Question about going Macbook-less until iCloud

[colin15]

I recently bought an iPad and iPhone 4 but sold my Macbook which the 2 devices were synced to, however, I do have the data backed up to an external hard drive.

My question is, when iCloud becomes available this Fall, will I be able to sync my iPhone and iPad to the cloud without losing my data or will I lose all my data because I didn't keep my Macbook which everything was synced to?

 

[soco]

It depends what data you're talking about. As long as it's iCloud supported data, it will be synced across all of your devices.

 

[colin15]

It depends what data you're talking about. As long as it's iCloud supported data, it will be synced across all of your devices.

I know that it will be synced across all devices, but I got rid of my Macbook which is what the iPhone and iPad were synced to. When iCloud is available, how would I go about uploading my iPad and iPhone to iCloud without a Macbook? Is the Macbook even required?

 

[BillyBobBongo]

I had a feeling the iCloud was only going to 'completely' work on iOS 5. I'm sure the old iOS will receive an update to remove all the MobileMe bits and pieces however. In iOS 5 you'll be able to wirelessly update your device, but I'm not sure how you're going to get there without a computer.

Obviously all new devices purchased in Autumn won't have this issue. But once on iOS5 you shouldn't need to sync with a computer anymore, as was covered during the Keynote.

Your problem is going to be more about not having access to iOS5.

 

[colin15]

I had a feeling the iCloud was only going to 'completely' work on iOS 5. I'm sure the old iOS will receive and update to remove all the MobileMe bits and pieces however. In iOS 5 you'll be able to wirelessly update your device, but I'm not sure how you're going to get there without a computer.

Obviously all new devices purchased in Autumn won't have this issue. But once on iOS5 you shouldn't need to sync with a computer anymore, as was covered during the Keynote.

From what I understand, iPad will be compatible with iOS 5 but yes, my concern is how I will get there without a Macbook.

 

[d21mike]

If you are talking about MobileMe then you would use any browser to upgrade and then change your settings in iOS 5.

Http://www.me.com/upgrade

For music that you purchased I think you can get that because Apple knows about them.

Pictures are a bit confusing because iCloud does not keep them all. They expect the overflow to be on your computer.

So like another poster said it depends on the data.

 

[colin15]

If you are talking about MobileMe then you would use any browser to upgrade and then change your settings in iOS 5.

Http://www.me.com/upgrade

For music that you purchased I think you can get that because Apple knows about them.

Pictures are a bit confusing because iCloud does not keep them all. They expect the overflow to be on your computer.

So like another poster said it depends on the data.

This is kind of new news to me. So pictures won't be synced with iCloud?
Also, will all my music (some purchased form itunes, some download, some burned) be synced to iCloud regardless of where they were obtained?
Lastly, I'm not sure if you'll be able to answer this, but when converting to iCloud, will it be done through itunes or via browser?

 

[BillyBobBongo]

Pictures are a bit confusing because iCloud does not keep them all. They expect the overflow to be on your computer.

There was an example in the Keynote where images were moved from the 'Photo Stream' and placed in an 'Event'. You'd just have to make sure anything you want saved got filed away safely before the 30 days expires.

Obviously if you were to lose or break your iDevice then you're going to lose those as they'll never be backed up anywhere.

 

[AzureCloud]

Obviously if you were to lose or break your iDevice then you're going to lose those as they'll never be backed up anywhere.

While that is the way Photo Stream works for photo syncing, I believe there is an iCloud mechanism for backing up the Camera Roll on iOS devices.

http://www.apple.com/icloud/features/apps-books-backup.html

Check the Backup section on Apple's page there. It backs up Photos and Videos from the camera roll on each device, so losing a device won't cause a loss of all pictures as long as the device is backed up.

 

[d21mike]

This is kind of new news to me. So pictures won't be synced with iCloud?
Also, will all my music (some purchased form itunes, some download, some burned) be synced to iCloud regardless of where they were obtained?
Lastly, I'm not sure if you'll be able to answer this, but when converting to iCloud, will it be done through itunes or via browser?

1. I don't have it all memorized but how pictures are synced is also described on the Apple Web Site. I think it is limited to what is store on iCloud.
2. If you did not purchase from iTunes you would need to use the Music Match for $25 per year. I think you would need to do this the first time with iTunes on a Computer. You can read about it on the Apple Site.
3. Based on my Link above it appears you would upgrade your MobileMe Account to iCloud from the web. MobileMe would only be your Mail, Calendar and Contacts. Maybe more but it has not been spelled out completely.

Read more about iCloud here:

http://www.apple.com/icloud/

 

[maclaptop]

I had a conversation with a level two (or at least that's what I was told when I escalated the call) tech, he seemed knowledgeable and was detailed in what he shared. Based on that conversation I believe you should be just fine.

I think it's a great idea to wait and buy the computer with LION already installed, that way you are assured it's been tested and will be the most current version or build, as will the hardware.