Apple’s new iCloud service has taken another step towards its publish launch, with the combination of a new iCloud website and beta versions of the iOS iWork apps meaning cross-device syncing is almost here.
The new iCloud.com website offers users the chance to download saved documents for offline use, such as printing. And it also gives them the chance to upload your own iWork-compatible content, and then iCloud can push it out to iDevices using the same account.
Oh, and those iDevices? Syncing works from them too…
Here’s where we are as of today: If you have all the right apps and developer privileges, iWork’s new beta iOS apps now work with iCloud. What this means is if you create a new Pages, Keynote or Numbers document on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, that document will automatically be pushed to iCloud, as well as all your other devices. Edit the document, and those changes are also pushed. It’s all automatic. It’s all seamless. More importantly, it all just works.
On the iCloud.com side, all of your synced documents are shown in handy thumbnail form, ready to be downloaded at will, either in their original form, or PDF.
The website also has the ability to accept new files from the web browser, too, which is a great way to get your documents onto your iDevice. No more iTunes syncing, emailing them to your self, or doing the Dropbox-shuffle.
YouTube user NatesTechUpdate has published a video, showing off just how well iCloud and iOS 5 can work together with apps written to take advantage of the new syncing.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9LBpeXYUb0&feature=player_embedded[/tube]
It’s all an interesting glimpse into the future of iOS syncing, and we can’t wait for both iCloud and iOS 5 to finally become available to the public.
With iOS 5 beta 4 both introducing new bugs as well as squashing some, we’re not sure the release candidate can be too close, and considering Apple has only just begun testing iCloud fully, we wouldn’t expect iOS 5 just yet.
Guess we’ll be getting the next iPhone and iOS 5 together, after all.