Considering iCloud's potential against existing cloud services

There have been any number of rumors floating around in the last day or so about Apple's Time Capsule integrating with the new iCloud service. Ars Technica reports that the updated Capsules might mirror Apple TV's CPU strength with capable A4 or A5 processors that do more than just perform backups and store data locally. Here at TUAW, we think the story could be a lot bigger that just pre-fetching and caching updates for computer-free mobile updates.

You don't build a really, really, we mean really big data center like that in North Carolina and use it only for streaming music, do you? Especially when startups like Pogoplug, Dolly Drive and CrashPlan have demonstrated just how useful remote storage can be.

For the last two years, Pogoplug has offered a home-based streaming service that uses local disk storage supplied by end-users and a centralized server to simplify remote data access.

If that sounds like your guess at what the data center and a Time Capsule could accomplish together, you're thinking like we are. Pogoplug doesn't offer any backup capabilities, but it ably moves data between the net and customers on-the-go.

Backup experts Dolly Drive and CrashPlan offer software that takes your OS X backups beyond local Time Machine storage and into the cloud. Both services, along with other competitors, use decentralized passive systems that upload their data in the background. Like Time Machine, users don't have to worry about overseeing regular maintenance. You just set it and forget it.

In use, these services operate slowly and deliberately to back up your data without interrupting normal computer operations.

They don't offer beautiful Time Machine-style interfaces, and there's no streaming component to push data out to the mobile world, but they keep your data safe, especially when "catastrophe" means more than a dead disk.

Now imagine an online music storage locker that can back up and stream your data as well as store your music. Imagine Time Machine extending beyond your Time Capsule hardware and onto the net, with data it can serve regardless of whether your primary Mac is connected or not.

Imagine data that you can access from your MacBook at the coffee shop or from your iPhone at the Doctor's office. Imagine a smart disk drive that knows how to download and cache software updates on its own but also can serve backed up data without you ever having to make it "go."

Apple likes to "surprise and delight" its customers, so Apple's solution may not resemble any of these services. But these existing products certainly inspire some great ideas of where Apple might be pushing boundaries with the iCloud.

View Tags

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/tag/icloud

Categories

Apple

There have been any number of rumors floating around in the last day or so about Apple's Time Capsule integrating with the new iCloud...

Add a Comment

Sign in »

12 Comments

Filter by:

Dennis Church

Now imagine a service that syncronizes your calendar, contacts and mail, sometimes, and only goes down about once a week, and only costs $99.99 more than Google does. Mobile me has a track record after all!

June 04 2011 at 9:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Bill Andy

This is what I thought on the subject matter. http://wordspower.net/article/index/p/aWQ6MTU%3D

June 04 2011 at 1:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jdhksahkj Dsadas

=====================ww w. vogueboom .c om======================

you can find many cheap and fashion stuff
jordan air max oakland raiders $30--39;
Ed Hardy AF JUICY POLO Bikini $20;
Handbags (Coach lv fendi d&g) $30
T shirts (Polo ,edhardy,lacoste) $15
Jean(True Religion,edhardy,coogi) $30
Sunglasses (Oakey,coach,gucci,Armaini) $15
New era cap $15
Bikini (Ed hardy,polo) $20
=====================ww w. vogueboom .c om=====================
ACCEPT PYAPAL and CREDIT CARD and CASH
DELIVERY TO YOU DOOR TO DOOR
Free Shipping

June 04 2011 at 4:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jdhksahkj Dsadas

June 04 2011 at 4:32 AM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down Reply

Josh Zytkiewicz

I particularly like the idea of a Time Machine backup mirrored into Apples datacenter.

June 03 2011 at 10:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

gametime

Looks like Apple is pitching iCloud is the next version of iSync. After all:
- There is no iSync in Lion (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/26/no-more-isync-in-lion/)
- The iCloud icon looks awfully like the iSync icon

But like you said, more than just syncing your addressbook to your phone (iSync), my guess is that iCloud will sync all your documents (notice that iWork just came out for iPhone), music, photos, maybe even movies, across all your Mac and iOS devices. So rather than syncing your iPad and iPhone to iTunes, you sync it wirelessly with iCloud instead. Makes sense to me...

June 03 2011 at 7:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jordanespy

I totally agree with this post. It's exactly what I thought when I heard about the Time Capsule, and I immediately regretted buying my Drobo last Christmas. Without some online storage like this, what could Apple charge for? We all agree the .me services are not worth paying for in their current incarnation.

June 03 2011 at 6:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

timl2k11

Hope those diesel generators don't get flooded during a power outage!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/220328/Apple%20DataCenter%20Deisel%20Generators.kml

June 03 2011 at 5:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

myo177

With ISP starting to put bandwidth limits in place, why does everyone want their music in the cloud? If I want it in the cloud I would go with Pandora. Otherwise why would I upload the music I already paid for back into the cloud to pay to listen to it again? I really don't get it.

June 03 2011 at 5:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply