Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
iCloud Explained
So what exactly is iCloud? And how do you get it if you don't already have it? I tend to test out con-
sumer products and services via my mom. Yes, seriously. A prime example of this technique was when
she asked me whether she needed to sign up to this “iCloud thingy” she had received an e-mail about.
As she's a Mac, iPhone, and iPad user, I told her that it would make sense to sign up to iCloud and ran
her through the benefits of syncing all her contacts and being able to access her calendar on all her
devices. It wasn't until I came to the fact that she would also receive an @me.com e-mail address that
she informed me she already had one. She was already using iCloud but didn't realize it.
I'm sure the same is true for many Mac or iOS users, primarily because iCloud is designed to get
out of your way and work in the background with little or no upkeep required. An iCloud account can
be created on a Mac, a Windows PC, or on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and it be can surprisingly
easy to forget the process and assume that you aren't an iCloud user and that your products “just
work” the way that Apple intended. That's what Apple wants and, contrary to my opinion, shouldn't be
meddled with for you to achieve the ultimate experience.
That's not strictly the case, however. Truly understanding iCloud rather than blindly letting it
“work” is the route to true harmony when using Apple's suite of online services. For example, what
happens if, through an accidental click here or there, all your contacts disappear or are pulled from the
wrong source? Suddenly, all your devices have the wrong phone numbers (or none at all) with iCloud
blissfully unaware, assuming it's still doing a great job. Similarly, not everyone knows exactly what
parts of his or her operating system is controlled by iCloud and what isn't. Is iCloud, for example, re-
lated to your iTunes account? Can you access your e-mail without it? What about photos? Knowing
how iCloud works and how to adjust its settings are therefore important.
Why Do You Need iCloud?
The best way to understand iCloud is to think of it as an invisible cable that runs among all your
devices connected to your iCloud account. Every device you own that connects to your iCloud account
has its own “cable” that also connects to a server somewhere in Apple's vast data center. Whenever you
make a change to information synced via iCloud on any of these devices, that information is sent
(along the invisible “cable”) direct to the iCloud server that houses your account. iCloud then checks
your other devices to see if that change is present on them and, if not, pushes it down the invisible
“cable” to all your devices so that everything remains in sync.
The information passing along this invisible “cable” varies in type, depending on the action you
perform on your device. For example, if your friend changes his phone number and you add the new
number to the Contacts app on your iPad, that change to his contact information is sent to the iCloud
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