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Tag: iCloud

  • MobileMe Shuts Down Soon; Get Your Stuff And Get Out

    It’s been nearly a year now since Apple announced iCloud at last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The new cloud storage and computing service was intended to be a free replacement for the old MobileMe, which had required a paid subscription. As part of the announcement, Apple declared that MobileMe would be shutting down in just over one year’s time: on June 30th, 2012.

    As that date has gotten closer, Apple has been taking several steps to encourage MobileMe holdouts to go ahead and make the switch before losing their data for good. Back in April they announced that those who hadn’t switched yet because they were still running OS X 10.5 Leopard would get the 10.6 Snow Leopard upgrade for free (iCloud requires OS X 10.7 Lion, and you can only upgrade to Lion, which cost $30, from Snow Leopard, which cost $120). Then in early May they announced that they were extending the offer of free storage for MobileMe subscribers who had paid extra for more space through September.

    Now that it’s June, Apple is getting more direct in its efforts to get the remaining MobileMe holdouts to make the switch. Emails started going out today reminding MobileMe subscribers that MobileMe has just 30 days left to live, and that they should get their stuff and clear out before that happens, so that they don’t lose anything. The email includes a convenient link you can follow to download your content. You can also, of course, migrate everything (except your iWeb site) to iCloud. Here’s the email they sent out:

    MobileMe Eviction

    So, if you’re one of those who has held on to your MobileMe account, now is the time to switch. Or, if you can’t switch, at least go ahead and get your data before Apple pulls the plug at the end of the month.

  • iCloud Getting Major Upgrades At WWDC 2012

    With Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicking off in San Francisco in less than a month, rumors are starting to swirl about what will be unveiled this year. The conference has traditionally served as the forum for Apple’s announcement of new iPhones, but with the late launch of last year’s iPhone 4S pushing back the release schedule for the next iPhone, it’s not clear what Apple may have up its sleeve.

    Of course, WWDC is a software conference, so most of the speculation has centered on iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion, both of which are likely to be showcased. Now, however, there are reports that iCloud might be getting a big makeover, too. According to a report this afternoon by the Wall Street Journal, Apple is set to unveil some major upgrades to the service at WWDC this year. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Journal reports that most of the upgrades will center on how iCloud handles photos. As it currently stands, iCloud effectively acts as little more than a photo backup. Photos taken with your iPhone are automatically (if you want) uploaded to your Photo Stream. While your friends can see them, there is no way to share or comment or organize the photos into albums. With the new update, Apple will be setting its sights on the kind of photo sharing allowed by Facebook and Instagram.

    That, however, is not the only change coming to iCloud. The WSJ’s source confirms what we learned yesterday: iCloud’s web interface will be getting the same Notes and Reminders apps that are currently on iOS, and will be coming to OS X Mountain Lion when it launches later this summer.

    Assuming the WSJ’s report is accurate, as seems highly likely, WWDC 2012 will be pretty exciting even without the launch of a new iPhone. Previews of OS X Mountain Lion, iOS 6, and even iTunes 11 are likely. With all that on the (likely) schedule, WWDC ought to be worth watching. When the time comes, of course, you can follow our coverage of the conference here.

  • iCloud Web Interface Getting Notes And Reminders

    On Tuesday we brought you news that Apple was testing iOS-style banner notifications for the iCloud web interface. The notifications, which appear to have been a test that was made public by accident, revealed that Apple is at least considering bringing Notification Center to iCloud, just as it is to Mountain Lion later this summer (June?).

    Now more evidence has surfaced that iCloud will indeed be getting some of the same iOS features as Mountain Lion. Earlier today a beta version of iCloud appeared that included a couple extra icons that aren’t on the standard iCloud web interface. You have to have a developer ID to log into the beta version, so I can’t tell you what the web versions of the apps look like, but those are definitely app icons for Notes and Reminders:

    iCloud Beta Notes Reminders

    You can try to check out the beta version of iCloud for yourself here, but Apple appears to be in the process of shutting it down, so it may not load. Meanwhile, a little while ago another website went live. This appears to be a developer version of iCloud, and doesn’t have any of those traitorous extra icons. In fact, it doesn’t have any icons at all, just the shiny box you click to login:

    iCloud For Developers

    If you want to check out the developer version of iCloud, you can do so here. Again, it requires a developer ID, so unless you’re part of Apple’s Developer Program, you won’t be able to see much.

