Rumor: Think of Apple's iCloud as 'the new iTunes'

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple's forthcoming cloud-based service could replace iTunes' syncing functionality, according to an unverified report.



John Gruber of Daring Fireball suggested in a post on Sunday, "Don?t think of iCloud as the new MobileMe; think of iCloud as the new iTunes," though he qualified the report by noting it as "fourth-hand information, at best." Gruber is generally well-connected when it comes to Apple predictions and has a reliable track record.



Gruber acknowledged that he knows just a "handful of minor features" regarding Monday's announcements for iOS 5 and iCloud. "These things have been as well-kept secrets as any major projects from Apple in recent years," he wrote.



However, Gruber speculates that iCloud would replace iTunes as the "central store for almost all data" stored on iPhones, iPods and iPads, moving the information to the cloud. Thus, iCloud could do away with USB tethering and syncing, allowing users to setup new iOS devices just by logging into an iTunes account.



Such a service would, however, affect MobileMe as well, as iTunes and MobileMe overlap on the kind of data they store. For example, iTunes currently syncs "audio, movies and TV shows, iBooks e-books, App Store apps, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, notes, and any sort of files shared between iOS apps," while MobileMe's "major selling points" include cloud-based syncing of bookmarks, contacts, calendars and files. As such, if the iCloud service were to mirror iTunes backups for iOS devices, MobileMe could appear to be obsolete, especially with its $99 price tag.







Gruber also pointed out that if Apple can reach a deal with the movie studios for iCloud, the second-generation Apple TV could more easily stream purchased movies instead of just renting them.



AppleInsider has heard that iCloud is more than just music, allowing users to sync and store information currently managed by iTunes and MobileMe. Sources have also told AppleInsider that Apple may offer portions of the iCloud service free to Mac owners who upgrade to Mac OS X Lion, which comes out this summer.



The much-rumored streaming music feature of iCloud is expected to cost money. Multiple music industry insiders have indicated that Apple has successfully negotiated new licenses with the major record labels that would allow users to stream music. One report suggested last week that iCloud will initially be offered free to iTunes music customers, with an eventual $25 subscription fee.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 150
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    John Gruber of Daring Fireball suggested in a post on Sunday, "Don’t think of iCloud as the new MobileMe; think of iCloud as the new iTunes,"



    So iCloud will be slow buggy and crashtasitc on Windows - Just like iTunes?



    I would be willing to bet with the numbers they are selling, iOS users on windows must outnumber iOS device users on Macs at this stage. If Gruber is right about the magnitude of this, I hope that they have redone the windows client under the hood.



    The iTunes desktop software (Mac or PC) is the worst part of being an iOS user in my opinion.
  • Reply 2 of 150
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by a_greer View Post


    So iCloud will be slow buggy and crashtasitc on Windows - Just like iTunes?



    I would be willing to bet with the numbers they are selling, iOS users on windows must outnumber iOS device users on Macs at this stage.



    Windows users of iTunes always outnumbered those on the Mac, when it was first offered. The growth of the Mac user base actually lends one to hypothesize that the number of Windows users is being reduced and moving to the Mac, not the other way around.
  • Reply 3 of 150
    kozchriskozchris Posts: 209member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by a_greer View Post


    So iCloud will be slow buggy and crashtasitc on Windows - Just like iTunes?



    I would be willing to bet with the numbers they are selling, iOS users on windows must outnumber iOS device users on Macs at this stage. If Gruber is right about the magnitude of this, I hope that they have redone the windows client under the hood.



    The iTunes desktop software (Mac or PC) is the worst part of being an iOS user in my opinion.



    I have almost 200G of music and movies and never had iTunes crash in windows. It is also snappy considering the amount of data. I run iTunes on a 2005 laptop. The memory footprint of iTunes on my Windows laptop is always in line with some of the MS programs like Outlook or Internet Explorer. Sounds like you have some conflict going on your machine.
  • Reply 4 of 150
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Won't syncing demands -- especially the first-time sync whenever a new iOS product is introduced by Apple that typically involves tens of GB of downloads for the average user -- simply overwhelm the capacity of bandwidth pipes?



    I have seen no major deals announced with the key bandwidth providers, i.e., the cable companies, in the lead up to this.



    Put me in the 'skeptical' column.
  • Reply 5 of 150
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by a_greer View Post


    So iCloud will be slow buggy and crashtasitc on Windows - Just like iTunes?



    I would be willing to bet with the numbers they are selling, iOS users on windows must outnumber iOS device users on Macs at this stage. If Gruber is right about the magnitude of this, I hope that they have redone the windows client under the hood.



    The iTunes desktop software (Mac or PC) is the worst part of being an iOS user in my opinion.



