At least look at it and add notations from the web app, like an editor would note desired changes on a manuscript, but wouldn't edit it for you. This was demonstrated and available for at least a year now.
Just for the sake of conversation, and because there may be others like me who aren't so tech-savvy, what _is_ the next platform?
I won't pretend to be particularly tech-savvy, and I speak here only with opinion and (hopefully) a minimum of assumptions.
I would say that the "next platform" is still mobile computing. New mobile device iterations coming yearly with significant improvements prove that the platform is far from fully matured.
The advent of cloud computing represents a solution to a basic problem of mobile computing: how can these mobile devices be useful when all your data is landlocked on a home or office PC? Cloud Computing builds roads between cities of information. This is a logical lateral progression of an application, and that's why Cloud Computing is not a "platform."
For now, all I can see is widespread integration of mobile devices, and it's already happening as we see full end-user computers built into automobiles, touch screens on airplane seats, etc. The Cloud will support these implementations and give them real meaning. Still, that does not constitute a platform, it's just another tool, a really useful one.
Perhaps the next platform will be personal integration, something that creates a standard for any user to be recognized by any device, such that elevators, taxis, public transit, consumer transactions, etc. can all be personalized to recognize individual users for efficiency, preferences, and ease of use.
I view "cloud" as separating the what from the how. Store this - I don't care how. Compute this and send me the result - I don't care how. You just throw the problem at the network. It's service provision, as against DIY.
Does iCloud fit that model? The save dialogs in iApps do, when you want to save something you can just say "save to the cloud" and be done with it. The media syncing side of it though, not sure.
I know what cloud computing is and that is all tha matters.
If you actually want to use cloud computing, then no, that's not all that matters. If you want some company to actually invest in a system that you can use, it's important that many potential customers know about it - not just you. That's what matters.
Ditto. I plan on using iCloud kinda like an off-site backup. My main backup will still be local, but in case my house burns down and I'm not able to get my backup out, I'll still have a copy of the really important stuff.
Obviously the 5GB limit means it'll mostly be small stuff. If it works well enough, I might spring for more storage space (comparing costs with other backup services).
You do realize you can't just put arbitrary files on iCloud, right. Only apps that support iCloud can put their documents in the iCloud. There is no iDisk functionality. If you want that, you'll need DropBox or a similar service.
Now, it may be technically possible for an app to accept arbitrary files and put them in the cloud. But I suspect they'd have to be encapsulated in some sort of archive first. I haven't read the developer docs yet to know if this is possible.
What's really confusing is that you're not really putting your data in the cloud with iCloud, you're mirroring it there.
They should have called it 'iMirror.'
Ah, therein lies confusion. You don't mirror 'to the cloud', you copy to the cloud then mirror to all of your devices.
Yet another subtlety that will confuse the waders. Add to that the difference between 'data in the cloud' vs 'apps and data in the cloud' and you have more confusion as to what 'the cloud' is.
This is a paradigm shift that definitely has some risk, and Apple needs to handle education carefully.
You do realize you can't just put arbitrary files on iCloud, right. Only apps that support iCloud can put their documents in the iCloud. There is no iDisk functionality. If you want that, you'll need DropBox or a similar service.
Now, it may be technically possible for an app to accept arbitrary files and put them in the cloud. But I suspect they'd have to be encapsulated in some sort of archive first. I haven't read the developer docs yet to know if this is possible.
I hope Apple allows me to buy more space for a fee.
Perhaps as time goes on Cloud Computing will have more uses. While its definitely a plus at this point most of the people I work with as well as myself don't see this as a game changer. But knowing Apple they have something in mind.
iCloud is primarily a support system for iDevices so you can use them sans a PC plus some added functionality such as syncing bookmark, calendars, contacts, documents, etc. across iDevices and PCs. Unless iOS 5 and iCloud arrive out of beta in the KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) state and Apple explains it simply, it will be a confusing debacle. As for myself, I have a PC (Mac) and I see no pressing reason to use iCloud as a backup but I'll certainly use the secondary features.
Cloud computing is just a new name for an old thing. A survey on whether or not people understand what cloud computing is just demonstrates marketing penetration.
Cloud Computing is a pretty name that will bolster the monitizing of something that currently exists largely as free app-to-hardware infrastructure. We're lucky that current aplications continue to utilize a freemium model.
Consumers ought to be made aware. We need to fight for this infrastructure to remain free, even expect it, to encourage widespread implementation. This is a stepping stone to something much bigger, and I think keeping it free will play a large role in advancing to the next platform.
