First Thoughts on iCloud
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7:57PM
John Bletsch

I will probably write more about Apple's iCloud as it becomes available in the fall but a few elements are accessible to users right now and I could not resist the urge to start playing with them.  Being an Apple fanboy, I turned on the iCloud features that are now available in iOS and downloaded iTunes 10.3 to my Macs so I could try out the new cloud goodness.  On an iOS device running 4.3.3 you get some new options in iTunes and the App Store that allow you to access music and iOS apps that you have previously purchased but have either deleted or not downloaded to the device in question.  I was able to view a list of my previously purchased iTunes music (with some helpful search options) and then download tracks and whole albums to my iPhone and iPad.  I also tried accessing apps in the App Store that I had purchased for my iPhone and then deleted due to space constraints. This also worked as expected and I was soon downloading several games that I own but had forgotten about. For me all this is pure gold as I hate connecting my iPhone or iPad to my computer to load content.  I use Mobile Me for calendar, contacts and email so I have little reason other than loading new media to do so. With these media features of iCloud I won't have to do that unless I need to load an OS update or want to back up me device.  When iCloud goes completely live in the fall even those two tasks won't require a wire and a computer.  This is only the tip of the iceberg of what iCloud has to offer.  I can't wait to get ahold of the final product.

Article originally appeared on John Bletsch's Digital Scribbles (http://johnbletsch.net/).
See website for complete article licensing information.