“If I were to publish everything I know regarding tomorrow’s announcements, it would be a short and decidedly unsensational article,” John Gruber writes for Daring Fireball. “What I know are a handful of minor features at the edges. The big picture regarding iOS 5 and iCloud — and how the two interrelate — is an utter mystery to me. These things have been as well-kept secrets as any major projects from Apple in recent years.”
“iCloud’s expected music storage has of course leaked, but that’s almost certainly the inevitable result of Apple’s dealings with the music labels,” Gruber writes. “Music storage is a feature of iCloud; iCloud is not a music service.”
Under the heading, “What i’ve heard, and believe, but by no means know as fact,” Gruber writes. “The italicized sentence that follows is fourth-hand information, at best, and also the sort of thing that many of you might have already guessed based merely on your own hunches and hopes. But here goes: Don’t think of iCloud as the new MobileMe; think of iCloud as the new iTunes.”
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
That’s laughable. I can’t imagine how iTunes will magically transform into iCloud when iTunes is essentially local and iCloud is essentially data stored in the NC data center.
What I would like Apple to do is get the basics right – enable syncing between devices of business related information, stuff like calendar events, email, remote data storage on iDisk, just the simple stuff done right. Then we can talk about music streaming from the cloud which I see adds little value to me.
Gruber knows his stuff, so to call what he says laughable is shortsighted. Obviously iTunes won’t be replaced, but iCloud could be the first step towards that. Pay attention when Gruber talks – he’s almost never wrong.
That headline is a bit misleading. Gruber’s point has to do with syncing and with all the non-music aspects of syncing that iTunes currently handles: calendar, contacts, etc. And his further point is that this will mark the untethering of ios devices from the mac and pc.
My interpretation is that Gruber sees iCloud as the mobile side of iTunes.
I hope iCloud rains on Google’s ill gotten Android
Jobs describes iCloud in 1997:
http://www.cultofmac.com/watch-steve-jobs-describe-icloud-back-in-1997-video/98702
MobileMe sent me a message this morning: you have used 29.8gb of your 30gb storage…you may purchase more storage…
Okay, can we please get this announcement down with so I can start planning my needs?
i think that icloud will be complete syncing of your home folder, available to be logged into from anywhere. ios devices will be able to stream music from your own online home folder, but youll also be able to open any other supported documents from your ios devices, or log in on a friends computer to your own online home folder.
“That’s laughable. I can’t imagine how iTunes will magically transform into iCloud when iTunes is essentially local and iCloud is essentially data stored in the NC data center.”
Er, did you miss “new” in “the new iTunes” ?
One rumor that seems reasonable is that iCloud will know which songs you purchased in the iTMS, and will make them available for streaming wherever you have net access. How is that not a “new” iTunes – streaming your own music to you without you having to upload it first?
Balmer’s left nut is complete satire.
Unbelievable! All this hype just because Steve Jobs changed the name of MobileMe to iCloud. There is absolutely no way in the world that the reality of WWDC is going to live up to the endless hype. The press is going to write up Apple’s failure by the rules of subtraction. For every supposedly rumored feature iCloud was going to offer, they’re going to subtract one point if it doesn’t show up. Apple will be down 10 points in fifteen minutes time. WWDC is going to be the focus of everything that iCloud DOESN’T offer to users. As for Lion and iOS 5, the pundits will be whining about all the features Apple left out that everyone wanted.
WWDC will be another press disaster for Apple. Might as well short Apple now and be done with it. Things can only get worse as time draws closer to the keynote. Rumors have it that Steve Jobs has lost weight during his medical leave. That’s all Wall Street needs to hear to start panic selling of Apple shares.
Excellent padawan, you’ve grasped the formula for producing milk and honey. Join the proactive and invest in a few jars, or continue to preach to the choir.
“another press disaster”??
I agree with the general sentiment that the press will be comparing their speculation with the reality, but there are few actual “press disater(s)” for Apple. Apple seems pretty good at manipulating the press and I do not consider there to have been any press related problems that have done anything to affect sales. Death grip maybe? That’s about it.
Also, if you think Apple spent > $1 billion on a data center just to “change the name of MobileMe”, well, I don’t know what to tell you.
I wonder if thewiseinvestor is macdude in disguise?
I surprised at the number of people this doesn’t upset all this cloud crap. Hey guess what we will have your data, your applications, your computer is just a way to visit it. When we what to change the rule (which Apple is notorious for) then go way with nothing. Privacy don’t worry about 3rd parties storing your files, and scanning them for marketing data and and other analysis. Sing happy songs as we turn your computer into a fancy dumb terminal. Boy has computing going fully cycle. We’ve returned to computer and storage is off somewhere and I have my access appliance.
Clearly, you are talking about networking, wired and wireless, or otherwise.
Your reaction is common among those who find, shadows of prying eyes.
Networking’s not for everyone, and those who think iCloud is a caper,
should keep their opinions to themselves and stick with pen and paper.
It’s called free will. It can be exercised here.
I’m expecting an iCloud with a double rainbow! A freakin’ Double Rainbow!!!
No better way to describe it than a double rainbow. Because there’s a pot of gold for both Apple and us.
A pot of gold might represent a time savings for some, and a consolidated repository for others. Either way, I see it enriching my life just a bit more.
No, Wise Investor, all Wall Street needs to hear is you flacking for people to panic sell Apple shares. God help anyone who makes investment decisions based on what s/he reads in the MDN comment section.
No one can say for certain what Apple has in store for iCloud, including Apple.
Every Apple product brought to market is shaped over time by the millions of consumers who decide how they’re going to use it. Apple then polishes the positive and dissects the negative.
I’m not going to think about iCloud AT ALL unless it works with Mac OS 10.6.