Indeed. It will help folks understand better by relating the concept to their primary exposure to technology. For instance, the Cloud to me is similar to handing my boxes of punched cards to the man in the white cloud coat at the data center. I can then access my program from various terminals...
You do realize you can't just put arbitrary files on iCloud, right. Only apps that support iCloud can put their documents in the iCloud. There is no iDisk functionality. If you want that, you'll need DropBox or a similar service.
There is a section in the iCloud settings called "Storage & Backup". I'm assuming that if you're using iCloud from your Mac, you'll be able to back anything up to it. But therein lies some of my confusion: what exactly does "Storage & Backup" mean?
Quote:
Now, it may be technically possible for an app to accept arbitrary files and put them in the cloud. But I suspect they'd have to be encapsulated in some sort of archive first. I haven't read the developer docs yet to know if this is possible.
Nope. Anything an app stores is fair game to be synced via iCloud. In fact, it would appear that by default, all of the files stored in certain locations within an app are synced if a user enables the "Documents & Data" iCloud setting. But again, it's not completely clear without reading the detailed documentation about it.
Any time you see the word "cloud" in the context of computing, just mentally substitute "internet" for "cloud." And see how much clearer things become.
For example:
Quote:
The leading cloud services for users were e-mail, tax preparation and online gaming.
becomes
Quote:
The leading internet services for users were e-mail, tax preparation and online gaming.
Quote:
"Whether they understand the terminology or not, consumers are actually pretty savvy in their use of cloud-based applications," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD.
becomes
Quote:
"Whether they understand the terminology or not, consumers are actually pretty savvy in their use of internet-based applications," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD.
See how easy that is? Substitute "internet" for "cloud" and everything just makes sense. And it also sounds like the sentence could have been written in 1997.
The term "cloud" came from the nebulous cloud images used in flow charts. Yes, those ancient pictographic descriptions of processes and networks. The internet connection(s) between sites, whether it was wired or wireless, was drawn as a shapeless form. Because it didn't matter exactly how the data got between locations. Data is routed between servers and it gets there. Et voilÃ*.
Now "cloud" includes turnkey internet server solutions. As in "Pay us money and we'll set up a server farm for you where land is cheap. Trust us." And those have been around for decades.
Like they say in Hollywood, "There may not be any new stories. But there's always a new audience."
Comments
Access a Pages document on a PC?
At least look at it and add notations from the web app, like an editor would note desired changes on a manuscript, but wouldn't edit it for you. This was demonstrated and available for at least a year now.
Just for the sake of conversation, and because there may be others like me who aren't so tech-savvy, what _is_ the next platform?
I won't pretend to be particularly tech-savvy, and I speak here only with opinion and (hopefully) a minimum of assumptions.
I would say that the "next platform" is still mobile computing. New mobile device iterations coming yearly with significant improvements prove that the platform is far from fully matured.
The advent of cloud computing represents a solution to a basic problem of mobile computing: how can these mobile devices be useful when all your data is landlocked on a home or office PC? Cloud Computing builds roads between cities of information. This is a logical lateral progression of an application, and that's why Cloud Computing is not a "platform."
For now, all I can see is widespread integration of mobile devices, and it's already happening as we see full end-user computers built into automobiles, touch screens on airplane seats, etc. The Cloud will support these implementations and give them real meaning. Still, that does not constitute a platform, it's just another tool, a really useful one.
Perhaps the next platform will be personal integration, something that creates a standard for any user to be recognized by any device, such that elevators, taxis, public transit, consumer transactions, etc. can all be personalized to recognize individual users for efficiency, preferences, and ease of use.
Access a Pages document on a PC?
Yes, from the cloud you could open your Pages file as a Pages file, PDF file, or a MS Word file.
What's really confusing is that you're not really putting your data in the cloud with iCloud, you're mirroring it there.
They should have called it 'iMirror.'
Mirror implies just two copies though. Unless they call it "iFunhouseHallOfMirrors," but that doesn't really resonate, does it.
It's really a sync repository.
Does iCloud fit that model? The save dialogs in iApps do, when you want to save something you can just say "save to the cloud" and be done with it. The media syncing side of it though, not sure.
I know what cloud computing is and that is all tha matters.
If you actually want to use cloud computing, then no, that's not all that matters. If you want some company to actually invest in a system that you can use, it's important that many potential customers know about it - not just you. That's what matters.
