Item: Apple iCloud
Rating: 8
Author: Shawngela Pierce

Overall Satisfaction with Apple iCloud

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Apple iCloud makes it easy to sync videos and photos taken on my iPad to my Mac laptop. The photos and videos are readily available for me to edit and share to social media. iCloud is also used to sync documents that I work on with my iPad to my laptop as well. I never miss a beat when editing a presentation from one device to another.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Documents are synced almost instantaneously.
Photo sharing
Backup feature

Cons

I have an old Mac so it takes a little longer than I like for my photo library to load.
Base storage is very limited, which requires you to purchase more space.
Transfer of files is very slow for large file sizes.

Return on Investment

iCloud saves me time with syncing between my devices. Saving time saves me money.
iCloud makes it easy for me to develop my presentations on my iPad and have them ready almost immediately on my Mac.
iCloud allows me to work from anywhere because I can get my documents whenever I need them.

Alternatives Considered

Google Drive

Google Drive comes packaged with my GSuite account so I still use it but it doesn't sync all of my Apple devices together. As a result, the device syncing makes iCloud a more important cloud service for my business. I do find that upload speeds to Google Drive tend to be faster than iCloud though.

Other Software Used

Google Drive, Mautic Marketing Automation, cPanel

Performance

Apple iCloud is great at syncing but with large files, it tends to take a long time. Also, for older Macs it tends to slow down the computer. Besides these two factors, I really love the service and the ability to sync all of my Apple devices in a seamless fashion.

Usability

Apple iCloud is very easy to use when you signup, however, there are some features and settings you have to turn on in order to maximize the service. As a result, you do have to do some research to make sure you are getting the most out of your Apple iCloud service.

Likelihood to Recommend

Apple iCloud is well suited for a business or person that has several Apple devices. I use several so being able to sync all of them is a crucial benefit for me. As far as I know, you can not have an Apple iCloud account, unless you have a Mac product. As a result, it is not suited for non-Apple users.

Apple iCloud Feature Ratings

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