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iCloud versus Google

macher

macher

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 13, 2012
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Currently we have 3 iPhones, 1 iPad and 1 Android. The iPhones and iPad are all on iCloud for everything. The Android of course is on Google. We have an older Mac and are going to replace it with either another Mac or PC.

I prefer Google platform because it's more universal. There have been instances where I wanted to share my calendar with the Android device and other android devices but couldn't. There also has been instances where I needed to share documents and couldn't until I was able to get to a desk top. I also use Google stuff at work since there aren't any Mac's at work.

I understand since iCloud is native with iOS and OX it's maybe more streamlined. But I would like something universal since we might be buying a PC instead of a Mac and maybe a user in our household might want an Android in the near future.

What is the best and easiest way to switch from iCloud to Google on our iOS devices so we have a more universal platform?

Or is it just easier to stick with iCloud?
 
bjb.butler said:
You haven't told us what google/icloud features you use.
Click to expand...

Just starting using Google chrome app on my iPhone. Use CardDav and CalDav on my iPhone for google contacts and calendar.

iCloud; I use notes and reminders and photo stream because I don't know of a google solution.
 
I just found out you can use Google+ to save photos.
 
macher said:
I prefer Google platform because it's more universal. There have been instances where I wanted to share my calendar with the Android device and other android devices but couldn't. There also has been instances where I needed to share documents and couldn't until I was able to get to a desk top. I also use Google stuff at work since there aren't any Mac's at work.
Click to expand...

Google has two advantages over Apple's cloud solution: it is more mature and it is more widely-adopted because Google is a software company first and foremost as opposed to Apple. Apple's cloud offerings used to be $100 a year and were spartan even then, offering only the barest minimum of cloud services to Apple device owners.

Apple has gotten a lot better though they still have some ways to go. Their "cloud drive" solution is pretty limiting and doesn't have the utility that Google Drive does. Apple still charges for some things that Google offers for free (see iTunes Match vs Google Music). Having played with the iWork Beta web apps they are pretty decent but still don't really compare favorably to Google Docs, especially in concert with Google Drive.

Then there are things that I prefer iCloud for. Email, contacts, calendar, and reminders are just better on Apple devices with iCloud, in my experience. The only thing that Google has over Apple in this regard is sharing capabilities, but I think that's just a function of Google having years on Apple in this regard. Apple will catch up if it wants to continue to build an ecosystem that people are happy to stick with (more importantly, are reluctant to part with even when hardware somewhere else looks appealing).

Finally, Apple has something that Google to this day can't even come close to touching: customer service. Try to get someone from Google on the phone if you're having an email problem. Issues with Google Voice? You can *try* to get a hold of someone on their "support forum", but no one from Google responds anymore. I'm having a major issue with my primary Google account and the best I've been able to do is submit an automated form three times with the promise that I "should" hear something back in 3-5 business days. On the other hand, I wanted to change the primary email address tied to my Apple ID and was on and off the phone with Apple customer support in five minutes, issue resolved. You won't get that from Google, hands down.

I've been a big proponent for Google in the past, but in my opinion they're losing their way and have begun to cut ties with them. I think a company that lives and breathes user data that stops caring about the little things they're doing like Google Reader is becoming too out of touch and I don't really want to be associated with them anymore. It's kind of sad, really, in my opinion.
 
ZombiePete said:
Google has two advantages over Apple's cloud solution: it is more mature and it is more widely-adopted because Google is a software company first and foremost as opposed to Apple. Apple's cloud offerings used to be $100 a year and were spartan even then, offering only the barest minimum of cloud services to Apple device owners.

Apple has gotten a lot better though they still have some ways to go. Their "cloud drive" solution is pretty limiting and doesn't have the utility that Google Drive does. Apple still charges for some things that Google offers for free (see iTunes Match vs Google Music). Having played with the iWork Beta web apps they are pretty decent but still don't really compare favorably to Google Docs, especially in concert with Google Drive.

Then there are things that I prefer iCloud for. Email, contacts, calendar, and reminders are just better on Apple devices with iCloud, in my experience. The only thing that Google has over Apple in this regard is sharing capabilities, but I think that's just a function of Google having years on Apple in this regard. Apple will catch up if it wants to continue to build an ecosystem that people are happy to stick with (more importantly, are reluctant to part with even when hardware somewhere else looks appealing).

Finally, Apple has something that Google to this day can't even come close to touching: customer service. Try to get someone from Google on the phone if you're having an email problem. Issues with Google Voice? You can *try* to get a hold of someone on their "support forum", but no one from Google responds anymore. I'm having a major issue with my primary Google account and the best I've been able to do is submit an automated form three times with the promise that I "should" hear something back in 3-5 business days. On the other hand, I wanted to change the primary email address tied to my Apple ID and was on and off the phone with Apple customer support in five minutes, issue resolved. You won't get that from Google, hands down.