    At any rate, it appears to be a pretty safe bet that Apple is working to bring Notes and Reminders to the iCloud web interface. There is, of course, no indication as to when this might happen, but it’s a pretty safe bet that they’ll come along with Mountain Lion.

  • Samsung Acquires Cloud Media Provider mSpot

    Samsung announced today that it is acquiring mSpot, a mobile cloud entertainment provider. The purchase will allow Samsung to provide mSpot’s Movies and Music services on their phone and tablet devices. It also fits with the trend Samsung set in its announcement of its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III. That phone will be packed with exclusive Samsung software and services. No details on the acquisition, such as mSpot’s price, have been announced.

    “mSpot shares our vision to bring a best-in class cloud and streaming entertainment experience to consumers, and they’ve backed it up with great technical solutions from a great engineering team,” said TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung’s Media Solution Center.

    mSpot currently runs two media products, both available for the iPhone and Android platforms. mSpot Music offers cloud storage and streaming for music similar to Google Music and Apple iCloud, which the company has had to compete with over the past year. mSpot Movies is allows users to rent movies for as little as $2 and stream them across nearly any device.

    “Samsung is unparalleled in terms of global reach and cutting edge devices; with our combined resources, we are looking forward to redefining media consumption across the mobile universe with cloud services,” said mSpot CEO Daren Tsui.

    Purchasing mSpot brings Samsung straight into the streaming media market and gives it the services and technology to instantly compete in that arena with Amazon, Apple, and Google. The move might lend credence to rumors that Samsung is looking to shed Google’s Android platform and strike out on its own. If Samsung were to do that, now is the time. The company has clawed its way to the top of the Android heap and recently even shipped more devices than Apple in the first quarter of 2012.

    What do you think? Is Samsung positioning itself as Apple’s main competitor? Will mSpot’s services improve Samsung’s devices in a meaningful way? Leave a comment below and let us know.

  • Apple Leaks iCloud Banner Notifications

    Apple Leaks iCloud Banner Notifications

    Apple is testing iOS-style banner notifications for the web version of iCloud. The tests came to light earlier this afternoon when several iCloud users reported seeing a test banner at the top of their iCloud interface.

    iCloud Notification Center Banner

    Apple first adopted this style of banner notification as part of iOS 5’s Notification Center. The next major update to OS X, version 10.8 Mountain Lion, will be bringing the Notification Center – complete with banner notifications – to the Mac. Now it seems that Apple is exploring the possibility of bringing the same kind of banners to iCloud’s web portal, too. Whether it will also be getting its own Notification Center remains to be seen.

    What do you think? Does the web version of iCloud need banner notifications? What about Notification Center? How often do you use iCloud’s web interface? Let us know in the comments.

  • Apple Extends iCloud Storage Offer For MobileMe Subscribers Until September 30th

    Apple has extended an offer to give MobileMe subscribers an extra 20GB of iCloud storage for free when they switch over. The free storage was originally set to expire on June 30th, the same day that MobileMe shuts down. After that point, users who’d gotten the fee upgrade would have to pay for the additional storage. Now, though, that free storage sticks around an additional three months, until September 30th.

    The change was first noticed over the weekend by Japanese tech blog Mac Otakara. According to an FAQ page about the MobileMe to iCloud transiton, users who have 20GB of MobileMe storage will get an 20GB of free iCloud storage through September 30th. Those who had more than that – 40-60GB – will get 50GB of storage free until the 30th. After that point, standard upgrade fees will apply.

