It just seems to me that companies like SugarSync (and maybe Dropbox - I don't use it) have been doing this for years. I'm confident that Apple will improve some of the media streaming experience, but their real genius is in marketing these products b/c this has existed for some time.
iCloud is not (just) a hard disk in the cloud (as Steve Jobs said during the keynote). More defining is the API that makes it seamless for applications (and consequently users) to sync data to the cloud.
In that sense, it's not just another Dropbox. In a year, the average iOS app will automatically sync data across devices using iCloud, while there is no simple knob you can switch to store it in Dropbox instead.
I will have to see the full implementation of iCloud to understand the difference. Again, can't speak for Dropbox even though they're the market leader. But SugarSync has this syncing functionality already and has had it for at least 2 years.
You can sync to the cloud and access files from the cloud OR you can actually choose files/folders to sync across hardware. For example, if I say that I want to sync my music folder across my Macbook Air and my Thinkpad, any time I make an update on one machine, it flows through to the other machine's hard drive. Similar with documents. If I choose to sync a Word document across machines and I edit it and save on one machine, in seconds it updates on the other machine should I open it there. It's all seamless - happens in the background without me having to push it from machine to machine.
Re: the API point, SugarSync has had one since 2010: http://www.sugarsync.com/developer. Haven't developed with it at all nor have I used an app that uses it, so can't speak for its flexibility.
P.s. I swear I'm not a SugarSync employee - just a very satisfied user since 2008 ;-)
You can sync to the cloud and access files from the cloud OR you can actually choose files/folders to sync across hardware.
There is a huge usability difference between putting a file in some folder, and having it synced, and automatically syncing all relevant data in an application.
This is easy to underestimate for us technical people, but it is very difficult to explain my mother that she has to put files in, say, Dropbox on her iPod Touch to be able to access it on her iPad. Do something on the iPod Touch, have it available nearly instantly on the iPad in the same application, she understands.
Dropbox has an API to allow external programs to use the service. There are no differences or very minor differences between iCloud and Dropbox functionality-wise.
The fact that Apple is behind iCloud and they're now going to integrate all of _their_ applications and the OS with it is going to make the difference. Apple certainly didn't invent anything revolutionary here, however it's revolutionary that the maker of a widely used desktop OS is doing it.
As Steve Jobs talked about during the keynote, the idea is to mostly remove the paradigm of files and folders from people's minds. I imagine the iCloud APIs will allow you to hook into iCloud as easily as you would local storage. Which means developer wouldn't need to learn much more to enable it. Plus, it will be single sign-on and you know that every one of your users has it. (no need to explain what Dropbox or cloud storage is)
And of course, for users, it'd be much easier because you don't have to learn what Dropbox is, what syncing is, etc. You open an app you know well and your documents are there. Period. No worries about what device you're actually using, or what file you want to sync or not.
The keyword really is "seamless", for users mostly but for developers too.
My understanding is that it's tied to your Apple ID and the whole thing is free (up to certain limits). So if a user has your app, they have an Apple ID and they have some iCloud storage.
However, it is likely that, as a user, you have to allow an app to use it or not.
What I meant, basically, is that you can prompt the user to authorize iCloud, but the user will not have to be taught what it is or to create an account for it. They should have it.
> In a year, the average iOS app will automatically sync data across devices using iCloud, while there is no simple knob you can switch to store it in Dropbox instead.
Which is, frankly, scary: imho, you should be able to easily switch your "sync provider" seamlessly. (For healthy competition, for privacy rights)
I fully agree, but it easy to fall for comfort, and lose flexibility.
It's pretty much the same with iTunes: I can ditch OS X and switch back to Linux. However, I will not be able to play music and movies directly from my media player to the Apple TV2 without much effort. Also, synchronizing music from Banshee or Rhythmbox to my phone is not possible (until libgpod supports iPhone 4).
iTunes/iCloud (/Google Apps/Facebook) will be the next Microsoft Office. You will be locked into a platform because your data lives there. It's clever.
