Networking talk: From cloud to iCloud and why you should care
Currently, a user first downloads songs, videos, podcasts, or photos onto a computer, then syncs it with other mobile devices. This is a little inconvenient but at least you just need to download the content once. The iCloud service, on the other hand, according to Steve, automatically "pushes" the content to all your iCloud-connected devices using the Internet. This means the total amount of data that needs to be downloaded would be the original amount multiplied by the number of devices you have. Now multiply this similar activity by millions of users, and we face a huge bandwidth problem and put a lot of stress on an already overstressed data infrastructure. All that just so you can save a few minutes by not plugging your mobile devices into the computer.Many Internet providers now put a cap on the amount of data you can download per month. Comcast, for example, allows only 250GB, which is actually not much in my personal experience (though I am not a typical example as I have to test storage devices, which involves moving lots of data around). Nonetheless, having multiple iCloud-compatible devices would help you use up the data allowance faster.The second side effect is the loss of control. As iCloud is integrated into apps and devices, that might mean users will not have control over it, and may even not be able to opt out. If you store your purchased digital content in Apple's iCloud storage space, that could mean the company has control over what you can view. It's unclear if you can even upload your own content, ripped music from your CDs or music purchased from other services for example, and store it in Apple's iCloud. Judging from the way iTunes syncs contents with devices, it's a safe guess that the iCloud service will offer users much less control over it than other existing cloud services.On top of this, there's also a security risk factor that's present in all cloud services. After all, it's just another online data service that keeps the private information of millions of people.Obviously, we'll have to wait to see how iCloud is implemented. However, judging from what Jobs said and what he didn't, the iCloud service does seem to have cloudy parts. For those hard-core fans of Apple and the iCloud who are superexcited, sorry if I have just rained on your parade. But face it: if you like the cloud so much, you should be ready to get wet once in a while.
