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Apple Introduces iCloud: Contact, Cal, Docs, Photos, and Music Syncing Free of Charge

Frozone said:
I'm very curious how our Apple ID will work with iCloud. Everyone who signs up for iCloud gets an @me.com e-mail address. Will this replace the e-mail we currently use as our Apple ID? Or, we will continue to sign-in and download Applications under our old e-mail's, and have the @me.com solely as an extra e-mail. :confused:
Click to expand...

On top of that, what about the "family" iTunes account. We all use the same iTunes account to purchase Apps, Music, etc. So how will this work? Certainly having to buy everything 3 times is rather unreasonable. My wife and son would much rather have their own mailboxes and phone backups, etc.
 
snowboarder said:
Apple created that mess and they have no idea how to deal with it.
Right now we have to id's - apple id and mobileme id, they can't
recognize them and that's why so often I can't log in, I get
"wrong id" message all the time. works on my iPhone, but it's terrible
on my macs...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have two Apple ID's as well, so I'm HOPING there is some way to "merge" accounts. Maybe whenever we create an iCloud account, everything will just be transferred over. I don't see why that would be so hard to do?
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8J2)

Nothing for me, would be a downgrade. All my rips are lossless
 
MacVault said:
What!? No Time Capsule? If iCloud only stores my most recent items and the rest has to be stored on my Mac then how can they say the iDevices will now be independent of the Mac / PC?

They even mentioned that many users are stating they want the iPad / iPhone to be their only device. So in this case where the heck will they store their files?

:confused:
Click to expand...

On their iPad or iPhone. You do have 16, 32, or 64 GB storage on these devices. Should you not have a computer too, you can save your Photo Stream and Music to the device.
 
MobileMe purhcases where the codes haven't been redeemed or for fewer than 45 days can be refunded.
Those with more than 46 days of usage can be prorated.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4445

I haven't seen anything regarding what happens to a returned account until iCloud goes live.
 
MacVault said:
What!? No Time Capsule? If iCloud only stores my most recent items and the rest has to be stored on my Mac then how can they say the iDevices will now be independent of the Mac / PC?

They even mentioned that many users are stating they want the iPad / iPhone to be their only device. So in this case where the heck will they store their files?

:confused:
Click to expand...

In the cloud. The requirement to have home internet service or 3G to make this all work hasn't gone away quite yet.

Still think that Time Capsule thing might be in the works. Good intermediary between iCloud and your own stuff.
 
UndeadDan said:
Really looking forward to info about:

-iDisk
-Pricing on Additional Storage
-MobileMe refunds
-E-mail addresses

Please Apple, iCloud sounds really cool, but please don't screw over the folks who have grown to love all of the features dating back to .Mac.
Click to expand...

I could not agree more with this! iDisk is especially important to me, 5GB is pretty laughable, my mobile me subscription renewed on the 30th May 2011 and I have both a .me and .mac address...this needs cleaned up!
 
Multiple users

I will have to wait until it's released to see for sure, but I suspect Apple hasn't addressed the issue of multiple users sharing some of that data that is synced through iCloud. On the one hand, it sounds like a fantastic service, and what MobileMe should have been from the start. On the other, I suspect it will fall well short of ideal when it comes to my usage patterns, which are probably pretty common.

In our household, we have 2 iPhones and one iPad. We consider all three devices to be owned by the household, and therefore purchase any apps under a "joint" Apple ID so they get downloaded to all devices that want them. Additionally, my wife and I would share calendar and (most) contact data. A shared photo library would make sense for us as well. So iCloud under a joint account sounds about right until you consider...

Music. We have different tastes in music, and don't need or want our iTunes music purchases and "genius" recommendations lumped together. Therefore we keep separate accounts for that. And a joint iCloud account would not work at all. Also, I wouldn't want iCloud setup to automatically download any app that my wife buys - it might be a game I'm not interested in having on my phone, or it might be something useful to both of us. Same thing for apps I buy.

What would work best is a way to sync with different iCloud accounts for different categories. Then we could each sync with the shared account for apps, calendars, photos, etc, while keeping our music syncing separate.

Unfortunately I suspect Apple hasn't implemented anything like this, but I do think our use case is pretty common. Many households have multiple iDevice users and would want to share syncing of some, but not all of the things iCloud handles. It will be interesting to see as details roll in.

