Compared to Apple's hardware and software products, services are not the company's strongest offerings. iCloud is the fourth iteration of the company's online service, following iTools, .Mac, and MobileMe. If you're looking for evidence of Steve Jobs's flaws as a businessman, this is a good place to start.

But the increased focus on iCloud in iOS 5 and Mountain Lion has made that service essential to Apple, especially now that the price barrier to entry has been removed. That means that Apple must solidify iCloud, making it more reliable and more competitive with the many alternatives that consumers have. Most difficult of all, iCloud must escaping the stigma its predecessors left behind.

iCloud is, in its most basic form, the mortar that holds Apple's ecosystem together, and a wall is only as good as the stuff that binds it. Apple can't afford missteps like . If people are going to be wooed away from the likes of Dropbox or Gmail, iCloud needs to be rock solid and offer compelling features that users can't get anywhere else. The question is, can Apple provide them?