iCloud confusion

[spidertaker23]

Bear with me. I have some concerns about iCloud.

Currently both my wife and I use gmail and both have iPhones.

We use my apple ID (my gmail address) for apps/games/music etc. right now.

My concerns is that I was thinking about moving both of us over to iCloud from gmail. I'm not sure how all that is going to work with iCloud and iTunes Match.

So firstly you can only create @me accounts on a iOS device or a Mac? We have a windows 7 pc (2 separate user accounts). So we will have to create our @me email address from our iPhone's. Right now she does have her own apple ID that she uses in order to have a separate game center login, but that is the only thing she uses her apple ID for right now.

In order to have her own separate @me email address she would have to use her apple ID? There isn't a way to create multiple @me accounts under my main apple ID account right? I think you could do this in MobileME (since they sold family plans). If she used her own separate apple ID so she could have her own iCloud account for email and stuff that would make it so we have 2 separate iCloud storage banks right? So from what I understand there is now way to have a family share a bank of iCloud storage and you would have to pay for additional storage for each apple ID. That seems strange that apple wouldn't have made this more family centric. I'm sure there is a bunch of families out there with 2 to 4 kids and a spouse that currently all share an apple ID so you don't have to buy an app/game 5 times. Cuz honestly why should you have to to have your family use the app/game.

Also do you think apple will do anything that will allow you to migrate from say gmail to iCloud as far as transferring emails and/or contacts? It would be strange if they didn't ... gosh sakes gmail and yahoo mail both have services that help users migrate to their platform.

Also, as far as iTunes Match goes. I'm guess the only way that we could utilize one iTunes match subscription is if we have one combined music library? If we wanted to have separate iTunes Match iCloud accounts we would have to use our separate apple IDs and pay for iTunes match twice.

So overall, it seems like apple is trying to move away from allow users/family members to share any purchases and accounts. That seems pretty ridiculous/greedy to me.

Can anyone help me out? Maybe I just have to wait until it fully launches and check it out. But color me super confused.

 

[notjustgc]

My concerns is that I was thinking about moving both of us over to iCloud from gmail.

Don't move from Gmail to iCloud for email. It's going to be messy, there's no way to move your Sent messages, and there's just no reason at all to do that.

So firstly you can only create @me accounts on a iOS device or a Mac? We have a windows 7 pc (2 separate user accounts).

There will be an iCloud Control Panel for Windows that will allow you to manage iCloud accounts. But it might just be easier to use your iOS devices.

In order to have her own separate @me email address she would have to use her apple ID?

Yes. And there's no reason not to keep separate accounts -- it'll just make everything easier.

Also, as far as iTunes Match goes. I'm guess the only way that we could utilize one iTunes match subscription is if we have one combined music library? If we wanted to have separate iTunes Match iCloud accounts we would have to use our separate apple IDs and pay for iTunes match twice.

Yes. But iTunes match is QUITE cheap, as is iCloud storage. That's my opinion -- I don't know your financial situation -- but I just can't see the headaches and hassles of a shared account being worth saving $25 a YEAR!

 

[dhy8386]

Maybe i misunderstand you but there are currently two distinct logins for iOS

1) App Store/Itunes Store
2) iCloud

You have you and your wife. You each should create new, separate @me.com addresses. This will allow your photo stream, email, contacts, calendar, etc to be backed up distinctly.

As it related to music/apps/books, you can certainly share the same login so that you both have access to all the shared content. This would also apply to iTunes match since that is related to 1) above.

 

[spidertaker23]

Maybe i misunderstand you but there are currently two distinct logins for iOS

1) App Store/Itunes Store
2) iCloud

You have you and your wife. You each should create new, separate @me.com addresses. This will allow your photo stream, email, contacts, calendar, etc to be backed up distinctly.

As it related to music/apps/books, you can certainly share the same login so that you both have access to all the shared content. This would also apply to iTunes match since that is related to 1) above.

So if I understand this right. We have to use separate apple ids/me accounts in order to have separate photo stream, email, contacts, calendar, etc.

So because that's the case, if I wanted to upgrade iCloud storage for either of us I would have to pay for it separately? Which I guess isn't a terrible deal breaker. Depending on how much storage space we need. If I understand it correct you get 5gb free per me account? Even if you have 5 iOS devices you only get 5gb free per me account? The only question I would have I suppose is. Will iOS allow multiple icloud/me accounts per device? Like for instance if I bought and iPad 2. Could I put both our me accounts on that device?

