Can iCloud Be My Storage Drive?

[SiskoKid]

Hey so I was looking to get a new MacBook to replace my old imac as I never use my desktop computer anymore and when I do it's for documentation or storing photos and videos from my phone.

Is it possible to buy a 1TB icloud plan and get the 256GB MacBook and just store most of my photos, videos and documents in the cloud? I have about 700GB worth of files. Like can I watch videos from the cloud and not have to put them on my MacBook? Or does iCloud only store document type files?

 

[PDFierro]

Hey so I was looking to get a new MacBook to replace my old imac as I never use my desktop computer anymore and when I do it's for documentation or storing photos and videos from my phone.

Is it possible to buy a 1TB icloud plan and get the 256GB MacBook and just store most of my photos, videos and documents in the cloud? I have about 700GB worth of files. Like can I watch videos from the cloud and not have to put them on my MacBook? Or does iCloud only store document type files?

Why wouldn't you just get an external hard drive? But no, iCloud isn't set up for that. You can stream iTunes-purchased movies. Using iCloud as your storage drive won't even come close to working.

 

[maclook]

I don't believe you can. I have the 200gb plan and use it on my iMac and MBA. If I upload a file on my iMac and go over to the MBA, the file will show up in Finder with a little "cloud download" icon much like how iTunes Match works so I can click that and it will download the file onto my MBA. The bad thing is that, as far as I know, I can't delete the file from my MBA but keep it in my iCloud Drive. When I delete it, it says it will move the file to the trash and also delete it from the iCloud Drive. With iTunes Match (which works much differently since it's music only), you can delete the file and there's a little checkbox where you can choose whether or not to also delete it from iCloud.

You might have a better chance with Dropbox/Google Drive/Office 365. I only have experience with iCloud Drive and Dropbox but I don't think Dropbox has that functionality either.

 

[Queen6]

DropBox & Mega have selectable synchronisation. So you can choose which folders to synchronise with the Mac and which to remain solely as cloud storage.

Mega has the better integration with OS X allowing any folder to be synchronised, not just one bulk folder, equally a word of warning; ensure you export the Master encryption Key and never forget your password as the way Mega works all is encrypted point to point, if you forget the password with no Master Key you will not be able to access your data nor will Mega tech support be able to help you. As this is the very point of Mega retaining your data securely.

If security is a concern another Cloud service offering enhanced security is SpiderOak similar to Mega as no Master key is retained by the provider, however I am not familiar how SpiderOak sync`s files or selects folders. SpiderOak is US based, Mega NZ, that may also be a determine factor depending on your usage.

You should also aways have a physical back as cloud services have and may fail.

N.B. Dropbox can work similar to Mega (multi sync folders) however you have to create "Symlinks" to get the job done, nor do the "Symlinks" update at the same frequency as Dropbox`s assigned sync folder.

Q-6

 

[Freyqq]

I think you're better off buying a 802.11ac router with a USB port and plugging in a 1TB hard drive. Faster, and you retain all your data locally - so no worries about any ISP data caps.

 

[Mrbobb]

Cloud:

less reliable compared to you local storage.
you should maintain a back up anyways.
more expensive.
Limited by your Internet speed.
Doesn't sound as seamless as vendors make you believe.

Other than that, it's possible.

 

[nutmac]

Is it possible to buy a 1TB icloud plan and get the 256GB MacBook and just store most of my photos, videos and documents in the cloud?

If you must, you should get wireless hard disk which can operate in both wireless (WiFi) or through USB connection, as well as over the cloud. It's much more cost effective while giving you the ability to connect directly for faster access.

Having said that, transferring data wirelessly can be a tiresome affair, at roughly 20 MB/sec, if at that.

I am currently using Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 1TB memory stick for my photo needs. But at over $800, it is very expensive (Samsung's high-end 850 Pro 1TB costs $500) and it does not yet come in USB-C connector.

 

[AliMacs]

$800 for a 1TB flash memory stick? Come on, that's more outrageous than apple selling you this new rMP for $1299!

Just buy a bunch of 1TB/2TB USB 3.0 drives. Copy al the images to the drives and make back up of the backup. You cannot go wrong with the price per byte ratio with external storage solutions.

You want more convenience you can always get a NAS (synology comes to mind) - or just plug in an external usb drive to your airport extreme and copy files there locally.