iCloud is looking more like iCOULD

[Slip Jigs]

I keep making this typo, but I noticed that it actually says what I've been thinking. Just thinking of what I COULD do with it, IF...

Two BIG IF's there for me, and major disappointments. The concept is brilliant, but by introducing just this one service it highlights a gaping hole.

Backup.

First of all, you get all the syncing features of MobileMe. So far, so good. It's free for basic storage. That's OK too. Now, entropy takes hold, just a little at first.

Extending that synchronization to music, videos, etc. Back to brilliant. But, 5 Gigs just isn't going to be enough, I think for most people - especially for iTunes Match and video. So there's an option to buy more space.

More entropy. The different plans are enough to to handle the needs of these things. Not a big problem until... the BACKUP application.

Could storage for computer backup - excellent! Now I have a comprehensive backup and synchronization solution, but wait...

System Failure. The maximum available storage is barely enough, not enough, for complete backups. And the price is WAYYY to high anyway. So I have to keep Carbonite PLUS buy extra iCloud storage if I want a complete solution.

Apple, if you're going to include Backup as part of iCloud, then at least provide a plan with enough space, even if it costs more than other online backup sites. To have it all in once place just may be worth the extra cost. After all, I was paying $150 a year for Mobile Me - not for the meager 20GB of storage, but for the syncing.

 

[hafr]

I keep making this typo, but I noticed that it actually says what I've been thinking. Just thinking of what I COULD do with it, IF...

Two BIG IF's there for me, and major disappointments. The concept is brilliant, but by introducing just this one service it highlights a gaping hole.

Backup.

First of all, you get all the syncing features of MobileMe. So far, so good. It's free for basic storage. That's OK too. Now, entropy takes hold, just a little at first.

Extending that synchronization to music, videos, etc. Back to brilliant. But, 5 Gigs just isn't going to be enough, I think for most people - especially for iTunes Match and video. So there's an option to buy more space.

More entropy. The different plans are enough to to handle the needs of these things. Not a big problem until... the BACKUP application.

Could storage for computer backup - excellent! Now I have a comprehensive backup and synchronization solution, but wait...

System Failure. The maximum available storage is barely enough, not enough, for complete backups. And the price is WAYYY to high anyway. So I have to keep Carbonite PLUS buy extra iCloud storage if I want a complete solution.

Apple, if you're going to include Backup as part of iCloud, then at least provide a plan with enough space, even if it costs more than other online backup sites. To have it all in once place just may be worth the extra cost. After all, I was paying $150 a year for Mobile Me - not for the meager 20GB of storage, but for the syncing.

Do you mean that when you backup to iCloud, your backup is larger than 5 GB?

 

[Slip Jigs]

Do you mean that when you backup to iCloud, your backup is larger than 5 GB?

Yes and no, but I'm still not fully understanding how it all works.

A couple things I got wrong in the original post. Some things don't count against the 5 gigs, like purchased music. But iTunes match, not sure.

Also, I was thinking that Backup meant computer backup, but it's the device backup file. I really don't know how big those will be, but I can't imagine they would be bigger than 5 gigs.

I'm still in the update process, so I haven't set it up. So I'm guessing there's something like iDisk - which would be nice to have the option for enough storage for general online computer backup.

 

[hafr]

Yes and no, but I'm still not fully understanding how it all works.

A couple things I got wrong in the original post. Some things don't count against the 5 gigs, like purchased music. But iTunes match, not sure.

Also, I was thinking that Backup meant computer backup, but it's the device backup file. I really don't know how big those will be, but I can't imagine they would be bigger than 5 gigs.

I'm still in the update process, so I haven't set it up. So I'm guessing there's something like iDisk - which would be nice to have the option for enough storage for general online computer backup.

As far as iTunes match goes, I thought that whole thing was a separate or additional service that you have to pay for, and that makes me think you don't have to use your original 5 free GB for iTunes match - but I'm not sure.

On my iPhone backup, the camera roll takes up most of the space. Then it's the e-mails. The rest isn't more than a few MB at the most, since apps etc aren't being backed up - only the settings and so on.