    MobileMe iCloud FAQ

    Apple has been pulling out all the stops to get MobileMe users to make the switch to iCloud before they pull the plug at the end of June. Last month they announced a plan to give MobileMe users who were still using OS X Leopard a free upgrade to Snow Leopard as an incentive to upgrade. iCloud is only compatible with OS X Lion, but the upgrade to Lion requires the user to be running Snow Leopard. While Lion only costs $30, Snow Leopard cost over $100. As such, many users simply declined to upgrade when Lion came around. By making Snow Leopard free, Apple effectively reduced the cost of switching from MobileMe to iCloud to $30 (for Leopard users, anyway).

    It’s not entirely clear what will happen to MobileMe users’ data when the service is shut down at the end of next month. Most likely it will simply vanish. Apple apparently doesn’t want that to happen, and so is trying to sweeten the upgrade pot as much as possible before then. That being the case, if you’re a MobileMe user who hasn’t switched to iCloud yet, it looks like now’s the time to do it.

  • Apple iCloud Has 125 Million Users

    Apple iCloud Has 125 Million Users

    Apple’s iCloud service has recently achieved 125 million users, up roughly 25 million subscribers since February. These numbers stand upon the launch of Google’s own Drive cloud service yesterday, and it will be interesting to see how the new platform stacks up against iCloud.

    To compare the two, both offer 5GB of free storage, though iCloud is a substantially more expensive for pay storage – 50GB per year on Google Drive costs $29.94, while the same amount of space on iCloud is $100. Alas, it would appear that all things Apple are more costly, even if virtual.

    Apple launched iCloud in tandem with the release of the iPhone 4S in October, though it might be safe to assume that Google Drive might soon compete with the platform in regards to number of users – though iCloud’s recent bump in members should be noted – and it’s too soon to tell how well Google Drive is really doing.

    Google Drive will offer iOS integration likely by summer, and also features collaborative editing via Google Docs. Though, iCloud offers the upload of ‘unlimited’ files sizes, while Google Drive offers transfers up to 10GB. This sort of thing can be relevant for video editors and Blu-ray pirates. Drive also offers Android integration, obviously. When it comes down do it, the price points of the two services might not be so relevant, as the casual user likely won’t need more than the free 5 gigs both clouds offer.

  • OS X Snow Leopard Now Free For MobileMe Subscribers

    Apple has begun offering MobileMe users who are still running Mac OS 10.5 Leopard a free upgrade to 10.6 Snow Leopard, as an incentive to switch to iCloud. Since iCloud requires users to be running OS 10.7 Lion, users still running Leopard and Snow Leopard can’t get it on their Macs. MobileMe, however, is effectively dead, replaced by iCloud last summer. Apple wants to give remaining MobileMe customers an incentive to upgrade.

    When Snow Leopard was released in 2010, it cost around $100 for Leopard users to purchase the upgrade. That being the case, many chose to remain with Leopard rather than fork over the money to upgrade. When Lion released the following year, it only cost $29.99 to upgrade. Unfortunately, there was a catch: all those people who had stuck with Leopard would have to pony up for Snow Leopard before they could get Lion. The end result is that now, almost a year after Lion released, there are still a sizable number of Mac users still rocking an OS that’s two generations old.

    That wouldn’t really be too much of a problem for Apple – after all, what do they care if you’re still using Leopard (or Tiger, for that matter). The problem is iCloud. Also announced last year, iCloud is the (much-improved) free replacement for Apple’s old (paid) MobileMe service. Unfortunately, using iCloud on a Mac requires Lion. For those who skipped the Snow Leopard Upgrade because it cost $100, and then skipped the Lion upgrade because it would’ve cost $130, there’s no real incentive to switch from MobileMe to iCloud. After all, Apple stopped charging existing MobileMe customers when iCloud went live.

    By making the upgrade to Snow Leopard free, Apple has made the first (and most expensive) part of the process of switching to iCloud free. Once MobileMe users have their Snow Leopard disk in hand, all they have to do is install it and pay a much more reasonable $30 for the ugprade to Lion, then switch to iCloud.

