Apple unveils new versions of OS X and iOS, major iCloud update with iCloud Drive

“Apple Inc. on Monday unveiled plans for a new version of its iOS software for the iPhone and iPad, as well as a new look and feel of its Mac operating system,” Daisuke Wakabayashi reports for The Wall Street Journal.

“The new software for Macs, called Yosemite, is designed to look more like the operating system behind the company’s iPhone and iPad devices. Its new features include an updated Safari browser, the ability to use the Mac as a speakerphone, and a service called ‘handoff,’ which lets users start an activity on one device and pass it to another.,” Wakabayashi reports. “Apple also unveiled new operating software for its iPhone and iPad, called iOS 8, which now includes many features found in popular photo, messaging and email apps.”

“Apple also showed off a major update to its iCloud service, which allows users to store files on servers operated by Apple,” Wakabayashi reports. “Up until now, iCloud’s storage offering was fairly limited compared with competitors such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft’s OneDrive. Now, users can finally use it to store files of your choosing, and sync with not only other Mac devices but also Windows computers as well.”

“In addition, Apple introduced a related service called Mail Drop, which allows for large-size file attachments in email, leveraging the cloud drive,” Wakabayashi reports. “More important[ly], Apple is dramatically lowering its pricing for iCloud Drive. In addition to the 5 gigabytes you get free, Apple will provide 20 gigabytes for 99 cents a month and 200 gigabytes for $3.99 a month.”

Read more in the full article here.

Related articles:
Apple’S WWDC news bores investors, not developers – June 2, 2014
Apple’s HealthKit aims to unite wearables and fitness apps – June 2, 2014
Apple releases iOS 8 SDK with over 4,000 new APIs – June 2, 2014
Apple unveils iOS 8, the biggest release since the launch of the App Store – June 2, 2014
Apple announces OS X Yosemite for Macintosh – June 2, 2014

29 Comments

    1. MS has to be po’d as they’ve had 7 years to step up the action and have wiffed it.

      Google’s mole also missed it, thinking just a bit of Andy’s code would save G’s search income, but they had no ‘vision’ and now Apple has put search everywhere, front and center (of the screen.)

      Poof on pricing, features, integration across devices, hardware and the coding systems and ease of use, so they are DOA.

        1. Hmmm, I had great experiences with iDisk. The only thing I remember being slow was uploads, but, that was because ISP’s weren’t offering today’s speeds.

        1. Explain how dropping a company because they hired a war criminal as a Board member is racist. The same would apply if Dubya, Rummy, Deadeye Dick Cheney, Pearle, Wolfowitz, Eliot Abrams or and other Chickenhawk NeoCon was put on the board.

  1. I think what was announced was amazing – just as it is. Nobody else comes anywhere close.
    When one then goes on to think of the implications… what will be built to make use of all this… wow!

  2. Fundamental difference between Apple’s iCloud drive and all other Dropbox/Google-Drive / OneDrive services is that for iCloud, the service is paid for when you buy hardware from Apple (remember those exceptionally fat profit margins? That’s what they are for!). With DropBox and Google, the service is free. So, ask yourself, what are you if you are not the paying customer? You are the product, and somebody is selling you to their paying customer!

    Of course, this was always true for MobileMe / iCloud versus other free mail services.

    1. Well, just to be fair to Dropbox…
      Google, yes. We all know that.
      Dropbox – it’s a viable business model to have a minimal free level of service that gives people an easy way in and is covered by all those who find it useful and upgrade to paid. So I wouldn’t lump them in with “Do Evil”.

      1. Which is why I have never upgraded. Now I can get a better solution (in theory anyway). They are going to struggle now on the Mac especially as owning the OS will give you further advantages as things develop. This is all assuming that it works seamlessly of course. iCloud does for me whereas iMessage can be a real pain so we shall see.

    1. because iDisk was all used up, and it implies parity with MS “SkyDrive”. Which is funny, because so much of Apple’s backend, right now, is through Azure with MS. I assume these new services, starting with radio, is why they needed these large data centers.

    2. Well…. spinning disks are somewhat of an anachronism nowadays.

      Many Macs may store files on Flash memory, Solid-state, or something else. All iPhones and iPads have never used spinning disks and although server farms no doubt use them along with other mediums… to most consumers, they’re just saving things on the internet.

      Drive seems far more appropriately generic.

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