We recently reported that Apple launched iCloud beta for developers, the service brings new syncing and data storage capabilities to iOS devices. The access to iCloud.com is currently restricted to registered developers however, even without a developer account we were able to take a sneak peek at the available apps.
During WWDC 2011 when Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iCloud he said that the service would offer 5GB of free storage which would not take into account any media bought from iTunes store, apps or even photos that will be stored for 30 days on the cloud.
Apple believes that for most users 5GB would be enough as only documents, backups, contacts, calendars and mail would use the storage. However, the company has additionally detailed its pricing for the paid storage upgrades. 10GB of additional storage would cost you $20/year, 20 GB for $40/year and 50GB for $100/year.
As MobileMe will be completely replaced by iCloud, Find My iPhone will be a part of the new cloud based services and it would also include iWork apps. You will be able to upload and download Keynote, Numbers and Pages documents when accessing iCloud. Editing documents is still not possible.
iCloud will make document management really easy as you can start creating a document on your iPhone, edit on the iPad and finish it on your Mac without ever requiring to use USB or email to transfer documents. Apple’s iCloud will seamlessly keep all your documents in sync.
With iCloud release expected this fall Apple is taking a huge leap in making iOS devices more powerful and independent in the post-PC era. With iOS 5 and iCloud users will be able to wirelessly backup and sync their devices with the data stored on the cloud.
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