Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Exploring OS X: iCloud
iCloud seamlessly synchronizes data and documents across all your Mac computers,
as well as any Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch devices you might own (provided
they run the latest version of the iOS operating system). iCloud invisibly and silently
uploads and downloads the data to and from Apple's server computers.
iCloud will ensure the same address book details are always used across all devices,
for example, and will keep calendars and Safari bookmarks in sync without the user
having to do a thing.
Provided the apps concerned are compatible, you can also save office documents to
iCloud rather than your hard disk. Examples of iCloud-compatible apps include the
most recent updates to Apple's iWork suite, along with the built-in OS X tools
TextEdit and Preview. You could, for example, use Pages to create a document on
your Mac and then instantly switch to your iPad to continue working on it, without
the need to manually transfer files.
iCloud also includes the Photo Stream service, which automatically shares photos
from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch between your devices. You can access the
Photo Stream photos on a Mac too, but only if you have the latest versions of iPhoto
or Aperture installed, although it's also possible to create shared photo albums that
iCloud includes the Find my Mac service, which lets you track down the approximate
physical location of a lost or stolen Mac and lock the screen or show messages to
anybody using the computer. You can remote wipe the computer to stop anybody
from getting their hands on your data.
Also included as part of iCloud is the Back to My Mac service, which allows you to
access your Mac across the Internet as if you're on the same local area network: you
can share your Mac's screen, access your Mac's files, and SSH into the computer.
Setting up iCloud is usually done while installing OS X but can also be done by
selecting the iCloud entry within System Preferences (Apple menu→System Prefer-
ences). You'll need an Apple ID to so do, and new iCloud accounts come with 5GB of
free storage.
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Within System Preferences, you can also choose which items are synced
to iCloud by putting checks next to each entry in the list, and you can purchase more
storage in addition to the gratis 5GB.
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