Preface
Ten years ago, we thought Personal Computer (PC) was the hub of our digital content, where all of our music, photos, and videos are stored and synced across all digital devices. Now, it is the cloud that has become the digital hub. It can be a combination of storage and services stored and run somewhere on the Internet, hence the term cloud computing.
The term "cloud computing" actually has been around since the early days of computers, in which a computation is performed using large-scale mainframes and the clients are only "dumb terminals". But only in 2006, this term seemed more popular than ever when the two software giants, Amazon and Microsoft, introduced their cloud computing platform, soon followed by various cloud computing and storage services, such as Dropbox.
Apple came quite late into the game with its own cloud computing service: the iCloud. However, iCloud is nothing like similar cloud computing services. It hides the complexity so that the users don't need any significant efforts to activate, set up, and use it. It's the technology that indeed works.
Sometimes, it's easy to get lost in that sophisticated world, no matter how simple the iCloud is made by Apple. That is where this book comes to the rescue. This book will walk you through from the moment you turn on your device, activate iCloud, set it up, and start to use it in everyday life.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Hello, iCloud!, explains what iCloud is and how it works, what features iCloud provides to the users and their devices, and what makes iCloud different from other services.
Chapter 2, Getting Started with iCloud, explains how to get started with iCloud on devices, including a Mac computer, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Windows PC.
Chapter 3, Working with Mail, Contacts, and Calendar, explains how to use Mail, Contacts, and Calendar with iCloud and how to manage the contents across your devices.
Chapter 4, Collaborate with iMessage, Notes, and Reminders, explains how to set up iMessage on devices, use Notes and Reminders, and how to manage the content across your devices.
Chapter 5, Using iPhoto and iTunes with iCloud, explains how to use iCloud with iTunes and iPhoto, access purchased music and movies from your Mac, PC, iOS Device, or Apple TV, and how to set up and use iTunes Match across your devices.
Chapter 6, Syncing Your Contents with iCloud, explains how to store and manage various types of content in the cloud, including documents, apps, bookmarks, and iBooks data.
Chapter 7, Exploring iCloud Apps, explains how to use the iCloud.com web portal, as well as certain iCloud apps, such as Find my iPhone, Find my Friends, and iWork.
Chapter 8, Backing Up Devices to iCloud, explains how iCloud backs up your iOS device, how to back up and restore an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iCloud, and the various storage options available on iCloud.
Chapter 9, Using iCloud with OS X, explains how to use certain Mac-specific iCloud features using Mac OS X, including iCloud-enabled apps, and Back to my Mac.
Chapter 10, Using iCloud with Windows, explains certain Windows-specific aspects of iCloud, such as using the iCloud Control Panel, and setting up iCloud with Microsoft Outlook.
What you need for this book
For this book, you will need the following hardware and software:
A Mac computer running OS X Lion (v10.7.5) or later. OS X Mavericks (v10.9) is recommended.
A PC running Microsoft Windows Vista (SP2), 7, 8, or later. Windows 7 or later is recommended.
iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, and iPod touch, running iOS 6 or later.
iTunes 10.5 or later installed on a Mac or PC. iTunes 11 or later is recommended.
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 or later installed on a PC running Windows.
The latest version of each software is recommended in order to make the most out of iCloud. Other types of software required in this book is downloadable from the Internet with the step-by-step instructions given in the relevant chapters.
Who this book is for
This book is aimed towards all users who want to know more about iCloud and use it in the best way for your daily productivity. Any knowledge of cloud computing or programming is not required at all.
You will need to know how to browse the Web using any modern web browsers, understand how to use productivity tools such as e-mail, contacts directory, and online calendar, and also be familiar with using a computer and/or iOS devices.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "If you have an @me.com e-mail address even if you aren't subscribed to MobileMe, Apple will be reactivated for e-mail when you're signing up for iCloud."
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: "clicking on the Next button moves you to the next screen."
Note
Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.
Tip
Tips and tricks appear like this.
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