iCloud vs WiFi sync...

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Ok so I'm trying to understand the real point of WiFi sync when there is the iCloud... I haven't been able to use either myself so anyone with extra insight would be great. I might be overestimating the abilities of iCloud. But here are my thoughts...

iCloud features
-Buy a song (on any device, iphone, ipod touch, iPad, or Mac/PC). Automatically downloads to all other devices
-Buy an app. Automatically downloads to all other devices
-Take/upload a picture. automatically downloads to all other devices
-Download a Movie/TV show... automatically DL to all other devices??
-all contacts, calendars, email, etc all automatically synced

So then what is the purpose of the automatic wifi sync when you plug in your iDevice? It would seem to me that everything is staying in sync with your Mac all day long. Am I missing something?

EDIT: Crap, I posted this in the wrong forum... I meant to post in iCloud. Mods?

 

[Jagardn]

Sync and restore over WiFi is a hell of a lot faster than doing it to the cloud. If you had to restore all your Music, Videos, etc to your phone, would you want to wait for it to download over the net? The point is, it can sync to both, but its much faster to upgrade or restore to from a local machine.

 

[Amberfool]

Because you don't want to sync everything to all your devices, not all your music is from iTunes (and you don't want to buy iTunes Match) and I don't think that everything can be backed up to the cloud in the first place. Wifi syncing, unless iCloud is much more capable then the keynote suggested, just sounds like a easier option for some people.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Sync and restore over WiFi is a hell of a lot faster than doing it to the cloud. If you had to restore all your Music, Videos, etc to your phone, would you want to wait for it to download over the net? The point is, it can sync to both, but its much faster to upgrade or restore to from a local machine.

hmm.. while I agree with you, it seems like you are saying the only time to locally sync is when you restore and have to re-sync EVERYTHING. And upgrades are done over iCloud and are delta updates. So that leaves the rare option of the restore, which to me sounds like jailbreakers, and anyone that buy/replaces an iPhone. Or the rare restore for troubleshooting. But in the keynote they were talking about nightly syncing. Hardly seems necessary...

Because you don't want to sync everything to all your devices, not all your music is from iTunes (and you don't want to buy iTunes Match) and I don't think that everything can be backed up to the cloud in the first place. Wifi syncing, unless iCloud is much more capable then the keynote suggested, just sounds like a easier option for some people.

This leads me to something I was kinda wondering. Being PC free can we manage/delete everything off the iDevice itself without needing to sync it? We can always delete apps, or pictures in the photostream. But what about songs? What about photos in an actual photo album? etc. If so, when I delete photo A in photo album ABC from Device A, does the same occur for device B through the iCloud? I could go on all day about these types of things, because I always want clarification on these miniscule details. haha. Because if this device management is allowed that takes away some of the need for syncing.

How can you determine which data to sync to which device? Now it's easy because the device is plugged in during the sync. Does iTunes keep a history of all devices attached to it where you can easily select and deselect photo albums, or songs, or movies etc.

Also brings up another question. Does all the data on the iDevices HAVE to be on your Mac? If my iPad wifi sync's will it automatically transfer any music, photos, movies, or APPS that aren't on my Mac? I emphasis apps because I want to delete ALL 20GB of app data off my Mac. (I only have 120gb total on my 2007 macbook so that eats a pretty good chunk of it)

 

[Jagardn]

hmm.. while I agree with you, it seems like you are saying the only time to locally sync is when you restore and have to re-sync EVERYTHING. And upgrades are done over iCloud and are delta updates. So that leaves the rare option of the restore, which to me sounds like jailbreakers, and anyone that buy/replaces an iPhone. Or the rare restore for troubleshooting. But in the keynote they were talking about nightly syncing. Hardly seems necessary...

My Time Machine backs up all my info on my MBP every hour, that hardly seems necessary...until something bad happens.

I personally sync my entire Music library to my iPhone, I'd much rather have it happen over WiFi when I buy new music than over 3G. It does seem kind of redundant , but HDD space is cheap. You will probably have the option of not syncing to your iTunes automatically.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

My Time Machine backs up all my info on my MBP every hour, that hardly seems necessary...until something bad happens.

I personally sync my entire Music library to my iPhone, I'd much rather have it happen over WiFi when I buy new music than over 3G. It does seem kind of redundant , but HDD space is cheap. You will probably have the option of not syncing to your iTunes automatically.

Yeah that becomes an issue with people that have capped 3G data (yay for grandfathering!). I wonder if it will be a setting to only sync to iCloud over wifi