iCloud: What we already know

04.10.2011
Yes, Tuesday's Apple event will almost certainly center around iOS 5 and the iPhone, as have intimated. But what about Apple's planned fall unveiling, iCloud?

At this summer's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple indicated that --its new online storage and sync service--would be arriving in the fall, presumably alongside iOS 5. And, as iOS's developer betas have progressed, so has iCloud: There's little doubt that the service will be officially unveiled at Tuesday's event, with an official debut date close to--or the same as--iOS 5's.

Before all that occurs, however, we want to make sure you've been properly caught up on the latest and greatest goodies that await you when the service hits the public scene. You may have already seen our guide on (and if not, what are you waiting for?)--so to accompany that, here's a quick primer on iCloud and its already-announced features. (For even more information, you can always revisit from June.)

While the name "iCloud" presents a lovely image, trying to discern what the service actually from that moniker alone is a tad unclear. In a nutshell, the service aims to sync up your devices--both iOS and desktop--no matter which one you're using at any given moment. It does so by providing a central online repository for your mail, contacts, calendars, purchases, photos, documents, and backup; your devices collectively sync and pull information from this central server, thus keeping everything up-to-date.