“Apple has taken another step toward turning iWork into a service anyone can take advantage of, similar to Google’s web-based productivity suite.,” Darrell Etherington reports for TechCrunch.
“The company made its iWork for iCloud apps available to anyone, regardless of whether or not they have any Apple hardware, so long as they have or sign up for an Apple ID,” Etherington reports. “So far, that’s only available via the public iCloud Beta, but presumably if all goes well with the test that will roll out to the standard version of iCloud after that.”
Etherington writes, “The web-based versions of Apple’s iWork suite are surprisingly complete, and also manage to keep getting better, thanks to updates that have brought features like interactive charts and a much better user interface to the platform since its introduction back in 2013.”
Read more in the full article here.
I do NOT want cloud computing. I want my files on my computer. Cloud should only be used for backup. Listening Apple? Adobe? Intuit??
I had my hair cut last evening. I noticed a big, shiny new iMac on the counter. They used to have a piece of Windows junk. I asked them why they bought a Mac. It’s because it is better made and will last longer. I asked them if they had to get a new scheduling and billing applicatin to run on the Mac. “Oh no, our software is internet based. We access it with Safari.”
Listening Apple? Adobe:? Intuit? David?
I try not to be surprised by the arrogance of those who think their personal experience and preferences apply to everyone, or even a significant enough group that the needs of everyone else should be ignored.
Just wait until they loose their internet for a few hours or days and they can’t access their apps. Or, when someone hacks their info on the cloud.
I stated that “I” don’t want cloud computer. You ASSumed that I meant it for everyone. Looks like YOU are the arrogant one.
No David, it’s quite obvious that you are the arrogant one. Your initial post states what you prefer and impudently asks Apple, Adobe and Intuit if they’re listening to you.
Obviously you are entitled to your opinion, as is everybody else, but only an arrogant person would expect major corporations to care about what they think.
If anybody is interested in my opinion, Cloud computing has it’s place and I use it as part of a range of solutions. It’s to be encouraged, but also to be used sensibly and intelligently.
You meant it for EVERYONE because you ended your post with, “Listening Apple? Adobe? Intuit??”
Why should they listen to your rantings?
If you don’t want iCloud don’t use it. Simple, right?
I agree… Honestly, they should get rid of the computer altogether and go back to a pencil and scheduling book. I mean what happens if they should – God forbid – LOSE POWER???
What will they do?
No, the question is not between a computer (which is in your personal control) and a pencil and paper (which is in your personal control). The question is between whether you fundamentally retain control of your stuff or whether you are forever dependent on someone else to do so. The choice is between freedom and slavery; where do you think the rental society is leading us if not to less and less ownership, comrade?
@ Michael: We use an Uninterruptable Power Supply. We own it and we maintain it. It has protected us from power failures and is very cost effective. Rental computing, not so much. You’re just making yourself reliant on one more service that you don’t control. iCloud is just Apple’s way of getting you on a monthly contract, no different than Adobe or Microsoft.
From what they told me, their computer and application crashed and resulted in data loss. They have not lost any data from their current provider. Their internet service hasn’t gone down. If it did, they have manual backup. Data loss is extremely unlikely, a lot less likely then problems with their hard disks. Someone might hack into their info on the cloud, Again, it’s possible but extremely unlikely. Stealing data from small businesses is not as valuable as data from big box retailers and insurance companies. The crooks know where the money is.
So all I can say is, so far they’ve been much happier with their new system than their old. If I checked back in a year and I’ll bet I’d get the same answer. They find the new system to be easier to maintain and much more stable in all aspects. As far as security, if you’re connected to the internet, you’re just as vulnerable as they are.
I call BS. If a software crash occurs, then data will be lost whether you’re hooked up to your hard drive or somebody’s server.
If a hard drive malfunctions and it’s not backed up, then that’s stupidity on the part of the business owner. All data needs to be backed up, period. Laziness on their part continues to this day because it appears now they are trusting some cloud provider to secure their data for them. Make a local backup and no failure will impact your data. Tie yourself to the internet at all times, and you have one more critical thread that you need to rely on at all times.
I guarantee that averaged over the life of a server, a business class RAID server would cost them less than whatever cloud service they’re buying. Cloud service is really only an expensive lazy way to have an offsite backup. Again, for the average consumer or small business, it’s much cheaper to manage that for yourself. The cloud only makes sense for multinational organizations — and only then when the cloud provider and all internet infrastructure can be relied upon.
Relax!
I still remember a friend of mine saying he doesn’t want any of his important files on a computer. He would rather store them on a safe in hard copy. That was in 1978.
Then the same guy said he didn’t want his camera, phone music player all in ONE device. He wanted to see and feel each individual device in a separate form. That was in 1990.
Sit back and see where cloud takes us.
BTW, no one is forcing you to use it.
If Apple is not forcing users to use iCloud, then why is an Apple ID required when you set up your Mac?
Just click on “skip”.
On the iPhone, Apple is a little more persistent and tricky. The question is, “why”? From a company that values privacy (kudos!), the insistence on iCloud is a bit perplexing and vexatious. It’s almost like they want to inculcate DEPENDENCY, not creativity and independence.
What will you do if Apple removes the Skip button in the next OS?
Apple has become the Big Brother it rebelled against in 1984.
You are purposefully confusing the matter. The fundamental question is, “Do you have control over your own stuff”? It’s not paranoid to want to own things, instead of lease them. Rather, why do companies think that they can keep us on the hook forever, always connected to their hub? Usually this involves constant remission of monies, so you can see why people are adverse to it, right?
You could argue that yes, Adobe is forcing you to rent your software, and if you want to be using the best tools in the field, then you are being forced. The alternatives are getting better to things like Photoshop, but they’re still not there yet.