I've been a big proponent for Google in the past, but in my opinion they're losing their way and have begun to cut ties with them. I think a company that lives and breathes user data that stops caring about the little things they're doing like Google Reader is becoming too out of touch and I don't really want to be associated with them anymore. It's kind of sad, really, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Do you use iCloud email or Gmail?
 
macher said:
Just starting using Google chrome app on my iPhone. Use CardDav and CalDav on my iPhone for google contacts and calendar.

iCloud; I use notes and reminders and photo stream because I don't know of a google solution.
Click to expand...

There are a bunch of apps that sync To-Do lists with google tasks. I don't think there are any that sync with Google Keep.

I used to use Google services for everything, but I just didn't feel that it was clean as using iCloud. Little things like shrunken contact pictures just annoyed me enough to migrate to iCloud I guess.
 
makotoisle said:
There are a bunch of apps that sync To-Do lists with google tasks. I don't think there are any that sync with Google Keep.

I used to use Google services for everything, but I just didn't feel that it was clean as using iCloud. Little things like shrunken contact pictures just annoyed me enough to migrate to iCloud I guess.
Click to expand...

See I love iOS but I'm not tied to it. The only Google device I would get would be a virgin Nexus.
 
macher said:
See I love iOS but I'm not tied to it. The only Google device I would get would be a virgin Nexus.
Click to expand...

The Play Store HTC One would be a better purchase, IMO. Pure Android, better phone. I had problems with my Nexus 4 that ultimately persuaded me to come back to iOS.
 
makotoisle said:
There are a bunch of apps that sync To-Do lists with google tasks. I don't think there are any that sync with Google Keep.

I used to use Google services for everything, but I just didn't feel that it was clean as using iCloud. Little things like shrunken contact pictures just annoyed me enough to migrate to iCloud I guess.
Click to expand...

Is it an easy transition from iOS to Android if I ever get an android handset?
 
I prefer Google services, and I rely on them for Calendar, Email, Contacts on both my iPhone and Mac.

They intergrete into iOS and OS X pretty easily.

Email: Gmail app on iphone, and gmail web client on Mac.

Calendar: calDAV account on both OS X and iOS

Contacts: cardDAV account on both OS X and iOS

I also use Chrome to sync bookmarks and open tabs in the browser.

I rely on iCloud for only Notes and Reminders, and I feel those aren't too important and I can easily transcribe them into whatever service I switch to later, if ever.

I actually really don't like iClouds calendar implementation. It bothered me that there was no way to disable notifications to all members across a shared calender for even the smallest change to an event.

----------

It also worth adding that the Notes apps on iOS and OS X sync just fine with gmail; it creates a 'notes' label and puts them all under there.
 
oneMadRssn said:
I prefer Google services, and I rely on them for Calendar, Email, Contacts on both my iPhone and Mac.

They intergrete into iOS and OS X pretty easily.

Email: Gmail app on iphone, and gmail web client on Mac.

Calendar: calDAV account on both OS X and iOS

Contacts: cardDAV account on both OS X and iOS

I also use Chrome to sync bookmarks and open tabs in the browser.

I rely on iCloud for only Notes and Reminders, and I feel those aren't too important and I can easily transcribe them into whatever service I switch to later, if ever.

I actually really don't like iClouds calendar implementation. It bothered me that there was no way to disable notifications to all members across a shared calender for even the smallest change to an event.

----------

It also worth adding that the Notes apps on iOS and OS X sync just fine with gmail; it creates a 'notes' label and puts them all under there.
Click to expand...

It seems like Google is best because of access on many different things. With iCloud you're sort of tied into Apple.
 
macher said:
It seems like Google is best because of access on many different things. With iCloud you're sort of tied into Apple.
Click to expand...

Not completely. You can access email on an Android device via a simple IMAP setup. Contacts and calendar can be done through the SmoothSync apps.
 
ugahairydawgs said:
Not completely. You can access email on an Android device via a simple IMAP setup. Contacts and calendar can be done through the SmoothSync apps.
Click to expand...

You can easily access iCloud stuff through SmoothSync apps on Android?

Can you elaborate.
 
ugahairydawgs said:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dmfs.carddav.icloud&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dmfs.caldav.icloud&hl=en
Click to expand...

Kind of lame that you have to spend nearly $10 to sync iCloud to Android, when Apple could break the sync on a whim without warning the develop of those apps.

