iCloud goes live, iOS 5 release nears
As we count the final moments before iOS 5 goes live for the masses, iCloud has been already rolled out. Apple’s cloud-based service now will accept your credentials, but it still requires activation on the latest Mac OS X Lion or iOS 5.
The iCloud website was previously only open for developers and in its beta stage, but now its dropped the beta sign and everyone is allowed in. The design has also changed slightly.
iCloud basically boils down to keeping and syncing your data to the Apple cloud. It does almost everything MobileMe did in the past, but adds a lot of features. So first of all, it will back up your contacts, calendar and mail. It will also neatly synchronize your purchased apps across devices. Say, you’ve bought an application on your iPhone and want to use it on your iPad. The said app will appear in a separate purchased list on the tablet and you’d only need to download it without paying anything to get it on the tablet.
The other new thing is the way photos are stored and pushed via PhotoStream, so you can instantly have your photos across devices. Finally, it’s also about music - all songs purchased on iTunes will now appear in your music library on different supported gadgets. Apple is also expected to roll out iTunes Match soon, which will match your non-iTunes tracks to iTunes songs and automatically give you a 256Kbps AAC DRM-free version of the songs.
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