If you wait to see where the rental society takes us, it will be too late. Soon, you will not be ABLE to own things.
I DON’T LIKE BROCCOLI !!!
Are you listening Apple?
What does your opinion of cloud computing have to do with this? Don’t use it. Everything that Apple offers on iCloud, is already natively supported by Apple’s devices.
Problem is, those of us who cannot use somebody else’s server (for too many reasons to count) are sick of paying the Apple premium for software that is more complicated and less reliable than it was 5 years ago.
iCloud is a service that should be offered separately from the OS and from apps. Apple is degrading their software by adding complicated stuff like iCloud. Bloating the OS with this stuff is not value added to those companies & users who need better reliability/security/usability/privacy that no cloud provider guarantees.
I agree 100%. It is very important to retain control over your own things; to be nudged or forced into software rental is disgusting. It cultivates dependency, not independence.
There is no software rental.
Hard drive space is not software rental. In fact you can go a long long way with the free space they give you.
Note: I didn’t say “iCloud”. Adobe practices software rental. Apple is practicing data rental, and both of which are forms of dependency. Note: this is not the same kind of dependency as becoming dependent on a calculator. I say this because I’m not sure you understand the objection.
Apple is not forcing it on you.
They are trying to bring you out of the stone age kicking and screaming. Because Apple BELIEVE’s this is a STEP towards much bigger things. More exciting things.
Even STILL, Apple give you options to SKIP.
It is in your personal CULTURE to be as suspect as you are. You simply will not believe that Apple is trying to help you. You believe that they do this purely for making money.
Apple is simply doing the RIGHT thing. Be it walled ecosystem (open is really ridiculous if you think about it for one moment) or Solar Power or thinness of devices or any other number of things people thing about. Apple takes it from all people like you. People who don’t see the big picture. The only thing people like you understand is greed. So when you see someone like Apple trying to do the right thing all you see is suspiciousness. You can’t see past your inherent personal greed. It is a cultural thing.
What Apple does is a beautiful thing that only Apple has so far pulled off. Apple simply doesn’t do things for money. They do it because it is right. The rest (making money) is a byproduct. I am not sure you will understand this.
Again, Paul, you are blind if you can’t see what the iCloud is.
The day will come when iCloud fails you, then maybe you’ll see the risk involved in storing your data on somebody else’s servers. Or perhaps you just like Apple as a company and you think somehow Apple provides a superior storage service? Sadly, you assume too much. If you bothered to read the iCloud agreement, you’ll see that Apple gives you no guarantees. Apple does not ensure privacy, reliability, or accessibility.
To pretend that Apple is somehow better than the software rental companies is self-delusion. Both business models are intended to take more money from the computing user by getting the subscription income rolling.
MACUSER,
>>>>Again, Paul, you are blind if you can’t see what the iCloud is.
iCloud is a stepping stone to bigger things. A big picture you will never understand it appears.
>>>>The day will come when iCloud fails you, then maybe you’ll see the risk involved in storing your data on somebody else’s servers.
Apple servers are way better protected than any storage system you have.
>>>>>>Or perhaps you just like Apple as a company and you think somehow Apple provides a superior storage service?
iCloud is NOT a big HD in the sky. Not sure you will ever understand this simple thing because you are culturally ingrained with greed and deceit. This in turns make you think that everyone else must be too.
>>>>>Sadly, you assume too much. If you bothered to read the iCloud agreement, you’ll see that Apple gives you no guarantees. Apple does not ensure privacy, reliability, or accessibility.
No one would EVER give you such guarantees. It is a result of the SUE culture that exists in America.
>>>>>>>To pretend that Apple is somehow better than the software rental companies is self-delusion. Both business models are intended to take more money from the computing user by getting the subscription income rolling.
Apple does not want your money as a PRIMARY objective. Their primary objective is to offer you a life changing ROAD MAP. If you want to be a part of that map, then you should pay for it. Don’t you agree?
arrogance will get you nowhere, Paul. I understand very well what the iCloud is, and I also understand that Apple doesn’t guaranteed anything about it. As a business owner, you’d be stupid to enter into an agreement based on blind trust. Read the iCloud user agreement for yourself. It makes absolutely no sense for a person or company who has critical data security/privacy/accessibility needs to use the consumer-oriented iCloud or most any other consumer cloud, especially at the prices they charge.
I don’t want a stupid map to the future. I need reliable computing, something which it appears Apple is abandoning in favor of consumer-grade software that constantly attempts to hook you into a service. Apple OSes went downhill the day they stopped charging money for them — now the OS itself has stopped improving its performance in desktop or intranet operation and instead all new development at Apple has been an attempt to repeat what companies like DropBox, MS, Google, and Amazon are attempting to do: get you on a monthly contract.
Paul, it’s great to know that your data needs are so small. Let’s just talk about personal needs for a second and ignore business data: Our combined household personal music collection alone (in lossless formats) takes a couple terabytes. Those are legitimate purchases and music we played and recorded ourselves. Then on top of that we have home movies and about 50 years of family photos that have been scanned and archived on the server. Then there are personal legal documents, financial stuff, etc on top of that that needs to be archived and backed up.
And you think Apple is going to do that cost effectively? How about when we go to the cabin, which is off the grid and has no internet or cell phone access?
Face it, Paul: Apple is delusional if it thinks standalone computing is a relic of the past. Some of us Think Different and still maintain the Mac at the center of our digital lives. The iCloud will not for the foreseeable future ever replace our local servers the way you imagine it could. It’s too limited, too costly, and it’s not accessible everywhere we work. Get it yet? People who have no data and spend their entire lives with their nose in front of their iPhone may think the cloud sounds perfect, but we do not. I suspect that a great majority of longtime Mac users agree with us.
Dude, chill. No one’s forcing you to use the cloud.