Edit: Yeah, basically what mmzplanet said. :)
 
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mmzplanet said:
On top of that, what about the "family" iTunes account. We all use the same iTunes account to purchase Apps, Music, etc. So how will this work? Certainly having to buy everything 3 times is rather unreasonable. My wife and son would much rather have their own mailboxes and phone backups, etc.
Click to expand...

I hadn't even though of how it must be with families. I think that could be easy to remedy by just making the devices "log-in screen" optional. Then, the devices would all have the same Applications, but when it comes to things like mail, bookmarks, etc., each person could have it a bit more individualized.
 
Ok there is information on mobileme's site already:

Log into mobileme and go to "account"

It tells you in the account summary section that "Your subscription has been extended until Jun 30, 2012, at no additional charge. "

Clicking the "learn more" button gives a new window with the information:

What's happening to MobileMe?
Effective June 6, 2011, if you had an active MobileMe account, your service has been automatically extended through June 30, 2012, at no additional charge. After this, the MobileMe service will no longer be available.

What will happen to the content I have on MobileMe?
Apple has announced a new service called iCloud which will be available this fall and free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users. When you sign up for iCloud, you'll be able to keep your me.com or mac.com email address and move your MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service.

When iCloud becomes available this fall, more details and instructions will be provided on how to make the move.

Can I create a new MobileMe account?
You can no longer create a new 60-day trial account or start a new subscription using a code contained in a MobileMe box. However, if you have a Family Pack subscription, you can still create new family member accounts.

Can I upgrade to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage?
Effective June 6, 2011, you can no longer upgrade your Individual account to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage for your MobileMe account.

I purchased a MobileMe box and have not used the activation code inside. Can I get refund for it?
Yes. If you have an unused activation code from a MobileMe box, you can submit a refund request.
Click to expand...

And the words "refund request" are a link.

Update: I went to the refund link and it looks old. I believe it was instructions from prior to this news. It states that if you apply for a refund and are a current mobile member that your account will be cancelled. So that would be strange now if you go to get credit for a purchase of a mobileme code and based on old protocol they cancelled your account entirely. Hopefully they update what happens when refunds are requested. Well I guess if it is a code you haven't applied yet then you won't have this problem.

I think I'll wait a few weeks and go into an apple store to ask about it.
 
Last edited:
Chat transcript

Chat Support

Monday, June 6, 2011 09:33 PM
Duration: 24 minutes 24 seconds

Kimberly:
Hi, welcome to Apple! My name is Kimberly with MobileMe support. Please give me a moment to look over the information you provided.

Kimberly:
Hey Andre, I am happy to assist you with any MobileMe related issues today. While I am reading your pre-chat survey, might I ask if you've contacted us about this issue before?

Andre:
No. It is about the transition to iCloud.

Andre:
I use the MobileMe Gallery, iDisk and iWeb. What will happen to those services?

Andre:
I use iWeb to publish a website on MobileMe.

Kimberly:
I understand you are concerned about your published website. Is that correct?

Andre:
And about my 10GB on my iDisk and my MobileMe Galleries.

Andre:
I use my iDisk to store all kinds of files.

Kimberly:
I can definitely understand your concern for you files. The data you have in you MobileMe account will not be affected.

Andre:
So I will still be able to access my iDisk and upload new files after the migration to iCloud?

Andre:
And I will still be able to upload new Photo Galeries from Aperture?

Andre:
And other people (non iOS/Mac) will be able to see these galeries?

Kimberly:
This information, I don't know. The only changes we are aware of at this point are in this article http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4597.

Andre:
And when does Apple plan to inform it's paying customers about these basic questions?

Andre:
PS: If I try to follow your link, I get a "Page does not exist" error.

Kimberly:
To be honest Andre, I don't know. I will copy and and paste the page.

Kimberly:
Information about the MobileMe transition Author: Artie Nathan III Last Modified: June 06, 2011 Article: HT4597 Views: 0 Security: Public   Summary What's happening to MobileMe? Effective June 6, 2011, if you had an active MobileMe account, your service has been automatically extended through June 30, 2012, at no additional charge. After this, the MobileMe service will no longer be available. Products Affected MobileMe What will happen to the content I have on MobileMe? Apple has announced a new service called iCloud which will be available this fall and free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users. When you sign up for iCloud, you'll be able to keep your me.com or mac.com email address and move your MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service. When iCloud becomes available this fall, more details and instructions will be provided on how to make the move. Can I create a new MobileMe account? You can no longer create a new 60-day trial account or start a new subscription using a code contained in a MobileMe box. However, if you have a Family Pack subscription, you can still create new family member accounts. Can I upgrade to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage? Effective June 6, 2011, you can no longer upgrade your Individual account to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage for your MobileMe account. I purchased a MobileMe box and have not used the activation code inside. Can I get refund for it? Yes. If you have an unused activation code from a MobileMe box, you can submit a refund request.

