Signing Into iCloud On iPhone Helps Get Around One iCloud Account Per Device Limitation

I have more than one iCloud accounts where I keep personal data separate from other more public facing data (blogs and other writings, coding, and business endevours). To my knowledge, there is no way to have more than one iCloud Drive. 

As many of you know, you can add accounts from Google, Outlook, and even other iCloud accounts onto your iPHone or iPad but you are really limited to just one main iCloud account. You should be able to access mail and calendar. Well, what about notes and iCloud Drive? Then you are out of luck. I have come across users, though not many, would want to be able to address more iCloud features from multiple accounts to an iPhone or iPad. Even more have asked for the iPad to support mutliple users. Me? I just want to be able to access different iCloud drives on the iPhone or iPad. 

So, I decided to see if I can log into iCloud through the browser. And guess what? It works. I can access emails and notes. Pretty much all the iCloud features though there are limitations. For example, I can look through the drive for files but I cannot edit them directly through the browser on the iPhone. I believe you can do it on the IPad. It is not as efficient as being able to do the edit on the native apps. On the iPhone, you end up with an Open or Download option. 

Once you download it, the file gets saved into the iCloud Drive assigned with the account you signed into. I suppose that is fine. After you edit the file, you can link it back to the account you signed into on the browser by sharing the file. As with most things, if you try hard enough, you can find a way forward or a workaround but it is almost never ideal.

But I’m very glad that this option si available. It is interesting to me why Apple even allow such much access through the browser given how much they rather have users go to the App Store to download and use the apps they need instead of web apps. This brought a bit of nostalgia to before the App Store annd when many web apps ere not yet available in the App Store.

Note: I am writing this on the Notes app through the mobile browser.

Apple Server Hacked - Should We Continue To Trust iCloud?

iCloud is the next foundation upon which mobile computing and just about every one of Apple's technical strategy is going forward. However, even Apple is not invulnerable to hacks.

In a tweet, Anonymous or its associate hacker group, Lulz Security, managed to hack into an Apple server. Though not a whole lot of information was stolen, the message was received loud and clear. Luckily for Apple, they're not the main target at this time.

According to the hackers, they're busy. In a tweet, they stated that "Apple could be target, too. But don’t worry, we are busy elsewhere".

This is particularly worrisome as Apple will make iCloud a large piece of the iOS 5 and OS X ecosystem. Apple has yet to say a word about this. This is typical Apple behavior. They almost never say anything for days or weeks when requested for information.

Just last week, Apple was forced to patch a security hole in its developer website after a hacker group threatened to expose it. According to Macworld, the phishing hole was exposed two months ago.

I reckon we could hear from Apple on this matter sooner rather than later as iCloud is due to launch this fall. As a mobile warrior, I am very excited about iOS 5 and having my data easily accessible from iCloud. Still, unless Apple puts security above all else, people will not be able to trust this.

After all, during Apple's WWDC keynote this year, Steve Jobs pointedly asked in a rhetorical question, why the users should trust them on iCloud when they're the one who brought us MobileMe.

Source: NYT.