Unless you have been living on another planet for the last few months you will no doubt have heard about the release of the new iPhone 4S. Taking over from the iPhone 4, it unveiled a number of innovative new features from Apple, such as iCloud.
In this article I will take a look at the iCloud service and the benefits it brings to its users.
What Is iCloud?
iCloud is probably best described as a virtual hard drive which makes all of your content available on all of your Apple devices. Therefore this service is perfect for those who own more than one Apple device, such as an iPad, iMac, iPod Touch or MacBook.
How Does It Work?
To explain how iCloud works, I will walk you though and example. Let’s say that you download an album via iTunes on your iPhone 4S. It downloads straight to the phone, so you can listen to it on the phone instantly via the iPod function. However, it will also be instantly added to the iTunes library on your other Apple devices, so when you get home to your iPad or iMac, you will find the album in the iTunes library ready to play on this device also. This is a simple idea, but a very useful one.
Who Is iCloud For?
As mentioned, iCloud is for those who own an iPhone 4S as well as another compatible device such as a new generation iPod Touch, iPad or Apple computer. However it has more applications than music downloads. It is likely to prove invaluable for business users. Maybe you are working on a presentation or spreadsheet at home on your MacBook Pro. Then when you get to work, you will find it stored on your iMac or iPad 2, with all changes saved. Also, you may need to update your calendar or reminders by rescheduling a meeting on your iPhone 4S. The updates will be transferred to the calendar application on your other Apple devices, so it offers a new level of convenience. It also works for photos. Using the 8 megapixel camera on the iPhone 4S, you can take a photo or shoot a video, and it will be instantly stored on your iPad, iPod Touch or other Apple device.
iCloud is a typical of Apple doing what they do best. It is innovative, easy to use, and very useful. The appeal of the iCloud service is likely to reach many types of user thanks to its varied applications in the real world. When you sign up to iCloud you get 5 GB of storage, which can also be used to backup all of your data. Let’s say the worst should happen and you lose your iPhone 4S; all of its contents will be stored on another Apple device, so you can then reload it once you get a replacement handset.
The iPhone 4S is available now on major UK networks. Some of these offer the handset for free on selected tariffs, so there has never been a better time to take advantage of impressive features like iCloud.