There is nothing like iDisk in iCloud, nor is there (as far as I know) no way to backup your computer to iCloud.

 

[DarwinOSX]

iTunes Match does not count against the free 5 GB.

 

[Slip Jigs]

iTunes Match does not count against the free 5 GB.

So then it seems like all the music is covered outside the 5GB. And if there's no file storage like iDisk, what would someone need 100gb for - videos?

 

[hafr]

*deleted*

It's not even worth going there...

 

[jamesarm97]

All applications with pdf's / documents / videos will count towards backup storage. All application data. I ran out of space right away. I had to go in a specifically disable application backups. The other issue would be the 5gig backup limit should be based on each device. I have two iPads and 3 iPhones. That 5gig goes fast.

 

[Slip Jigs]

All applications with pdf's / documents / videos will count towards backup storage. All application data. I ran out of space right away. I had to go in a specifically disable application backups. The other issue would be the 5gig backup limit should be based on each device. I have two iPads and 3 iPhones. That 5gig goes fast.

So if I have this part right, you're only getting 1 5GB block of storage because all 5 devices are all on the same Apple ID. So with Documemts and Data enabled on each device, isn't it still storing only set of Docs and Data that is shared between devices? If that's true it isn't about how many devices, but rather how much space the data requires, even if it's only one device.

iCloud Backup, as I understand it now, backs up each device To the Cloud instead of iTunes. So that means 5 separate backup files for you containing whatever they contain, and I'm guessing that at least some of the data is redundant. I haven't enabled this yet, because of the warning message that displays.

It says that by enabling iCloud Backup, then the device will not backup to the computer automatically when I sync with iTunes. That word "automatically" throws me. I've seen it in action, and I know I can skip it if I want. But it implies that you can still manually back up to the computer, it's just that I don't recall ever seeing an option for a manual, or user initiated back up.,plus, I don't understand the ramifications of this, like when it comes time to restore the backup. At the least, doesn't the backup include your WiFi settings that need to be in place if restoring from the cloud? Or will a restore of the backup file still require iTunes as an intermediary?

 

[thederby]

i have two iOS devices backed up to iCloud right now...

combined they take up ~378MB, so they're only about ~190MB ea.

 

[hafr]

So if I have this part right, you're only getting 1 5GB block of storage because all 5 devices are all on the same Apple ID. So with Documemts and Data enabled on each device, isn't it still storing only set of Docs and Data that is shared between devices? If that's true it isn't about how many devices, but rather how much space the data requires, even if it's only one device.

iCloud Backup, as I understand it now, backs up each device To the Cloud instead of iTunes. So that means 5 separate backup files for you containing whatever they contain, and I'm guessing that at least some of the data is redundant. I haven't enabled this yet, because of the warning message that displays.

It says that by enabling iCloud Backup, then the device will not backup to the computer automatically when I sync with iTunes. That word "automatically" throws me. I've seen it in action, and I know I can skip it if I want. But it implies that you can still manually back up to the computer, it's just that I don't recall ever seeing an option for a manual, or user initiated back up.,plus, I don't understand the ramifications of this, like when it comes time to restore the backup. At the least, doesn't the backup include your WiFi settings that need to be in place if restoring from the cloud? Or will a restore of the backup file still require iTunes as an intermediary?

If you haven't found an option to manually back up in iTunes you haven't looked very hard, and backing up from the cloud only requires an internet connection - not a specific one. Which means if you back up your phone, someone steals it and you buy a new one - you can have it restored from the backup before even having left the store.

 

[Slip Jigs]

If you haven't found an option to manually back up in iTunes you haven't looked very hard, and backing up from the cloud only requires an internet connection - not a specific one. Which means if you back up your phone, someone steals it and you buy a new one - you can have it restored from the backup before even having left the store.

Makes sense.

On a side note, after migrating my MM account to iCloud, I see where they added the 20 GB from MM to my iCloud storage for a total of 25. And I still have access to my iDisk until MM is shut down permanently, so that's not so bad.