I think there is a fundamental difference between Google's and Apple's philosophy when it comes to services, and it comes to their different business models.

Google believes that if you provide users with a free and open platform, then they will use their services voluntarily and generate lots of data. That data is what is valuable to Google; they sell access to analytics of that data in the form of ads.

Apple believes that if services are deeply integrated into their hardware, then users will have the most optimal experience and thus use their services and hardware. Selling hardware is what is important to Apple.

Neither philosophy is wrong or bad. However, when considering it like that it's clear to see that it's in Google's best interest to make their services available on as many platforms as possible; and it's in Apple's interest to make their services just open enough to attract users but to draw them into a particular platform.
 
oneMadRssn said:
Kind of lame that you have to spend nearly $10 to sync iCloud to Android, when Apple could break the sync on a whim without warning the develop of those apps.

I think there is a fundamental difference between Google's and Apple's philosophy when it comes to services, and it comes to their different business models.

Google believes that if you provide users with a free and open platform, then they will use their services voluntarily and generate lots of data. That data is what is valuable to Google; they sell access to analytics of that data in the form of ads.

Apple believes that if services are deeply integrated into their hardware, then users will have the most optimal experience and thus use their services and hardware. Selling hardware is what is important to Apple.

Neither philosophy is wrong or bad. However, when considering it like that it's clear to see that it's in Google's best interest to make their services available on as many platforms as possible; and it's in Apple's interest to make their services just open enough to attract users but to draw them into a particular platform.
Click to expand...

I have to admit that iCloud is more streamlined. I'm going to be given an Android device for a work phone and would like the best method of integrating my personal iPhone and work Android. Such as having same contacts, bookmarks etc on both devices.
 
macher said:
Currently we have 3 iPhones, 1 iPad and 1 Android. The iPhones and iPad are all on iCloud for everything. ...
Click to expand...


What software do you use. I use Pages quite lot and it save documents to iCloud. It works well. I can pull the docs off using other Macs.

Google docs is a little more mature and allows multiple people to work on the same open document all at the same time. I like this feature when working with others. I'll keep a doc open and a "chat" book too.

There is no real reason to choose just one service,

BTW I'm using Apple online version of iWork Beta test. It is very "clean" and easy to use, It looks nd works nicer then Google Docs but Google Doc has better feature set, especially multiple sets.


The Mac iCloud mail program can access google mail. Again you don't have to choose, I have by mail pretty much going everywhere. I have three Google accounts and and Apple one all fed into an ISO device. The services seem to work together.
 
ChrisA said:
What software do you use. I use Pages quite lot and it save documents to iCloud. It works well. I can pull the docs off using other Macs.

Google docs is a little more mature and allows multiple people to work on the same open document all at the same time. I like this feature when working with others. I'll keep a doc open and a "chat" book too.

There is no real reason to choose just one service,

BTW I'm using Apple online version of iWork Beta test. It is very "clean" and easy to use, It looks nd works nicer then Google Docs but Google Doc has better feature set, especially multiple sets.


The Mac iCloud mail program can access google mail. Again you don't have to choose, I have by mail pretty much going everywhere. I have three Google accounts and and Apple one all fed into an ISO device. The services seem to work together.
Click to expand...

What do you suggest for one that has an iPhone(personal) and Android( work) who wants to have the same data on both devices such as contacts, calendars, reminders, bookmarks? And also a sync solution like if I add a contact or calendar event that I want contact addition and new calendar event to be synced on iPhone and Android. Or if I add a bookmark to my Android work phone I would want the bookmark to be on my personal iPhone.
 
macher said:
What do you suggest for one that has an iPhone(personal) and Android( work) who wants to have the same data on both devices such as contacts, calendars, reminders, bookmarks? And also a sync solution like if I add a contact or calendar event that I want contact addition and new calendar event to be synced on iPhone and Android. Or if I add a bookmark to my Android work phone I would want the bookmark to be on my personal iPhone.
Click to expand...

Are you leaving out desktop sync for these services? If so, everything but bookmarks could be done via outlook.com. Bookmark sync could be achieved via Chrome.
 
BrianBaughn said:
Are you leaving out desktop sync for these services? If so, everything but bookmarks could be done via outlook.com. Bookmark sync could be achieved via Chrome.
Click to expand...

Oh yea. I use either Firefox or Chrome on a desktop. At home I use Chrome. If I'm out and about Firefox is usually the most popular browser that is already uploaded where I work. Chrome most often can't be uploaded because you have to be an admin to upload certain things.
 
There is no doubting that Google's web and cloud services put Apple's to shame. But I don't use them because Google know enough methinks.
 
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