As it relates to iTunes match that matches with your iTunes account/apple ID right? Which is the same account that I share right for apps/games/music/videos/tv episodes between the two of us. From what I understand if we both wanted to utilize iTunes match with our respective libraries we would have to at least stop using our itunes account/apple ID for music/videos/tv so that we could both use iTunes Match for our separate respective libraries with separate itunes accounts/apple ids. Which would suck a little cuz I think between the two of us we have like 300 purchased iTunes songs and like 3 or 4 videos. Basically, she would loose out on access to those purchased songs/videos if she used her own iTunes account/apple ID. In this situation I could still use our joint itunes account/apple ID for apps/games right? Obviously, if we used separate itunes accounts/apple ids for iTunes Match we would have to pay the $25/yr per accounts. Which wouldn't be a terrible thing cuz it's not that expensive. I'm more sad about her losing access to our purchased songs? Or would it not matter if we did iTunes match because it would scan and match it from her library anyways? (I just realized this). As long as the songs were in her library when we did the scan and match with iTunes match she would get access to it right? And in the future if I bought a iTunes song/video (as long as it wasn't drm'd) I could just copy it to her library manually and it would scan and match it and it would be in her itunes accounts/apple id/icloud account?

Sorry for that confusing paragraph, but I'm just so confused. Hopefully, that thought process makes sense.

 

[born4sky]

Maybe i misunderstand you but there are currently two distinct logins for iOS

1) App Store/Itunes Store
2) iCloud

You have you and your wife. You each should create new, separate @me.com addresses. This will allow your photo stream, email, contacts, calendar, etc to be backed up distinctly.

As it related to music/apps/books, you can certainly share the same login so that you both have access to all the shared content. This would also apply to iTunes match since that is related to 1) above.

hope that's the case.

 

[spidertaker23]

The only thing that makes me sad about the idea of my wife using a separate apple it/itunes account for music/video/tv is that if her or I buy any of that we won't able to easily download them to our opposite devices without syncing form the pc .

 

[dhy8386]

"So if I understand this right. We have to use separate apple ids/me accounts in order to have separate photo stream, email, contacts, calendar, etc.

So because that's the case, if I wanted to upgrade iCloud storage for either of us I would have to pay for it separately? Which I guess isn't a terrible deal breaker. YES Depending on how much storage space we need. If I understand it correct you get 5gb free per me account? Even if you have 5 iOS devices you only get 5gb free per me account? YES AS THEY WOULD ALL HAVE THE SAME CONTENT ASSUMING SAME IF ON ALL 5. The only question I would have I suppose is. Will iOS allow multiple icloud/me accounts per device? Like for instance if I bought and iPad 2. Could I put both our me accounts on that device? YES BUT ONE IS YOUR PRIMARY AND ONLY THAT ONE HAS PHOTOSTREAM,FIND MY IPHONE. BUT THE SECOND ONE COULD INTEGRATE THAT ACCOUNTS CONTACTS, CALENDAR, EMAIL.

As it relates to iTunes match that matches with your iTunes account/apple ID right? Which is the same account that I share right for apps/games/music/videos/tv episodes between the two of us. From what I understand if we both wanted to utilize iTunes match with our respective libraries we would have to at least stop using our itunes account/apple ID for music/videos/tv so that we could both use iTunes Match for our separate respective libraries with separate itunes accounts/apple ids. Which would suck a little cuz I think between the two of us we have like 300 purchased iTunes songs and like 3 or 4 videos. Basically, she would loose out on access to those purchased songs/videos if she used her own iTunes account/apple ID. In this situation I could still use our joint itunes account/apple ID for apps/games right? Obviously, if we used separate itunes accounts/apple ids for iTunes Match we would have to pay the $25/yr per accounts. Which wouldn't be a terrible thing cuz it's not that expensive. I'm more sad about her losing access to our purchased songs? Or would it not matter if we did iTunes match because it would scan and match it from her library anyways? (I just realized this). As long as the songs were in her library when we did the scan and match with iTunes match she would get access to it right? And in the future if I bought a iTunes song/video (as long as it wasn't drm'd) I could just copy it to her library manually and it would scan and match it and it would be in her itunes accounts/apple id/icloud account? TWO OPTIONS. SINCE MATCH WILL ALSO UPLOAD SONGS NOT PURCHASED ON A PARTICULAR ID, YES YOU CAN MATCH TWO LIBRARIES UNDER ONE ACCOUNT. OR YOU COULD USE HOME SHARING AND JUST INTEGRATE THE TWO LIBRARIES.

THE WAY IT WORKS IS THAT THE LIBRARY CONCEPT IS IRRELEVANT. ACTIVATING MATCH ON THE DEVICE ERASES ALL THE CONTENTS IN THE MUSIC APP. IT THEN PRESENTS ALL THE SONGS IN YOUR MATCH/ICLOUD. YOU CAN THEN EACH REDOWNLOAD ALL THE SONGS EACH OF YOU WANT ON YOUR SEPARATE DEVICES WITH THE ONE MATCH LIBRARY. PLAYLISTS WILL HAVE TO BE RESET UP.

Sorry for that confusing paragraph, but I'm just so confused. Hopefully, that thought process makes sense."

 

[spidertaker23]

Thanks for all the information. I think I understand your explanations.

Now the big question for today. Do I setup my new me account for myself under my itunes apple id (currently my gmail address) or do I create a new apple as if I don't have an apple id?

Probably just use my itunes apple id right? I'm just thinking cuz I heard you can't change your apple ID to a me email account. Which is something I'd probably want to do if I decide to switch to me all together and drop gmail.