iCloud: This is Apple’s Last Chance To Revolutionize Mobile and Cloud Computing

Cloud is coming. That’s for sure and Apple has confirmed it just as much with its press release that Steve Jobs will also be headlining the keynote at next week’s WWDC event. Obviously, there is rampant speculation on what iCloud is and what it means for us Apple mobile warriors.

I reckon it’ll be tightly integrated into the Mac as well as the iOS devices. No brainer there. Beyond that, my speculations are just as good as any rumors/leaks that are flowing all over those “pipes” that power the Internet.

Regardless of what iCloud is, as a Mac and iOS user, I want it to be a seemless mobile computing experience unlike anything out there. Beyond what Google has available for its Webapps and Android. I want it to be many times better and more robust than the MobileMe experience I have had for the last few years.

The iCloud is Apple’s chance to bring its legendary innovative energy that has made the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad a hit with and made Apple the most valuable publicly traded company in the tech sector. MobileMe has been a decent improvement over dotMac and while merely catching up to Google with iCloud would the very least Apple’s team can achieve, I surmise that for the fans, it would not be enough.

Tight integration with OS X and iOS is expected but it needs to go beyond that. If I wanted to, I can achieve the same goals using Google or Yahoo’s services on my Mac or iPad. If Apple is to do this, that $2 billion data center that it built out in North Carolina will have a lot to do with it.

How exactly can Apple achieve this? Honestly, it is gonna have to go one of those moments when Steve Jobs goes onto the stage and show us something that we didn’t even know we needed. That’s how good iCloud is going to have to be. If it was just about a music locker for streaming, I would not be the first to be disappointed.

For the last month or so, there has been talk about Apple advancing voice command as a part of iOS. I have been using Siri, a voice-enabled app for search, creating reminders, and booking tickets or reservations. Are we going to see a lot more from Siri?

Apple just released an update to enable its iWorks apps to work on the iPhone and iPod touch. I wonder if iDisk will achieve greater integration with associated hardware and as well as an increase in storage. Having just used Pages in my touch for a few minutes, it is already, in my opinion, one of the best writing tools out there. It was definitely a “wow” moment.

iCloud could also means a robust webapp experience. This is where I am totally expecting a grand slam. Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft has virtually owned the web as far as I’m concerned. In one broad stroke, Apple can bring the Mac experience via HTML 5 through Safari. I’m talking about iLife and iWorks in the cloud.

Am I expecting too much? No. This is definitely something that is right up Apple’s alley. In less than a week, we’ll know if I ought to be forking over my $99 annual due for an incredible mobile cloud experience or migrate over to Google for good.



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