Item: Apple iCloud
Rating: 7
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our organization use for iCloud is limited to collaborating meeting notes on the Notes app and having a no local storage policy - that means everyone needs to back up everything on the cloud constantly. Or put another way, work on the cloud always. Given the integration of MacOS with iCloud, the local desktop folders are always on the cloud.

Pros and Cons

Notes app sync across devices. Easily the only thing that iCloud does really well. It is super helpful.
iCloud allows seamless and good backup for desktop files from the Mac to the web.

You will constantly run into issues where iCloud is optimized or available only for Apple's own product line. That's frustrating.
Apple's Mail app and service are just beleaguered by the likes of Gmail. Perhaps even Zoho does better than them on the web.
iCloud seems optimized more for a mobile user, so desktop apps & services feel a bit force-fitted.

Return on Investment

Apple's iCloud service can run very slow in countries where they aren't very focussed, like India.
Apple did not back up videos over the cloud for a long time and needed manual sync. You will see similar issues like not allowing mobile data for some tasks.

Alternatives Considered

Google Drive

Apple does offer an alternative to Office & the Google Docs family but trusting to use it with both internal and external parties is tough. Google is more universal and easier for 3rd parties to collaborate with. Apple works well for a closed internal group that is native to Apple's ecosystem.

Google offers more storage space than Apple.

Other Software Used

Google Hangouts, Google Drive, Zoho Books

Performance

Apple has a spotty track record for loading speeds and connectivity for its own cloud services in India. It just seems like they haven't had the needs to do a major investment for iCloud in India where the market share for them is minuscule. While some of their services like Siri has improved drastically, the likes of Google and Microsoft have a much more entrenched presence here.

Usability

Apple's UI is generally a delight when it comes to their OS. In the case of iCloud, the services like Mail or even Pages aren't as optimized for web usage but more of a native app experience being replicated online. So it is a classic case of an OS company building cloud services. As a result, the focus on stuff like search inside emails is broken, emails take a long time to sync to the desktop app, and the whole UI feels clunky at times.

Likelihood to Recommend

iCloud is well suited for folks who are primarily working on the Apple platform. It is also a good choice for folks who are very concerned with privacy & security concerns around other platforms.

Notes sync and multi-user sharing are good, especially for a basic/easy to use scenario. But for pro users, it doesn't come close to the Google Docs family.

The photo backup is good for personal users, but storage is expensive in Apple's universe.

Apple iCloud - Strictly Personal, For Productivity - Look Elsewhere.

Overall Satisfaction with Apple iCloud