Cloudy
With iOS5 and OSX Lion receiving lots of publicity in mainstream media lately, it seems everybody is talking about it: The cloud. Services like Dropbox and iCloud have finally replaced, or at least reduced, the need for a USB stick or the ever so common ‘emailing-a-file-to-yourself’. However, I believe the time for shooting your entire data into the cloud(s) is not quite here yet.
Ever since interfaces changed to include touch in their ways of interaction, I thought to myself: Is the way in which we use computers or personal devices and gadgets not only getting simpler but also “fool-proof”? And by “fool proof” I am actually thinking: are we getting less smart and have to therefore reduce the information displayed and dealt with on screen?
In an effort to reach a wider customer range, companies are simplifying their products so even your 2 year old son, or 90 year old grandma can surf the web or make angry birds fly. The times where you would have to be a nerd to operate a personal computer are long gone. In this future, everybody uses a computer, because every object is turning into one.
Lion, along with iCloud, is more and more starting to move traditional file systems, as we know them today, into the background. Users do not need to know where their files are stored. They do not need to save their files. They do not need to move their files. In fact, they do not even have to find them. All the user’s left to do is open the app(lication) and start working. No matter what device they are currently on. This is great for a number of reasons: First, you do not have to remember to take files with you in order to look at or work with them. Also, in case of hardware failure, you should be on the safe side in terms of backup and can continue your work an any new device. Problems like theft or fire causing data loss are nothing new to this industry, yet they are becoming more relevant for home users. So here you are, several reasons why you may benefit from moving your files into the cloud.
Still, I always felt that being able to see my actual files sitting on my harddrive gave me more control. It’s not that I do not trust these services with my personal information. In fact, I was the one who got my whole family onto dropbox, syncing our family matters across several computers. There is however one major difference between the way dropbox and the way iCloud currently deal with my files in the cloud. Dropbox, I can turn off and still have my files. Other cloud services take a full on online approach. This shouldn’t be a problem since internet is widely available these days; be it at home, the coffeeshop, university or anywhere in between those places. If one of those rare situations should occur where you do find yourself offline, that very cloud you trust so much could turn into rain. Where are your files now?
I am also having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that iCloud can work with thousands of files. The way I see it now: iCloud does a fantastic job streaming your small music library, hundreds photos or dozens of spreadsheets and text documents. However, I do not see this service working with a 400GB iTunes or 30,000 photos Aperture libraries. Professionals are definitely not the first to migrate. The emphasis with this service seems to be very much on casual. Sadly, I have the feeling that more and more things tend to focus on casualness. Look at the gaming industry. Casual gaming in the family living room. Computers moving into the kitchen.
In the end, it all comes down to choices. I want to be able to choose the way in which I work or build my workflows. However, it is my feeling that companies such as Apple tend to force innovation but by doing so forget some of their user base. I’m all for innovation, people, but in a crowd of 2 year old iPad users and 90 year-old web-surfing grandmas, it’s easy to forget the power users.