Andre:
Thank you for the article. I understand that you can only tell me what you've been told by your supervisors. But they should have expected the confusion caused by this iCloud announcement. And judging by what's going on online, I'm not the only confused MobileMe customer.

Kimberly:
You definitely aren't. I found out 30 minutes ago when I walked in. All we have is that article. I'm sorry.
 
UndeadDan said:
Really looking forward to info about:

-iDisk
-Pricing on Additional Storage
-MobileMe refunds
-E-mail addresses

Please Apple, iCloud sounds really cool, but please don't screw over the folks who have grown to love all of the features dating back to .Mac.
Click to expand...

+10000, especially point 1 and 4. I'd like to know how to deal with my iDisk and my existing @me-adress (which I don't want to change) when switching from MobileMe to iCloud.
 
There are more details in this thread but I still have far more questions than answers like my MoMe apple ID versus my iTunes ID meshing, what happens to bookmark synching and the gallery?
 
pol0001 said:
Chat Support

Monday, June 6, 2011 09:33 PM
Duration: 24 minutes 24 seconds

Kimberly:
Hi, welcome to Apple! My name is Kimberly with MobileMe support. Please give me a moment to look over the information you provided.

Kimberly:
Hey Andre, I am happy to assist you with any MobileMe related issues today. While I am reading your pre-chat survey, might I ask if you've contacted us about this issue before?

Andre:
No. It is about the transition to iCloud.

Andre:
I use the MobileMe Gallery, iDisk and iWeb. What will happen to those services?

Andre:
I use iWeb to publish a website on MobileMe.

Kimberly:
I understand you are concerned about your published website. Is that correct?

Andre:
And about my 10GB on my iDisk and my MobileMe Galleries.

Andre:
I use my iDisk to store all kinds of files.

Kimberly:
I can definitely understand your concern for you files. The data you have in you MobileMe account will not be affected.

Andre:
So I will still be able to access my iDisk and upload new files after the migration to iCloud?

Andre:
And I will still be able to upload new Photo Galeries from Aperture?

Andre:
And other people (non iOS/Mac) will be able to see these galeries?

Kimberly:
This information, I don't know. The only changes we are aware of at this point are in this article http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4597.

Andre:
And when does Apple plan to inform it's paying customers about these basic questions?

Andre:
PS: If I try to follow your link, I get a "Page does not exist" error.

Kimberly:
To be honest Andre, I don't know. I will copy and and paste the page.

Kimberly:
Information about the MobileMe transition Author: Artie Nathan III Last Modified: June 06, 2011 Article: HT4597 Views: 0 Security: Public   Summary What's happening to MobileMe? Effective June 6, 2011, if you had an active MobileMe account, your service has been automatically extended through June 30, 2012, at no additional charge. After this, the MobileMe service will no longer be available. Products Affected MobileMe What will happen to the content I have on MobileMe? Apple has announced a new service called iCloud which will be available this fall and free for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users. When you sign up for iCloud, you'll be able to keep your me.com or mac.com email address and move your MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service. When iCloud becomes available this fall, more details and instructions will be provided on how to make the move. Can I create a new MobileMe account? You can no longer create a new 60-day trial account or start a new subscription using a code contained in a MobileMe box. However, if you have a Family Pack subscription, you can still create new family member accounts. Can I upgrade to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage? Effective June 6, 2011, you can no longer upgrade your Individual account to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage for your MobileMe account. I purchased a MobileMe box and have not used the activation code inside. Can I get refund for it? Yes. If you have an unused activation code from a MobileMe box, you can submit a refund request.

Andre:
Thank you for the article. I understand that you can only tell me what you've been told by your supervisors. But they should have expected the confusion caused by this iCloud announcement. And judging by what's going on online, I'm not the only confused MobileMe customer.

Kimberly:
You definitely aren't. I found out 30 minutes ago when I walked in. All we have is that article. I'm sorry.
Click to expand...

Shes telling the truth. Apple employees are usually the last people to find out things.
 
Fast Shadow said:
I guess I don't "get" it, what the big deal about this is.

I already have Gmail.

I already have Flickr.

