their Mac, users will be able to get where they want to go immediately, without having to dig through menus, switch between Expose views or long-click Dock icons.
Mac App Store
The recently released Mac App Store, Apple seems to be continuing on the path of what the company views as a safer environment for distributing apps. Although some look at the Mac App Store and see a walled garden like the iTunes App Store, the setup does ensure that apps will work seamlessly on Apple's devices. Schiller went into detail of how developers will be able to take advantage of several new features to make their task easier.
LaunchPad
LaunchPad is another new feature coming in Mac OS X Lion, letting Mac desktop and notebook users quickly launch apps just like they would using an iOS device. Along with the quick access afforded by the grid-like app layout, users will be able to create folders for better organisation, and when they buy apps at the Mac App Store, those apps will automatically show up on LaunchPad.
File management
Next, Schiller showed how file management will be easier in Mac OS X Lion thanks to a few new features that help users save their work, track previous changes and pick up where they left off after a shutdown. With Versions and new auto-saving features, Lion automatically creates a version each time users open it and every hour they work on it. Just like the interface in Time Machine, users will be able to cycle back through versions if they just want to retrieve a previously deleted item, for example. They can then cut and paste work from an earlier version of their document to the current version.
Resume
Mac OS X Lion's new Resume feature lets users get back to where they left off after a shutdown or restart, bringing them back to exactly where they were when they closed out. This means they won't need to reopen all their apps and set everything up after a restart — all will be ready right from where they left off. A demo showed how quitting an app doesn't prompt you with a save dialogue because Lion has not only auto-saved your work, but also will save all your settings and how each window was laid out in the app.
AirDrop
Next up was AirDrop. Schiller showed how using AirDrop will let you drag and drop documents to nearby users. Simply open the peer-to-peer Wi-Fi-based network, drag the document to your chosen user and AirDrop automatically saves it to that user's Downloads folder.
Mail 5
Apple's Mail program will receive a facelift as well, using much the same layout found on the iPad's Mail app. Now with Mail 5, users will be able to quickly browse through messages on the left and get a full-screen preview of every email on the right. The addition of a new Mailbox bar will let users quickly access the most-used mail folders, letting them get where they want to go quickly. Schiller demonstrated the improved searching in Mail 5, showing how the app automatically gives you contacts and content from actual emails via the drop-down so you can find what you want quickly.
Mail 5 also offers a new conversation view, much like an organisation system found in the latest versions of Microsoft Outlook. With Conversation view, users will be able to group an entire thread of emails by conversation so they can quickly get to everything said about a subject. From there they can either save or delete entire conversations with only a couple of clicks. You can also drag-and-drop entire conversations to your favourites bar in Mail.
Lion will only be available in the Mac App Store and will be 4GB in size. It installs right in place, and when you purchase it, you can use it on all your authorised Macs. Mac OS X Lion will retail for £20.99.

Steve Jobs Announces Apple iCloud Service, Gets Ovation for Appearing

 
Apple CEO Steve Jobs today appeared at a software developers' conference in San Francisco to introduce a new operating system called Lion and a wireless service called iCloud, but his mere presence at the event dwarfed the announcement itself.
After several years of stories about his failing health and the self-imposed medical leave of absence he announced earlier this year, he got a standing ovation just for being there.
"We love you," shouted someone in the crowd.
"I appreciate it very much," Jobs answered.
Jobs, the mastermind behind the iPad, iPod, iPhone, iTunes and so much more of the iconic company's identity, has become such a looming figure in popular technology that you'd think he invented the apple, not just headed the company.
People emailing or Tweeting from the conference said he looked gaunt, though
Jobs "looks extremely thin," ABC News correspondent Neil Karlinsky wrote in email from the audience, but added, "He's walking steadily and seems to have energy."
Macrumorslive.com, a website that covers Apple full-time, commented, "Steve sounds... exasperated. Weirdly quiet and not as energetic."
Jobs didn't stay long, commanding the stage for approximately 3 minutes. "Today we're going to talk about software," he said, before handing off to Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president for worldwide marketing.
Schiller and colleagues showed how the Lion operating system, on a properly-equipped computer, could offer the same kind of touch-to-activate features one finds on the iPad tablet. He said it offers 250 new features.
Jobs returned to the stage to introduce iCloud, a service he said would make it possible for users to access photos, music, documents and other content at any time from any device. He demonstrated how photos taken with an iPhone were visible on a user's iPad moments later.
ICloud, which will be free initially, replaces an earlier Apple service, MobileMe, which Jobs called "not our finest hour."
Many users of Apple devices had been frustrated that if, for example, they bought a piece of music from Apple's iTunes store, they were limited in how many places they could store it -- and in trouble if their iPod or MacBook computer broke down or was lost. The iCloud, Apple said, will solve such issues.
The service will integrate what you can get on different Apple devices, the company said. If you've been reading a book on an iPad, Jobs said, you can open it on an iPhone -- and the bookmark to show your place will open with it.
Personal photos, the company said, will not be kept permanently on Internet servers. After 30 days they will need to be downloaded to one's own devices, because they consume large amounts of computer memory.
Jobs Reappears from Medical Leave
Immediate reaction to the new offerings was positive, but many in the crowd of 5,200 were still reacting to Jobs himself, who wore a trademark black mock turtleneck and blue jeans.

Live Blogging Apple’s iCloud Announcement

 
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is set to open here today at the Moscone Center West. The highlight will be the keynote address, by Steven P. Jobs, the company’s chief executive. The conference is the yearly gathering for the companies that develop applications for Apple’s products. In an unusual preview, Apple has already announced that it will unveil new versions of the operating systems that run its computers, smartphones and tablets, as well as a new Internet service, iCloud. The company has given few other details. But analysts say the service will allow people to listen to their music — and possibly gain access to photos, videos and other media — over the Internet on Apple devices, without keeping actual copies of those files on each device, and without syncing.
I’ll be chronicling the events here as they happen, with contributions from John Markoff, veteran technology reporter. We’d like to hear any and all questions from readers, and will try to answer them in our coverage.
Mr. Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January, is expected on stage at 10 a.m. local time, 1 p.m. Eastern time. So stay tuned for updates.