    To get the free upgrade to Snow Leopard, you have to visit the MobileMe site, sign in, and request their Snow Leopard install DVD. The free upgrade is only available to MobileMe subscribers who haven’t already made the switch to iCloud. Macgasm got ahold of a screenshot of the upgrade page:

    Snow Leopard Free Upgrade

    The deal apparently expires on the 15th of June. Fifteen days later, on the 30th, MobileMe will be shutting down for good. So if you’re a MobileMe subscriber who’s still rocking OS X Leopard, it might be time to pony up for the upgrade. For just $30 you get to take advantage of iCloud, and you get to be up-to-date with Apple’s newest operating system. Well, until Mountain Lion comes out later this summer, anyway.

    Will you be taking advantage of the free Snow Leopard upgrade? Will you be getting Mountain Lion when it comes out this year? Let us know int he comments.

  • Injunction Against iCloud Push Notifications Upheld In Germany

    In early February we brought you news that Motorola had won an injunction involving the use of push email notifications with iCloud. A German court ruled that Apple’s push notification system infringed on one of Motorola’s patents, and issued a permanent injunction that prohibited Apple from using the system. Apple responded by shutting down iCloud push notifications for German users, and by filing an appeal.

    Today, the court ruled on that appeal. They upheld the injunction, ruling that Apple could not use push notifications for iCloud in Germany, and that Apple was required to pay Motorola damages for its infringement of the patent. The amount of the damages was not set.

    Courts in Germany have shown a particular tendency to side with patent holders in cases like this, making the country a favorite place for companies like Motorola to file suit if they feel their patents have been infringed. Motorola is currently locked in a similar battle with Microsoft in German courts, and is expected to receive an injunction on Tuesday blocking the sale of Microsoft products that use the H.264 video codec (i.e., Windows 7, Internet Explorer, and the Xbox 360). Microsoft, however, has accused Motorola of refusing to meet its obligations to license the patent fairly, and yesterday won an injunction in Seattle barring Motorola from enforcing any injunction the German court might grant.

  • iTunes 11 To Get iOS 6 Compatibility, iCloud Improvements

    The next major release of iTunes is currently working its way through Apple’s internal testing process, according to recent reports. It seems that Apple has started seeding iTunes 11 to Apple employees for evaluation.

    According to a report from 9to5Mac, most of the updates to iTunes 11 will be under the hood. Changes to iTunes’s appearance and feature set will be minimal. The main features of the update will be iOS 6 compatibility and improvements to iTunes’s integration with iCloud.

    iTunes 11

    The fact that iTunes 11 is built to be compatible with iOS 6 gives a big clue as to when it will be releasing to the public. Major updates to iOS have always been released alongside the new iPhone, and major iTunes releases have tended to follow suit. If iTunes 11 is getting iOS 6 compatibility, then it’s a fair bet that it will be launching alongside the next iPhone and iOS 6.

  • Evolution In Action: Universal Studios’ Allows Movies on iCloud

    Perhaps this finding should be given the red letter day treatment. I mean, it’s not often you get to see something evolve right before your eyes. Normally, evolution is a slow process, one that moves even slower when the entertainment industry is involved. Apparently, however, Universal Studios decided to rise out of the technological primordial ooze and make their movies, ones that are bought from iTunes, available on Apple’s iCloud service.

    Bonus: No extra charge, either. Take that, Walmart. MacRumors.com has the details, which were provided by readers who noticed Universal Studio’s pleasant surprise:

    Several readers have noticed that Universal Studios’ movies are now available for re-download through Apple’s iCloud service… When searching for movies in iTunes, Universal movies no longer contain a warning that the movies are not available through iCloud, while Fox’s movies retain the warning… Another reader was able to confirm he was able to re-download 40 Year Old Virgin. Previous movie purchases from Universal should now be available for redownload in your previous purchased menu on iTunes.

