iCloud Reaches 125 Million Users

With news of Google’s newly launched cloud-based storage called Drive and Dropbox also updating its application to share data through links, there is now yet another bit of news in the cloud-storage scene. Apple’s iCloud service which launched alongside the iPhone 4S in October 2011 has revealed the numbers currently making use of the service. Back in February, figures indicated that iCloud had over 100 million users and now, just about a month and a half later, Apple claims that the service is seeing 125 million users.

This shows an increase of 25 million in a very short span of time, which is pretty impressive and the safe money is on the fact that the digits will keep rising for this one. According to reports online, some users believe that while the iCloud storage service is good there are improvements that need to be made before it can be labeled as awesome and something tells me that once the users get their wish, that ‘125 million users’ figure will most likely be a thing of the past.

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Google Drive vs. Dropbox, SkyDrive and iCloud

Following months of speculation, Google’s Drive finally made its big debut earlier today. So how does the service stack up against the competition? As it turns out, pretty well. For starters Google Drive offers the largest amount of storage for free with 5GB of space dedicated to Drive and another and another 10GB of space going to Gmail.

SkyDrive, meanwhile, offers 7GB of storage, as well as 5GB of storage through Windows Live Mesh. Apple’s iCloud offers up 5GB of storage, while Dropbox provides 2GB.

Google Drive also crushes the competition when it comes to total amount of storage space available for purchase with a staggering 16TB of space. The closest the competition comes is 100GB, which is offered by both Dropbox and SkyDrive. Apple’s iCloud only offers 50GB. With that said, Google is the only service that is geared specifically to both everyday consumers and enterprises.




[Who Will Win the Cloud War: Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft]

Each service makes your data available offline, and is capable of automatically syncing files across multiple devices. Google’s Drive does, however, allow users to upload a larger maximum file size than its competition, 10GB versus a standard 2GB, and gives you the ability to share and edit documents with other users simultaneously. And while SkyDrive does offer simultaneous editing, users can’t track each others’ edits in real time like you can with Google Drive.

So far it looks like Google Drive is the new cloud service to beat. Check out our chart below for a more in-depth look at how Drive stacks up with the competition.

Feature	Google Drive	Dropbox	SkyDrive	iCloud
Free Storage Capacity	5GB	2GB	7GB	5GB
Maximum Storage Capacity	16TB	100GB	100GB	50GB
Synchronization	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Offline Capability	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Folder Sharing	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Mobile App	Android (iPhone, iPad upcoming)	iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android	Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad	iPhone, iPad
Data Encryption	Yes	SSL and AES-256 bit	SSL and encryption	SSL and encryption
Edit Simultaneously	Yes	No	Yes	No
Track Versions	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Maximum File Size	10GB	2GB	2GB	N/A (files automatically synced)
Special Features	Open over 30 files types in the browser, including HD video, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop — even if you don’t have the program installed on your computer; Share files from a variety of apps directly in Google Drive. Google is also releasing the SDK for Drive, meaning 3rd-party developers will be able to create apps for the service.		Users can fetch content from PC at home, even if it’s not stored on SkyDrive; multiple copies of each file saved on different servers and hard drives to protect data from hardware failure	All music, television shows and movies purchased through iTunes are saved in your iTunes account and can be quickly redownloaded to and iTunes compatible device.

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Microsoft details SkyDrive for Windows 8, aims to take on iCloud

I think that SkyDrive is one of the best free services out there that many of you aren’t using, as it delivers 25 GB of free storage for your computer or your Windows Phone handset. Microsoft has detailed its plans for SkyDrive with Windows 8 and this looks to be a highly-credible competitor to Apple’s iCloud.
What is SkyDrive? It’s a free online storage service that has become deeply integrated into some Microsoft platforms and it will also have deep hooks into Windows 8. The company describes it as, “We think what people want in personal cloud storage is a single drive that’s available across all of their devices, tailored to the experiences they’re using, providing instant, secure, and private access to their files, and sharing files and folders with people they choose … Rather than using a patchwork of services, people can use one service to connect to their files – with no compromises. No copying files from one cloud to another just to share or collaborate. No converting files or having to switch to new apps. No searching across different storage areas to find files.”
Because it’s baked into Windows 8, that means app developers will be able to tie in SkyDrive in their apps. Basically, if your Metro-style app for Windows 8 has the ability to open or save documents and photos, you’ll be able to tap into SkyDrive. We detailed the “charm” to share documents when we looked at Windows 8 and you’ll soon be able to share via messages and SkyDrive. The advantages to sharing with SkyDrive is that you won’t be limited to attachment limits like you would on e-mail.
This is very neat on desktops and laptop machines but I believe this type of cloud storage will be incredibly important as we see Windows 8 come to tablets that are trying to take on the iPad.
Microsoft delivers a ton of details for developers and consumers on its blog, so go ahead and check out the via link below for some more details on SkyDrive. Also, be sure to check out our Cloud Comparison story to see how Apple, Google and Microsoft approach cloud storage and cloud computing.
[Via Microsoft]

