iCloud Explained - iConnected: Use AirPlay, iCloud, Apps, and More to Bring Your Apple Devices Together - page 8

• Simple, wireless backup. When you charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch while it is
also connected to a Wi-Fi network, all your data, photos, settings, apps, and more are copied
to the iCloud servers. You may never need this feature but, should you lose or break your
device, simply entering your password allows you to restore your new device from this
backup.
• Storage. Documents created on an iCloud-connected device using an iCloud-compatible
app (these are primarily Apple's apps at the moment) can be accessed on your other devices
using iCloud Storage. You get 5GB storage at no cost that is also shared with Mail and any
backups you perform; iTunes and photo storage doesn't count against your usage allotment.
More storage space can be purchased if required, as I describe later in this chapter.
• Photo Stream. Photos taken or imported on any of your iCloud-connected devices are
shared with your other devices. Take a photo with your iPhone and it'll be on your iPad
when you get home.
• iTunes in the Cloud. As with topics and apps, your music purchases on one device can be
automatically added to your other devices via iCloud if you want. Likewise, you can access
previous purchases from iTunes on all your devices. For songs you didn't buy from iTunes,
you can use iTunes Match (for a fee); it scans your music collection and matches songs to
those in the iTunes Store, allowing you to access them on any of your devices, even if you
didn't buy them from iTunes. More on that later, too.
For a free service, that's not a bad deal and, if you own an iPhone and an iPad, an iPad and an
iPod Touch, an iPhone and a Mac, or any other combination of these devices, it's beginning to reach
the point where you need iCloud to make the most of them. Which models of those devices work with
iCloud? Read on.
What Hardware and Software Do You Need?
You don't actually need more than one device to use iCloud but, should you have more than one,
you'll certainly see more benefit. Devices compatible with iCloud include most recent iPhone, iPad,
and iPod Touch models as well as Mac desktop and laptop computers, and Windows PCs. Precise de-
tails can be found in the sidebar in this chapter but, if you bought your device in the last couple of
years, you're more than likely able to use iCloud. If you're lucky enough to own an Apple TV set-top
box as well as any of the other devices mentioned, there are even more iCloud features for you to get
your teeth into.
One thing, you need to ensure is that all your devices are running the most recent operating sys-
tem. You should know how to do this on your desktop and laptop computers but, if not, consult the
manual that came with your computer or investigate the most up-to-date version of Windows or Mac
OS X compatible with your specific model. If you discover that you can't use iOS 5 or later on your
iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, OS X Lion or later on a Mac, or Windows Vista or later on a PC, you
may encounter trouble. Some iCloud features may be accessible on older operating systems, but it's
best to use as recent an operating system as possible. Also, if you're using a Windows PC, you will
need Outlook 2007 or later to access iCloud e-mails from your desktop; otherwise, you will be forced
to access e-mail through your web browser, which also needs to be up to date.