    And your opinion is so far off from reality it enters the realm of fantasy.
  • Reply 6 of 150
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


    And your opinion is so far off from reality it enters the realm of fantasy.



    i rather agree that itunes is not as good as it could be. It's not horrid at least on a Mac but there are other ways to handle many of the functions which could be better. Like say when you plug in a device, you don't have to fire up Itunes to get to the sync screens. You just double click an icon on your desktop.
  • Reply 7 of 150
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    However, Gruber speculates that iCloud would replace iTunes as the "central store for almost all data" stored on iPhones, iPods and iPads, moving the information to the cloud. Thus, iCloud could do away with USB tethering and syncing, allowing users to setup new iOS devices just by logging into an iTunes account.



    Yay!



    Finally someone has figured out how to solve the hassle of having all my data, songs, apps, books, and movies available with me at all times and replaced it with the convienence of downloading it all over and over again over slow public wi-fi!



    And for just $25.00 per year I will be able to listen to music I've already paid for whenever I want (after I download it over said slow public wi-fi)! That's lightyears ahead of what I'm forced to do now: listen to it instantly for free.



    And Apple's policy of not telling their customers when someone steals their data from their servers is just the cherry on top!
  • Reply 8 of 150
    gotwakegotwake Posts: 115member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    And Apple's policy of not telling their customers when someone steals their data from their servers is just the cherry on top!



    And you live on fantasy island!
  • Reply 9 of 150
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    I am hoping for a full re-do of Itunes and Itunes search. Plus Itunes no longer makes sense when they sell videos and books and everything....They just need to combine it into one store.



    I'm hoping for a full re-do of mobile me as well.
  • Reply 10 of 150
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    I have tons of songs on my computer... that I could sync to a phone.



    So will I have songs on my computer... then sync them to the cloud... then sync them to the phone?



    The whole point of syncing something is to make sure you've got 2 copies of something the same.



    With computer--cloud--phone... it's gets a little murkier.



    Are they suggesting that I don't keep songs on my own computer?



    I can't wait for tomorrow...
  • Reply 11 of 150
    oodlumoodlum Posts: 40member
    Wireless syncing plus a future iPhone with built-in Qi for induction charging would make my day.
  • Reply 12 of 150
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GotWake View Post


    And you live on fantasy island!



    That's what the testified to Congress. No policy of telling customers when their data is stolen.
  • Reply 13 of 150
    alienzedalienzed Posts: 393member
    Apple realized, again, that new hardware isn't what really drives hardware sales. The best way to add value to your product is to have the best services.
  • Reply 14 of 150
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by oodlum View Post


    Wireless syncing plus a future iPhone with built-in Qi for induction charging would make my day.



    Induction charging is a really lousy idea. Sure, it saves you the tenth of a second that it takes to plug the phone in, but it wastes energy. Even a few watts of wasted energy adds up when multiplied by a hundred million phones.



    I hope we stop wasting energy on stupid things sooner rather than later. (And it doesn't matter whether you believe in global warming or not. There are plenty of other reasons - like the $250 BILLION per year we're sending overseas to pay for petroleum - much of which ends up in terrorist states. Or the two wars we've fought in the Middle East in the past 2 decades - an area which is of strategic importance to us solely because of oil. Or the pollution that comes from burning oil.
  • Reply 15 of 150
    bartfatbartfat Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    That's what the testified to Congress. No policy of telling customers when their data is stolen.



    Not that their servers were the ones that people used to get their information. People instead had apps 'phone home' data and there was nothing Apple could've done, short of revoking their app and license if repeated. But nice cherry picking the information.
  • Reply 16 of 150
    I found Lion intriguing last fall because of the inclusion of Lion Server with the desktop OS. It seemed aimed finding away to share info across various types of devices (some with limited storage capacity) like iphones and ipads.



    That was reinforced by the announcement of iCloud. When I heard of the cloud music deals, I thought of it as rather ho-hum. I've got my music on my 160GB ipod, and a little on my iPhone.



    Then it dawned on my iTunes in the cloud is for Apple as it goes more and more post-PC.



    Very interested in what we see tomorrow.
  • Reply 17 of 150
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bartfat View Post


    there was nothing Apple could've done,



    They can tell their customers the data has been stolen. And until I see a policy from Apple saying that's what they do, it'll be a cold day in hell before I load my data to their servers.
  • Reply 18 of 150
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    There are plenty of other reasons - like the $250 BILLION per year we're sending overseas to pay for petroleum -



    Last I checked we don't generate electricity from petroleum.
  • Reply 19 of 150
    ebrak05ebrak05 Posts: 7member
    If this is the "New iTunes" think about geting a new iPod, iPhone, or iPad and geting this stuff from the iCloud again. It's ridiculous! If you want to do all of these things over 3G or 4G depending on the situation you will be charged, there is a lot of data here. You have music, movies, and tv shows. If you're on broadband think about how slow it will be, even with broadband. Apple wouldn't be this stupid to take EVERYTHING to the cloud.



    Cheers,

    Erik
  • Reply 20 of 150
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kozchris View Post


    I have almost 200G of music and movies and never had iTunes crash in windows. It is also snappy considering the amount of data. I run iTunes on a 2005 laptop. The memory footprint of iTunes on my Windows laptop is always in line with some of the MS programs like Outlook or Internet Explorer. Sounds like you have some conflict going on your machine.



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