Ditto. I plan on using iCloud kinda like an off-site backup. My main backup will still be local, but in case my house burns down and I'm not able to get my backup out, I'll still have a copy of the really important stuff.
Obviously the 5GB limit means it'll mostly be small stuff. If it works well enough, I might spring for more storage space (comparing costs with other backup services).
You do realize you can't just put arbitrary files on iCloud, right. Only apps that support iCloud can put their documents in the iCloud. There is no iDisk functionality. If you want that, you'll need DropBox or a similar service.
Now, it may be technically possible for an app to accept arbitrary files and put them in the cloud. But I suspect they'd have to be encapsulated in some sort of archive first. I haven't read the developer docs yet to know if this is possible.
What's really confusing is that you're not really putting your data in the cloud with iCloud, you're mirroring it there.
They should have called it 'iMirror.'
Ah, therein lies confusion. You don't mirror 'to the cloud', you copy to the cloud then mirror to all of your devices.
Yet another subtlety that will confuse the waders. Add to that the difference between 'data in the cloud' vs 'apps and data in the cloud' and you have more confusion as to what 'the cloud' is.
This is a paradigm shift that definitely has some risk, and Apple needs to handle education carefully.
You do realize you can't just put arbitrary files on iCloud, right. Only apps that support iCloud can put their documents in the iCloud. There is no iDisk functionality. If you want that, you'll need DropBox or a similar service.
Now, it may be technically possible for an app to accept arbitrary files and put them in the cloud. But I suspect they'd have to be encapsulated in some sort of archive first. I haven't read the developer docs yet to know if this is possible.
I hope Apple allows me to buy more space for a fee.
When someone asks "where is my data?"...in North Carolina.
I hope Apple allows me to buy more space for a fee.
One quote comes to mind:
"Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread."
That would have been poignant indeed... had the year been 2005 instead of 2011.
Cloud computing is just a new name for an old thing. A survey on whether or not people understand what cloud computing is just demonstrates marketing penetration.
Cloud Computing is a pretty name that will bolster the monitizing of something that currently exists largely as free app-to-hardware infrastructure. We're lucky that current aplications continue to utilize a freemium model.
Consumers ought to be made aware. We need to fight for this infrastructure to remain free, even expect it, to encourage widespread implementation. This is a stepping stone to something much bigger, and I think keeping it free will play a large role in advancing to the next platform.
Indeed. It will help folks understand better by relating the concept to their primary exposure to technology. For instance, the Cloud to me is similar to handing my boxes of punched cards to the man in the white cloud coat at the data center. I can then access my program from various terminals...
You do realize you can't just put arbitrary files on iCloud, right. Only apps that support iCloud can put their documents in the iCloud. There is no iDisk functionality. If you want that, you'll need DropBox or a similar service.
There is a section in the iCloud settings called "Storage & Backup". I'm assuming that if you're using iCloud from your Mac, you'll be able to back anything up to it. But therein lies some of my confusion: what exactly does "Storage & Backup" mean?
Now, it may be technically possible for an app to accept arbitrary files and put them in the cloud. But I suspect they'd have to be encapsulated in some sort of archive first. I haven't read the developer docs yet to know if this is possible.
Nope. Anything an app stores is fair game to be synced via iCloud. In fact, it would appear that by default, all of the files stored in certain locations within an app are synced if a user enables the "Documents & Data" iCloud setting. But again, it's not completely clear without reading the detailed documentation about it.
For example:
The leading cloud services for users were e-mail, tax preparation and online gaming.
becomes
The leading internet services for users were e-mail, tax preparation and online gaming.
"Whether they understand the terminology or not, consumers are actually pretty savvy in their use of cloud-based applications," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD.
becomes
"Whether they understand the terminology or not, consumers are actually pretty savvy in their use of internet-based applications," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD.
See how easy that is? Substitute "internet" for "cloud" and everything just makes sense. And it also sounds like the sentence could have been written in 1997.
The term "cloud" came from the nebulous cloud images used in flow charts. Yes, those ancient pictographic descriptions of processes and networks. The internet connection(s) between sites, whether it was wired or wireless, was drawn as a shapeless form. Because it didn't matter exactly how the data got between locations. Data is routed between servers and it gets there. Et voilÃ*.
Now "cloud" includes turnkey internet server solutions. As in "Pay us money and we'll set up a server farm for you where land is cheap. Trust us." And those have been around for decades.
Like they say in Hollywood, "There may not be any new stories. But there's always a new audience."
Access a Pages document on a PC?
Yes. Documents uploaded from iWork are stored in native and PDF format.