I wrote a blog post about iCloud being declaration of war to Google’s cloud strategy early this month. At that time I thought that “Apple would not open iCloud to all hardware platforms since if they do so, iOS devices would be no longer unique and people’s reliance on them would decrease“.
Seems that I was wrong.
According to Apple, in FAQ about the MobileMe transition and iCloud, there will be web apps for iCloud:
Will I be able to access iCloud services on the web?
Yes. Web access to iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone will be available at icloud.com this fall.
In other words, iCloud users can access to their mails, calendars and contacts just like how they use GMail, Google Calendar and Contacts.
In the past most Apple’s services are limited to Apple’s hardware. Apple being a hardware company gain on gadget sales. Software is meant to attract customers to buy hardware, that’s why in iPhone ads we found both the phone itself and killer apps being promoted.
But now, I guess, the battle between Apple and Google (and the open web as a whole) is fierce, that, Apple is shifting its strategy. The web cannot directly bring revenue to Apple, but by providing iPhone users with extra functionality and convenience, iPhone is able to (hopefully) compete against other smartphone platforms, major one being Android.
Bring personal information management functions to the web is nothing new, Google (and Android) users have been using it for years. Some iPhone users like me are syncing mails, calendars and contacts with Google. Sometimes I ask myself, why, given my reliance on Google apps, I stick to iPhone instead of Android phone. Now Apple has given a solid reason to keep existing iPhone fans and attract new customers.
What do you think, Google fans and Chrome users? Would you switch to Apple’s iCloud? Would you use iCloud in Chrome browser? Share your thoughts here!
(This is originally a guest post on Chrome OS Site with slight modification)