    That does sound a lot like evolving to embrace the incredible distribution power of the Internet, doesn’t it? Is this reason to be hopeful the rest of the industry follows suit, especially if the rest of them realize you don’t need to charge the consumer for every iteration of the movie–physical or digital–they possess? Considering how much of a role availability plays in regards to piracy, Universal Studio’s move, aside from being a step in the right direction, has been a long time coming.

    To their credit, Universal Studios has already displayed a willingness to evolve to embrace 21st century technology, something their Tower Heist Video On-Demand attempt indicated quite well. Unfortunately, the attempt to release a bigger named first-run movie to the VOD market as well as the brick-and-mortar theaters was scoffed at. Naturally, it was the theater managers who spearheaded the outcry.

    Evolution, especially in a business sense, does not come easily, or without a great deal of kicking and screaming.

  • Smartphone Popularity Linked To Increase Of Identity Theft

    Face it: the world has been changed by the omnipresent pocket bulge known as a smartphone. Once upon a time, people indexed phone numbers of their friends into nature’s smartphone, i.e., your brain, but seriously, can you actually recite a phone number belonging to any of your five closest friends? Beyond keeping track of your personal contacts, so many more of life’s habits and activities have been streamlined through those handheld devices: financial information, sensitive account info for a myriad of websites, a virtual rolodex of professional contacts, personal (and sometimes extremely personal) photos, medical information, where you live, documents for work, etc. Veritably, smartphones have accidentally become the basket in which we’ve stuffed nearly all of our eggs.

    Given this wholesale dependency on smartphones, you can only imagine the severity of losing one (and if you’re one of the many, many people in this world that don’t have to imagine what it’s like to lose a phone, you have my sympathies). Nobody’s immune from this, either: just ask that misfortunate Apple employee whose affinity for weissbier ended up with him losing a prototype to the iPhone 4 long before the phone was supposed to be released.

    In fact, you should probably go ahead and assume that you will eventually lose your smartphone and, along with it, most of the details of your life. Concerning that second part, studies show that cases of identity fraud of grown 14% since smartphones became an ubiquitous utility in society. Yes, you can sometimes use iCloud or some similar type of service to track down your phone but don’t bank on that; and even if you do track it down, your information will still have been in the hands of some brigand for some amount of time. Just assume you’re going to lose the phone and start protecting yourself now. BackgroundCheck.org put together an infographic to scare you into taking the proper steps to secure your smartphone and thereby your identity. So look, listen, and buckle up that phone.

    What Our Phones Can Reveal About Us
    From: Background Check Resource

  • Apple Has Master Decryption Key For iCloud

    Data you store in iCloud is safe from most outsiders, but Apple retains the ability to decrypt and access any data stored on in iCloud’s servers, a recent report has found. The master decryption key allows Apple access to all the data iCloud users store in their accounts.

    According to a report from Google+Reader”>Ars Technica, the master decryption key allows Apple to enforce clauses in iCloud’s Terms and Conditions that give Apple permission to ensure that users are complying with the terms and conditions, as well as provide them to law enforcement or the government when required. Here is the relevant paragraph in full:

    Apple reserves the right to take steps Apple believes are reasonably necessary or appropriate to enforce and/or verify compliance with any part of this Agreement. You acknowledge and agree that Apple may, without liability to you, access, use, preserve and/or disclose your Account information and Content to law enforcement authorities, government officials, and/or a third party, as Apple believes is reasonably necessary or appropriate, if legally required to do so or if we have a good faith belief that such access, use, disclosure, or preservation is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process or request; (b) enforce this Agreement, including investigation of any potential violation thereof; (c) detect, prevent or otherwise address security, fraud or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property or safety of Apple, its users, a third party, or the public as required or permitted by law.

    In an earlier paragraph, Apple also claims the right to “pre-screen, move, refuse, modify and/or remove” your content, should it be “found to be in violation of this Agreement or is otherwise objectionable.”

    Now, at first glance this seems like cause for a major privacy freakout. Upon closer examination, though, it’s not surprising that Apple would have a means to access the data it stores. Ars Technica spoke with several security experts who point out that this kind of master decryption key is a necessary evil for a company like Apple. Not only does it allow them to respond to warrants and copyright violation claims, it also allows them to do something as simple as display your data on the iCloud website.

    In fact, as one expert said, Apple’s practice in this case follows both industry standards and best practice for the handling of user data. Apple takes steps – both internally and externally – to make sure a users’s data is as secure as it can be, while retaining the ability to comply with legal requests – from both the user and the government.

  • iTunes 10.6.1 Update Now Avaliable

    iTunes 10.6.1 Update Now Avaliable

    Apple released its 10.6.1 update for iTunes yesterday. The patch fixes a number of minor bugs, mostly for the 64-bit Windows version of iTunes. The most major issue fixed is one that would cause iTunes to unexpectedly quit while playing videos, while changing artwork sizes in grid view, or when syncing photos to devices. Other fixes include interface elements that were incorrectly described by VoiceOver and WindowEyes, a problem that could cause iTunes to lock up when syncing to a iPod nano or iPod shuffle, and an issue regarding incorrect ordering while browsing TV episodes on the Apple TV.

    Information about the security updates in this patch is not yet avaliable, as Apple “does not disclose, discuss or confirm security issues until a full investigation has occurred and any necessary patches or releases are avaliable.”

    The update can be obtained through an Apple software update or can be downloaded directly from Apple’s support pages.

    iTunes update 10.6 was released shortly after the announcement of the new iPad and new Apple TV. It included support for 1080p HD movies and TV shows from the iTunes store and provided improvement for iTunes Match, Apple’s subscription service that adds music not purchased on iTunes to iCloud.

  • Microsoft Updates SkyDrive

    On Monday, Microsoft announced it’s updated version of SkyDrive, to correlate with the upcoming release of Windows 8. This could coincide with the launch of Google Drive, which has been rumored to be ready within the next few weeks, and would compete directly with it and other cloud storage services

    Microsoft says that Skydrive will be tightly integrated with Windows 8, and plans to insert the app into every desktop via Windows Explorer. The updated drive will include improved file management and synchronization, across multiple devices, secure authentication for remote access to files not yet uploaded to Skydrive, and support for file uploads of up to 2 GB. Mike Torres and Omar Shahine, group program managers for SkyDrive, have commented, “we think what people want in personal cloud storage is a single drive that’s available across all of their devices. To bring this to billions of people, our approach is to seamlessly connect the files (and behaviors) that people have today on the PC with the app and device experiences that they will use in the future.”

    Below is the pricing structure for Skydrive’s storage, as compared to the 10 GB, 20 GB, or 50 GB of additional iCloud storage, for $20, $40, or $100/year.

    Microsoft has been hinting at an October release date for Windows 8.

  • Google Preps To Launch Cloud Storage Service, But Is It Necessary?

    Google Preps To Launch Cloud Storage Service, But Is It Necessary?

    It would be remiss of Google if they left one corner of technology unexplored, so in order to ensure they aren’t vulnerable to such an oversight the search engine company is working on launching yet another service so as to further their complete monopoly on your online presence: cloud storage.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will soon be launching such a service, called Drive, in order to likely compete with existing services like Dropbox, Microsoft Cloud, and Apple’s iCloud. As you can expect, users will be able to upload files to the cloud service and then access them from any Internet-enabled device.

    That Google would just now be launching a cloud service after several of its competitors have already entered the market is peculiar and yet the decision seems ceremonial rather than functional. For years now, Google has been in the business of cloud storage by allowing users to upload and access files through several of their services. Since 2007, Google Docs has been allowing users to upload documents that can later be accessed, edited, and download from any Internet-enabled device. Additionally, Picasa has been Google’s online image hosting site since 2004 and last year Google launched an online music-streaming service, Google Music.

    So… what is there really to gain from a Google-brand cloud storage service?

    This may not be widely known, but Google already has a cloud storage service simply titled Google Cloud Storage. The service, however, is only for developers who want “direct access to Google’s scalable storage and networking infrastructure as well as powerful authentication and data sharing mechanisms.” However, users have to access the service through REST API, Google Storage Manager, or GSUtil. In other words, users need some hefty computer skills to use this service, and even then it’s not for casual users.

    A cloud storage service more readily decipherable and usable for the general public would be a good idea… if Google didn’t already offer several services that probably accomodate users’ general needs. Maybe Drive will look to consolidate the storage needs of users and will thus act solely as a space to store files as opposed to services like Docs and Picasa that promote the sharing of files. Then again, a cloud storage service that seemingly duplicates the purposes of existing Google Apps could prematurely cause Drive to join Buzz and Wave in Google’s been of rejected apps.

    And then – you knew it would come to this – there’s the whole issue of Google’s new Privacy Policy. How willing are people going to be to use Google Drive knowing that users’ information would be shared across Google platforms, not to mention with third party Google partners as well? People are already unhappy with the change and it’s uncertain whether their ready to trust Google with even more personal information.

    Given all of this, any of you readers have some first impressions you’d like to share? Would you give Google Drive a try or are you reluctant to use more of their services given the impending change to the Privacy Policy? Or, is this destined to be Google’s next Buzz or Wave? Give us your thoughts below.

  • iCloud Recovers iPad For Sales Manager

    iCloud Recovers iPad For Sales Manager

    Hennie Stander, a sales manager was pleasantly surprised by the swift reaction of police officers after he lost his iPad at the airport. He boarded a plane headed for a business meeting carrying his iPad and a briefcase and forgot the iPad as his fight exited.

    Stander recalls the events:

    “I used my iPad while I was on the plane. I was going to be late for my meeting and, in the rush of departing the plane, I forgot my iPad in a compartment in front of my seat”.

    Upon realizing he forget the device, he contacted the airline to report the mishap and see if it was turned into lost and found.

    Stander explains what he did next:

    “I then decided to log on to my laptop and the iCloud service (which links Apple products with one another), and found that my iPad was still in the vicinity of the airport.”

    He reported what he found back to airline officials who instructed hime to contact the authorities. Using the iCloud the police tracked the device and found the thieves who took it, a driver for an aircraft catering company and a janitor. The men were arrested.

  • Apple’s iCloud Service Is Really Popular

    Apple posted big profits yesterday and their iCloud service was one of the biggest winners.

    AppleInsider is reporting that iCloud usage has jumped to 85 million subscribers. Sign-ups for the service have far out outpaced device sales.

    During the conference call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said, “iCloud is off to a great start with more than 85 million customers signed up as of today. With iCloud, customers can store their music and photos and documents and keep their personal information and content in sync across all their devices, automatically and seamlessly.”

    The numbers don’t come from just new users signing up for the service, but also from MobileMe, Apple’s old data storage system, users.

    AppleInsider states that iCloud is much more convenient than Apple’s previous two attempts at storage with .Mac and MobileMe which forced users to sync data manually across all platforms. The prior services also featured a clunky interface and users had to pay for storage. iCloud lacks all of those with its free easy-to-use interface.

    “It was a fundamental shift recognizing that people had numerous devices and they wanted the bulk of their content in the cloud, and easily accessible from all the devices,” CEO Tim Cook said.

    The service launched in October 2011 and as we reported then, iCloud synced users’ contacts, calendar and mail across all devices. It also allowed users to store personal data and purchased apps so they could access them across all devices.

    Cook went on to say that iCloud is not just a product, but a “strategy for the next decade.”

  • Find My iPhone Aids In Drug Bust

    I guess the moral of this story is if you’re going to steal a smartphone – wait, just don’t steal people’s phones. Because if you do, karma might bite you in the ass.

    Karma, in this case, comes in the form of Apple’s Find My iPhone feature. The built-in app allows users to track their lost devices using the iCloud and GPS. If you find yourself missing your iPhone, you can log in to the iCloud from another device and pinpoint the exact location of the device. This, of course, assumes that you previously enabled the Find My iPhone feature.