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CloudOn brings Office to UK iPad users

After a rocky start, CloudOn is now opening its free application, which allows limited use of Microsoft’s Office suite on an iPad, to UK users.

The application works in synchronization with the online file sharing service Dropbox, and allows users to view and edit Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, as well as to manipulate pivot tables in Excel. The files have to be stored in a Dropbox account that CloudOn can access, only Office 2010 apps are supported, and the app is useless without internet access.


How will Microsoft react?

US users have been able to use CloudOn since the start of this year, although the service was initially suspended shortly after launch because the company said it had “sold out”. Since CloudOn runs the Office software in emulation on its servers, this could mean that they’d reached the limits of scaling for support.

The British launch was scheduled for an earlier release, but was then pulled at the last minute before being launched this Friday. CloudOn said this was down to Apple taking its time accepting the application, but declined to give any more details.

While the ability to handle Microsoft Office documents on an iPad will be welcome to many, Redmond itself might have other ideas. In a call to analysts this week, Microsoft CFO Peter Klein ducked questions about Redmond porting Office to the iPad, although he went on in great detail about how Office 15 would work on Windows tablets.

Microsoft declined to comment on the CloudOn launch. ®

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Apple Could Be Slapped With $38 Million Fine For Using iPad Name In China

Apple comes down hard on manufacturers that attempt to use its product names — or any variation of its product names — for their own goods. We learned this yesterday when it was revealed that the Cupertino company is demanding a New Zealand case manufacturer to change the name of its driPhone brand. But it seems Apple may be guilty of exactly the same practice, which could land it a $38 million fine from Chinese company Proview Technology.
Apple purchased the iPad trademark from Proview — via a front company called IP Application Development — back in 2006 for around $55,000 However, Proview claims that its deal with Apple did not give the iPad manufacturer permission to use the trademark in China, where the name remains the property of Proview Technology (Shenzhen), a subsidiary of Proview International in Hong Kong.
The company sued Apple for trademark infringement in China last year, seeking compensation of 10 billion yuan (approx. $1.6 billion). Despite a counter claim from Apple, a Chinese court ruled in favor of Proview.
The Global Times now reports that Proview’s lawyer Xie Xianghui confirmed plans to “slap Apple with a 240 million yuan (approx. $28 million) fine”:

“Proview made a formal complaint to the Xicheng administration in 2011 and they had planned to slap Apple with a 240 million yuan ($38 million) fine, but it was suspended after Apple’s objections,” said Xie Xianghui, a lawyer from the Shenzhen branch of Grandall Law Firm.

Proview isn’t just targeting Apple, either. The company has also filed separate lawsuits in local courts against Apple’s authorized resellers and its retail stores.
Proview is said to be trapped in a “debt crisis,” and is hoping the case will get the company out of its financial troubles. But Proview doesn’t just want compensation; it also wants an apology from Apple, according to AppleInsider:

Proview isn’t just looking for money, though. Xie told the China Daily that the company wants Apple to say sorry. “We ask the court to stop selling and marketing for Apple’s iPad in China. We also demand an apology,” Xie said.

Xiao Caiyuan, another lawyer representing Proview, is confident Apple will lose its appeal again “based on existing facts.” ”We have prepared well for a long-term legal battle,” Xiao told the Global Times.

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85 million people use Apple’s iCloud

That’s more people on iCloud than the total sales of iPhones, iPads, iPods or iMacs combined, during that same period. This would be impressive in itself, save for the fact that iCloud is free of charge.

The service, released by apple last October by Apple to replace its MobileMe platform, allows users to sync their email, contacts, and bookmarks, among other things, between any iOS device they own. It also syncs to personal computers running Mac OS X, as well as Windows.

iCloud can be found here.

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