Steve Jobs' Brainchild Has Realized Its Potential
AppleMagazine|December 27, 2019
Unveil the cloud storage service iCloud
Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan
Steve Jobs' Brainchild Has Realized Its Potential

When the then-CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, prepared to unveil the cloud storage service iCloud back in 2011, he described a world that you might barely recognize now: a world where any photos you take, videos you shoot, music you buy and other digital files are stored simply on your PC, “the digital hub of your digital life”. However, as you might recall if you are old enough, this arrangement faltered as many devices other than the PC began taking on further PC-like responsibilities.

The days when a photo would scarcely last long on your phone before you quickly uploaded it to your PC are long gone. As Jobs acknowledged at the 2011 keynote of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) where iCloud would ultimately be announced, our PCs, phones and tablets all had photos, videos and music – and having to remember to manually synchronize all of it between those devices had become a convoluted nightmare giving rise to understandable frustration.

Basically, our digital lives needed a new digital hub that was a better fit for 2010s tech habits – and the solution that Apple proposed was iCloud. With your files now stored in the cloud rather than on physical hard drives, you could save, straight to the cloud, data that was then automatically pushed to all of your other devices connected with iCloud. It’s no wonder Jobs that chose this occasion to air one of his now iconic catchphrases, “it just works”.

This story is from the December 27, 2019 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 27, 2019 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM APPLEMAGAZINEView All
UN SAYS E-WASTE FROM TRASHED ELECTRIC DEVICES IS PILING UP AND RECYCLING ISN'T KEEPING PACE
AppleMagazine

UN SAYS E-WASTE FROM TRASHED ELECTRIC DEVICES IS PILING UP AND RECYCLING ISN'T KEEPING PACE

U.N. agencies have warned that electrical and electronic waste is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
FRENCH REGULATORS FINE GOOGLE $272 MILLION IN DISPUTE WITH NEWS PUBLISHERS
AppleMagazine

FRENCH REGULATORS FINE GOOGLE $272 MILLION IN DISPUTE WITH NEWS PUBLISHERS

France's competition watchdog hit Google on Wednesday with another big fine tied to a long-running dispute over payments to French publishers for their news.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #647
SPACEX COMES CLOSE TO COMPLETING TEST FLIGHT OF MEGA ROCKET BUT LOSES SPACECRAFT NEAR END
AppleMagazine

SPACEX COMES CLOSE TO COMPLETING TEST FLIGHT OF MEGA ROCKET BUT LOSES SPACECRAFT NEAR END

SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try Thursday (14), but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.

time-read
3 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
TEXAS APPROVES LAND-SWAPPING DEAL WITH SPACEX AS COMPANY HOPES TO EXPAND ROCKET-LAUNCH OPERATIONS
AppleMagazine

TEXAS APPROVES LAND-SWAPPING DEAL WITH SPACEX AS COMPANY HOPES TO EXPAND ROCKET-LAUNCH OPERATIONS

SpaceX would acquire public land in Texas to expand its rocket-launch facilities under a tentative deal that is moving forward after months of opposition from nearby residents and officials near the U.S.-Mexico border.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
APPLE TO PAY $490 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS THAT IT MISLED INVESTORS ABOUT IPHONE SALES IN CHINA
AppleMagazine

APPLE TO PAY $490 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS THAT IT MISLED INVESTORS ABOUT IPHONE SALES IN CHINA

Apple has agreed to pay $490 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging CEO Tim Cook misled investors about a steep downturn in iPhone's sales in China that culminated in a jarring revision to the company's revenue forecast.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #647
SPOTIFY PAID $9 BILLION IN ROYALTIES IN 2023. HERE'S WHAT FUELED THE GROWTH
AppleMagazine

SPOTIFY PAID $9 BILLION IN ROYALTIES IN 2023. HERE'S WHAT FUELED THE GROWTH

Spotify paid out $9 billion in streaming royalties last year, the streaming giant said this week in its latest \"Loud and Clear\" report.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
AN AI ROBOT IS SPOTTING SICK TULIPS TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF DISEASE THROUGH DUTCH BULB FIELDS
AppleMagazine

AN AI ROBOT IS SPOTTING SICK TULIPS TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF DISEASE THROUGH DUTCH BULB FIELDS

Theo works weekdays, weekends and nights and never complains about a sore spine despite performing hour upon hour of what, for a regular farm hand, would be backbreaking labor checking Dutch tulip fields for sick flowers.

time-read
2 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
ELECTION MISINFORMATION IS A PROBLEM IN ANY LANGUAGE.BUT SOME GETS MORE ATTENTION THAN OTHERS
AppleMagazine

ELECTION MISINFORMATION IS A PROBLEM IN ANY LANGUAGE.BUT SOME GETS MORE ATTENTION THAN OTHERS

Warnings about deepfakes and disinformation fueled by artificial intelligence. Concerns about campaigns and candidates using social media to spread lies about elections. Fears that tech companies will fail to address these issues as their platforms are used to undermine democracy ahead of pivotal elections.

time-read
4 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SLOW, US RELAXES PLANS FOR STRICTER AUTO EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR A WHILE
AppleMagazine

AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SLOW, US RELAXES PLANS FOR STRICTER AUTO EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR A WHILE

The Biden administration this week is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards that relax proposed limits for three years but eventually reach the same strict standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

time-read
4 mins  |
AppleMagazine #647
PAIR ACCUSED OF STEALING BATTERY MANUFACTURING SECRETS FROM TESLA AND STARTING THEIR OWN COMPANY
AppleMagazine

PAIR ACCUSED OF STEALING BATTERY MANUFACTURING SECRETS FROM TESLA AND STARTING THEIR OWN COMPANY

Two men are accused of starting a business in China using battery manufacturing technology pilfered from Tesla and trying to sell the proprietary information, federal prosecutors in New York said.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #647