iCloud, the online streaming service that Apple should launch tomorrow and that should replace MobileMe, may work differently than the rumors have presented it so far. For those who don't know yet, Time Capsule is an Apple product that backs up users' Macs using the Time Machine feature in Mac OS X. That backup can be used later by the user in case he lost files or wants to reinstall the operating system. A few days ago, the first rumors appeared indicating that Apple will launch a new version of the Time Capsule that will have an A4/A5 processor, but then no one knew what this product would do.
Well those from cult of mac they managed to find out and it seems that Time Capsule will be integrated into the iCloud concept. The idea sounds something like this: Time Capsule will automatically save absolutely everything from our Mac and will turn from a backup solution into an online server. Home Folder is called the concept of those from Apple and it assumes that all the information from our Mac is saved in Time Capsule from where it can be accessed online from any other computer or iDevice. Practically Time Capsule becomes our own server and from it we can stream our files both on an iDevice and on another Mac and this will happen even if the Mac on which the files were saved is closed.
According to the source, Apple has developed a system to make users' Time Machine backups available through its new iCloud service.
This is the "Home Folder" access concept that we've detailed before (how it will be accessed using NFC iPhones and the role of the Mac App Store). All your files and data — pictures, videos, Word and Excel documents, and so on — will be available anytime, anywhere, on both Mac OS X and iOS devices.
The surprising thing is, iCloud won't be fed through Apple's massive new data center in North Carolina, as you might expect.
Instead, the system will be based on Time Capsule, Apple's wireless router and hard drive backup that's currently sold in 1TB and 2TB versions. As rumored, Time Capsule will be updated, becoming less of a local backup and more of a personal cloud server, like the newer souped-up NAS (Network Attached Storage) drives from companies like Iomega (we reviewed one here). The new Time Capsule is rumored to run on iOS and come with embedded A4 or A5 CPUs.
iDevices and Macs will be able not only to access the content but also to place another one in the Time Capsule, so basically instead of having an online account on an Apple server, we would have one on our own server, with almost unlimited space. The worst part of this idea is that the Time Capsule must be permanently connected to the Internet and permanently open, otherwise we cannot access anything at all. Basically, from the information presented, the idea emerges that iCloud would be nothing more than an intermediary between our iDevice/Mac and the Time Capsule, that is, the interface through which files are accessed and others are uploaded instead. I find the idea of forcing its users totally strange buy a $299 product just to be able to access the files on the Mac at any time and live in the conditions where Apple has a huge data center that is waiting to be put into operation.
From my point of view, the information presented above probably makes those in Cupertino laugh, but if they are true, then we will see a bigger failure than MobileMe. I for one think that iCloud will be a redesigned MobileMe with more functions and not what I explained above.
It would be cool, I already have a time capsule, first of all it's a router and yes, it's on non-stop 🙂
It's a combination of router plus HDD where you save the data. It seems to me an extraordinarily bad combination. Force people to keep their Time Capsule open all the time and if they have a weak internet connection they can .... in it service. How much streaming do you think you can do on a connection that allows 2/3 Mbits upload? Until I download 100 MB at 2/3 Mbits, I climb the walls/
yes, but did you think that in addition to the backup function, it has a good quality wireless router incorporated (like the airport express only that we have more ports), and it can also be used as an external hard disk.
I, for one, would be interested in purchasing something like this and it is not $300, it can be found even cheaper.
Lol, did you read what I explained in the article?
"To me, the idea of forcing users to buy a $299 product just to be able to access files on their Mac at any time and to live in the conditions that Apple has a huge data center waiting to enter is totally strange to me. function."
this is the quote I commented on.
Yes, it seems stupid to me an iCloud done like that. For example, if I wanted to have just a few GB of space, I would NOT choose Apple, but another company, because I do NOT want to pay $300 or Euros in Europe for a Time Capsule and then buy a dedicated line to have quality uploads and in addition to keep the Time Capsule connected non-stop to the outlet to access anything. This system is exactly the opposite of cloud computing made by Dropbox, Amazon, or Google.
@zaone: you don't see the glass half full. from 500gb up, on any cloud, something like that costs $500-1000 per year 🙂
[…] iCloud will work with Time Capsule that becomes our own web server? […]
Do you really think that Apple is wasting money and time on something that you can do with any hard drive (external or internal) and a VNC?
Easier with rumors and more concrete news...
Concrete news tomorrow, speculation today.
Daily speculation
If WWDC is tomorrow, naturally there have been speculations. Want to talk about iOS ads and concepts all day?
zaone, time capsule is first and foremost a router (see airport extreme) that also contains an HDD for backup, that's why there is no access problem - after all, when you leave home, do you turn off your router?! You are right about the prices and I don't think we will need a time capsule for iCloud, it would be too much money invested and to attract millions of users by forcing a purchase of 300 euros, no chance. The world prefers to pay monthly, a subscription or something else, but not a few hundred at once.
Apple supports the backup function, not the router function, so it is mainly a backup solution.
Back up a lifetime's worth of memories with the Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard. It's also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support. Choose from 1TB and 2TB models. 1
I don't agree with you at all. I have a timecapsule with a 1 TB hdd and it goes well beyond expectations. The transfer between laptop/pc and tc is about 11-15 mega/sec in LAN. I put an ftp on the PC and transfer from the office with 7 mega/sec. I have the fiberlink version from rds... For me it would be extremely good.
Yes, you can do it with fiberlink, but try to make a transfer from UPC or maybe from romtelecom or another ISP that does not have peering with RDS. Here is the biggest problem, Apple would have offered much better bandwidth for any connection. Now, if you only work on RDS, it's normal that it's ok for you, I for one don't see an iCloud configured like that, and more than likely even Apple doesn't consider this idea to be optimal, it's not cloud computing anymore.
I tested 1,5 MB from vodafone, 2,5 MB from romtelecom, 2,5 MB from upc, from the states it took 2 MB... so... for me it's really worth it.
Did you download from Vodafone with 1.5 MB? From a mobile connection? I find it very hard to believe...
from vdf: 21,6 Mbps in 16 cities.
21,6 Mbps approx : 2,5 MB
I couldn't post the whole quote. you can find on their website.
Ok, this is written by many people, but I did not think that anyone managed to catch at least half of that speed.
The rumor seems to have picked up on an idea currently floating around, namely that the Time Capsule will be able to act as a cache for communication between the local network and iCloud, but has exaggerated by claiming that this will be the whole iCloud concept. I don't think Apple will rely on local networks either.
Accessing files from the Time Capsule or from an external HDD connected via USB to the Time Capsule can also be done from the net currently, I have used the function several times, it works as a simple file server. So there would be nothing new here.
Time Capsule being a router, through which you connect to the net, it is normally on all the time, and if you want to turn it off, you unplug it (how many people ever turn off their router?) and that's it. The built-in HDD has an economy mode with a spin down time, so I don't see why I would ever turn it off manually.
To access files on your Mac remotely, there's also the Back To My Mac solution from MobileMe.
As for the "few GB" of storage for which @zaone would not choose an Apple solution, it must be a misunderstanding. Time Capsule offers several hundred GB of storage space, not just a few GB, like Dropbox, Amazon or Google, and MobileMe already has 20GB in the basic version, so Apple is practically in a different category than the aforementioned.
In conclusion, I assume that through iCloud the existing MobileMe service will be extended, giving the possibility to store music online, OTA sync will be added for apps as well, work will be done on the interface and perhaps the possibility of use Time Capsule as a cache for uploading to iCloud (don't wait with the computer open until the upload is finished). And for iDevices, the possibility to sync automatically with all the content on the iDevice will be introduced, maybe also a new basic subscription for iCloud, with more limited storage capacity and offered free of charge (for a year?) to the owners of the last generation of iDevice. In my opinion.
I think that this is a kind of Back to my Mac on the iPhone/iPad, but it is only a feature of iCloud/MobileMe. I think it will be something all in one, the phase with time capsule + cloud space + streaming + what mobileMe offers now.
I don't even want much 🙂
Among all sorts of rumours, there are finally some that should be taken more seriously – John Gruber / Daring Fireball suggests that iCloud will replace not so much MobileMe services, but the synchronization part of iTunes, so that iPhones, iPads and iPod will continue to sync with iCloud, not via USB with iTunes as before. And Macs with the new Mac OS X Lion will do the same!
It remains to be seen what initial storage capacity iCloud will offer for free and how much it costs to expand it.
I don't know how serious his information is, but the idea itself seems good, of course not everyone will switch to iCloud for synchronization, iTunes will not be replaced by many people.
@zaone: Besides the fact that Daring Fireball is one of the best sources of unofficial information about Apple, it makes sense to me that things are going that way. Mac users have wanted cloud services included for free with any Mac ever since MobileMe was called .Mac (before the runaway success of iDevices), then the evolution from wired to wireless is obvious and I don't see why it wouldn't include and synchronization services. In this way, there will be no need for computers in the house to use iDevices.
With iTunes (probably a legacy version that will be offered for download for a while longer in parallel with the new version) iPod owners without WiFi will still sync, others don't see why they would stay on USB (when the future is wireless and Thunderbolt) , and a wireless router doesn't cost much either (eg AirPort Express).
We'll see what happens tonight!
I don't know, you present an ideal version that has nothing to do with Romania or reality. You imagine that everything goes on the Internet, but you don't think for a second what you have to go through to upload tens of GB to iCloud and download them back. Sure, in theory it sounds great, we install iOS OTA, we do everything Wireless, but the reality is different.
But if the iphone 4gs/5g comes with 4G/LTE technology?
So? What warms me up in Romania? Do you think I pay tens of euros per month or how much the operators ask for a 4G subscription? Orange has just announced that the infrastructure works are starting, will they start something by WWDC 2012?
: )
I get it. This time I disagree with you. Apple does not produce for Romania, it is not interested in sales in Ro. So, I don't think you can give a verdict considering the small countries.
Normal, but still we live in Romania and no matter what Apple launches, we need to know what we can use here. Right right?