And I already have online storage.

How is this any different?
Click to expand...

its not different it just combines all of those different services into one service and integrates it more seamlessly into your iOS and OS devices.
 
Need time to digest, and hopefully not vomit later....

I really need time to think about this.

1. If file structure seems to be gone, and we have auto-syncing does that now mean I have to wade through client A, B, C,... while looking for clients X's documents? This seems nice if your a student, your devices are for personal use, or you do not deal with clients. With starting a business that is completely mobile to clients - seems like I could deal with clutter very quickly. May have to resort to iWork for myself and MS OFFICE for my client work?

2. photo sync. Love the idea, but.... On a typical weekend I may take more than 1000 photos. Especially given I am going to start offering photography services. Nice to have an up-to-date-portfolio with me. But as I fill up SD cards, I dump them to my ipad (not sure if ipad can handle raw [.NEF files] - never tried it yet). Does this mean I can start losing pics as I dump more? also, I had major problems with iphoto losing photos on my (even with the last update). I use iphoto as a dumping ground or to order prints/books. Not for storage; ever since I lost 100's of photos only to be left with a 100X300 thumbnail.

3. Ok, if MobileMe is dead and we get Mail, Contacts, and calendar for free - what happens to my website? I use iWeb and have 2 websites. 1 for my business which is hosted with a real domain name; the other is personal and on MobileMe. Will my personal website eventually go away? I like the idea of contact, calendar, and mail sync being instantaneous.

4. Itunes Sync - so this means that since my entire 6000+ song library is ripped; does that mean I must pay $25.00 a year to match? I do not have the original CD's anymore for the most of them; since they got scratched, lost, and some were damaged in a fire. If I do not match - it sounds like I lose my music? What about all those indies or locals who are not on itunes. Also I deal with local artists. I heard something about uploading the song if no match. Working with local artists, copyright would bar me from doing that. Plus Itunes is integrated in many apps.

I would really hate to have to switch back and find Windows Apps for my business, and Linux just is not up to par with what I do.

Like I said; with building a business based on dealing with client documents (writing / documentation services), offering photography, and offering DJ service - I REALLY HAVE TO DIGEST WHAT ALL THIS NOW MEANS.

Especially since I am in a state that is still very rural (lot of edge network - if any connection); and not that much wi-fi.

Also would this mean I now need a mi-fi device?
 
I wonder what will happen to my five MobileMe email aliases? I don't want to lose those.
 
bigjnyc said:
its not different it just combines all of those different services into one service and integrates it more seamlessly into your iOS and OS devices.
Click to expand...

I would say very seamlessly when you can take a picture on your iPhone and have it shared on your Mac or iPad within seconds and you don't have to do anything.
 
lars666 said:
+10000, especially point 1 and 4. I'd like to know how to deal with my iDisk and my existing @me-adress (which I don't want to change) when switching from MobileMe to iCloud.
Click to expand...

I've got 10GB of necessary files sitting in my iDisk. Definitely interested to see what the options are for those of us with more than 5GB of data. And I really hope that Apple gives us warning about the transition so I can make sure I have a backup of all that info!
 
No new time capsule?

What happened to the new Time Capsule that was rumoured.
I guess that's the word- 'rumoured'.
But stocks were running low, so do you think it'll be a quiet refresh?
 
UnSainted said:
I just renewed my mobileme 2 weeks ago.. Since its going away I wonder what I will get in exchange.. More iCloud space? I didnt catch any mention of it but i would be ok with that.
Click to expand...

I was wondering too. Engadget said some people have already started getting refunds. I personally haven't.

I'm also confused about what portions are launching today. And I briefly read somewhere its 4.3 only, so are the Verizon customers left out in the cold again on new features?

Edit: Just saw this above.

strik said:
Several people reporting that their account for MobileMe that were just purchased recently are just showing as a "Free extension" until June 2012. Not sure how an extension of a product that is now free is any sort of extension.
Click to expand...

I went and looked. Mine has been extended until June 30th 2012 and I still have 20gb storage. So, we get 15 extra gigabytes of storage for a year. I'd rather have a refund. I've never made it over 1gb of usage between 5 people on a family account.
 
0229876 said:
MobileMe and iCloud are two different products. If you bought MobileMe, you are getting what you paid for.
Click to expand...

So by your reading of this, the mail/contacts/calendar bit that is currently part of MobileMe will transition to iCloud but iDisk will remain a separate, pay service?
 
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