“Could Apple be working on the ‘iCloud Home’ — a Mac mini-based iCloud server for the home and home/small business office — I’ve long wanted?” Dennis Sellers wonders for Apple Daily report. “Perhaps.”
“The company has filed a patent (number 20130311597) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for ‘locally-backed, cloud-based storage,'” Sellers reports. “Apple notes that a popular service offered by many cloud computing systems is cloud-based storage. To enhance this service, the cloud-based storage can be extended through the use of a local storage device. A local storage device, such as a network enabled external hard drive, can be made available via a user’s Internet connection, per the patent filing.”
“The local storage device can then be used to transparently store the user’s content,” Sellers reports. “That is, the user can still back up their devices to the cloud, but in some cases instead of the content residing in the cloud-based storage, it can reside on the local storage device without additional action required by the user.”
Read more in the full article here.
I’d get one.
Me too.
Me three!
Me 5710!
Bring it on!
That will be interesting when the NSA wants what is backed up in your house.
If some of your files never leave your home and the NSA still looks at them then this will get real interesting. How about my office files that remain at work and never on the internet?
Really? The NSA?
If the NSA was interested in targeting you, it would be much easier for them to hack into your computer at home, then it would be Apple’s iCloud servers.
When it comes data collection, the NSA doesn’t seem to be at all interested in “targeting.” Seem they would rather collect all data, from every source, about everyone, indiscriminately.
Which does make sense, if you think about it in a unconstitutional totalitarian kind of way: how would they know who to target until after they collect all the data about them?
I wanted this for about three years
I’d guess that Time Machine would be extended to include iCloud syncing rather than some new product.
That’s assuming that iCloud becomes a 100% transparent file service rather than the hybrid service that iCloud is currently.
Why is this new?
This can be done already. The real trick is DNS issues with home based dynamic connections and not having to pay for a service like dynamic DNS. Or just updating your app or whatever if your ip changes. No real news here.
OS X Server offers calendar, contacts, messaging, file sharing, and mail – most of the things that iCloud already does.
Suppose they take the extra step and allow local iClouds that automate the process for users, using either a server domain address or an Apple-originated forwarding service for home users without a domain/static IP.
I suspect this is more a way to get enterprises who balk at off-site clouds to embrace iOS. I remember somewhere that iOS has been hosted on MS Azure, so don’t be surprised if this also runs on MS Server 2012 (but NOT client versions of Windows) like BB Messenger. This would be Apple’s Trojan horse to get deeper into enterprise.
Sounds like Dropbox to me! Locally stored and on a cloud based server as well.
However, I am sure Apple will add something to difference themselves.
I’d be interested to know how this would be an improvement over my current NAS drive setup. It works as a local cloud device. I’m sure Apple will have a new twist on things.
Check out the ‘LaCie Cloudbox’ at http://www.lacie.com/au/products/product.htm?id=10597. Works a treat.
One big difference is that you’d probably be able to do a Spotlight search on the Apple box. From what I understand, you can’t search NAS devices and remote servers with Spotlight… Or do I have it wrong?
I just want back local syncing for contacts and calendar.
If it’s local storage, then how is it in “the cloud.” I thought the could was the opposite of local storage. I’ve used network drives for backup and local storage for many years. Having I been using the cloud all along and not known it?
The cloud is “local storage” it just happens to be in another “local”ity. if your Internet fails because a powerline is down or there is a problem with your DSL connection or modem then you could windup still being able to get something done instead of just sitting on your thumbs and wishing that there was a way to make that one change to some document before you drive to your job and present something you’ve been working on for a long time simply because there is a break in the phone
And if the iCloud data centers get’s cut by either natural disasters or human sabotage (aaatchsamsungoooo! excuse me)
I already have redundant for all (read: at least the important.. oh, how do i know whats important???)
It would certainly be a nice feature of the new Apple TV? Whether it be a standalone TV or next generation set top box it could be somewhere you store all your movies, music, documents and everything else…of course all accessible from your Mac, iPad and iPhone.
I do believe in the cloud, but I don’t believe in an external cloud. Your own data in your own cloud, that’s my best option. So a local Mac Server with your own ‘I’cloud. All the benefits of a pretty good and safe system in your own hands.