    UPI is reporting that Find My iPhone has led to a interesting drug bust in Marietta, Georgia.

    After an iPhone was reported missing in the early morning hours on Tuesday, police used the Find My iPhone app to track the device to an apartment building. When they approached the door, one suspect tried to jump off a second-floor balcony. Unsuccessful, the police grabbed him and found the stolen iPhone on his body.

    But what they also found was 1,100 grams of pot, five handguns (3 of them stolen), 42 tablets of oxycodone and an assault rifle.

    Two suspects were subsequently hit with theft, weapons and narcotics charges.

    You can add this to the growing list of idiot criminals that are foiled by technology. Want more? Check out idiot admits to brutal beating on Facebook, and after that, how about idiot taunts police on Facebook? If you want to go back even more, read about the rioting idiots that talked about vandalizing cop cars on social media or even drunk idiot who calls 911 because his iPhone “wont work.”

    [Lead Image Courtesy]

  • iCloud Helps Man Find Stolen iPad

    The iCloud detective agency is back for another round of solving thefts.

    The Times-Tribune is reporting that a New York man had left his briefcase containing an iPad under his seat on a plane in Dallas, Texas. After realizing he had forgotten it, he called the airline looking for it but they could not locate the missing briefcase.

    This led the tech-savvy man to use Apple’s iCloud service to track his iPad to Monroe County, Texas. The man then contacted state police to hit the address that iCloud had pointed him to.

    Lynette Simpkins, 52, admitted to the theft. The iPad and other stolen items were returned to the man. Simpkins was arrested on a charge of receiving stolen property.

    This was all accomplished through the Find my iPhone app that allows users to locate their device through GPS tracking software when the device ends up missing. If the device is just lost, it will play a loud sound, even if the phone is set to silent, and display a message to anyone who has found the phone a way of contacting the person who has lost the device.

    The service also allows users to remotely lock their devices so that anybody who does find the device can’t access any of the personal information stored on it. It also sends an email to the user once it is found in case the device is not getting a signal either through 3G or wi-fi.

    This isn’t the first time that Find my iPhone has helped solve crime. Porn actress Jesse Jane had her iPhone stolen recently and used iCloud to get it back.

    Find my iPhone isn’t the only service out there to help find stolen property either. An OSX app called Hidden helped a man get his macbook back last year.

    Heck, even digital cameras are no longer safe from the prying eyes of the internet police. Stolencamerafinder does as its name implies by finding pictures on the internet that have the same EXIF as the stolen camera.

    As Find my iPhone and other tracking systems become more popular, it’s going to become harder to steal items such as smartphones. At least people can still run burglary rings without getting caught by the internet police. Oh wait…

  • iOS 5 Releases Today, iCloud Already Live

    iOS 5 Releases Today, iCloud Already Live

    Apple has made iCloud live at iCloud.com. It obviously requires an Apple ID to access, but you also must have the iOS 5 update as well. That has not been rolled out to all just yet, but it comes today.

    iCloud lets you store content in the cloud and access it across your various devices. It works with iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, and PC. It’s free with iOS 5.

    With iCloud, MobileMe has been discontinued as a service. Contacts, Calendar and Mail services have been reworked to work with iCloud. Users can share calendars with friends and family, and they can get an @me.com push mail account (which doesn’t have ads). Inboxes and mailboxes are kept up to date across devices.

    App Store and iBookstore downloads and purchased iOS apps and books will be accessible across devices (not just the ones they’re purchased on). The App Store and iBookstore also let you see your purchase history, and download apps/books to different devices by hitting the “iCloud” icon.

    For more on iCloud and iOS 5 in general, read 114 Things You Should Know About Apple’s New Offerings from the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where this stuff was unveiled.

    If you have a supported device, expect to get iOS 5 access today.

    Now let’s start worrying about iOS 6.