Now I know what you’re thinking. I know that I have passed myself off as a massive fan of Apple products so you’re probably assuming that I would rant and rave about iCloud and talk endlessly about how awesome it is. Well, I never like to disappoint people so for sure that’s what I’m going to be doing….but first;
(WARNING: LEGAL STUFF) To be clear, I am not affiliated with Apple. I am a big fan of Apple products so if you do decide to use iCloud you can’t get it through me.
Ever since I’ve started using Apple products I’ve found them to be so seamless and well produced. It’s one thing to have a product in the market that works well, it’s another entirely to have a product that works well AND looks elegant doing it. For my money, iCloud is that product.
Benefits
1) It’s connected to your Apple media – One of the things that Apple is really known for is having a complete system. from the hardware to the software they have always been able to offer a complete solution to your computing needs and with iCloud, the story is no different. I love the fact that when I take a picture on my iPhone I can go home and I don’t have to load it on my computer, It’s already there waiting for me. Similarly when I have Documents that I need to upload, and I’m using my work computer I can log in through my web browser and put them in my iCloud filing system and I can file them properly, without having to e-mail them to myself and then be doing it from home.
2) It’s easily woven into your Apple machines – With more and more cloud systems appearing on the market it’s important to take note of the fact that in order to access these systems you have to install plugins or download apps and log in that way. What I like about iCloud is that there is no extra setup required. I know so many people who want to have access to their files but don’t want to go online to get them. The general feeling is to be able to go to Finder (or file explorer for you Windows folks) and just be able to pull up the files.
3) Both online and in-app versions are easy to look at – Apple prides itself on giving it’s customer’s “beautiful” technology, and their iCloud interface is no different. Yes, I realize that we are talking about a filing system here and “beautiful” is probably the last thing that people are interested in, but I feel that it’s important. If you are working with a clunky filing system that is hard to figure out and doesn’t look easy to use then it makes it less appealing.
4) It doesn’t have great sharing capabilities – Here’s the thing. Most people would see “not being able to share documents” as a drawback, but in this case, I actually think of it as a good thing. Yes, Collaboration is good, and yes, in order to do that you need to be able to share documents, but the problem is what happens to those shares? I have seen many people who share folders in order to work together with other people and then simply forget about the shares. This can be potentially VERY dangerous because if the other person gets hacked there could be a small chance that the hacker could find there way into your system as well. I’ll write more about this later but I think that in this case while Sharing is good, having a limited ability for this can also be seen in a positive light.
Drawbacks
1) Need an Apple account – Like every Cloud service that I’m going to go through, you need an account in order to access the iCloud. For me, this is not a problem as I HAVE an Apple ID, but for people who use PC’s and Android devices, this is where they would run into roadblocks. Previously, Apple was one of the few Tech companies that offered a full solution, but Samsung is doing something similar and catching up to apple.
2) iCloud doesn’t have as high of a memory as Google – at a top memory capacity per user of 2TB, it’s more limited than Google’s 10TB. The price is significantly cheaper at 12.99/month however, and as 2TB is a crazy amount of storage space for one person to need, My Personal opinion is that I think you’d be fine with 2TB.
I really like Apple, there’s no denying that. For sure I’m biased when it comes to most Apple products, but I genuinely like iClooud, not just because it’s Apple, but because of how seamlessly it’s integrated into the technology that I use. There’s no set up required, it’s just set up there for you and ready to go.
Would you consider using iCloud?
Let me know in the comments section below. If you like this blog post and want to see more, you can follow me on Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @jasonlovefiles) or Subscribe to my blog to get new content delivered directly to your mailbox.
Do you have any type of suggestions for composing posts?
That’s where I always battle and I simply wind up staring vacant screen for long period of
time.
The Real Person!
Broderick,
if you’re talking about coming up with content for this blog, sure I struggle every once and a while. What I started doing was coming up with topics months before, and determine three to five points I want to make. That way, when I sit down to write the post I don’t have the “blank screen” staring back at me.
I like it when individuals get together and share ideas. Great site, keep it up!
Where’s jason