iPad: The Missing Manual, 4th Edition

Chapter 17. Back Up and Sync Your Gadgets with iCloud

You’ll learn to:

• Set up iCloud on your iPad and desktop computers

• Back up files to the Cloud

• Tap into iWork documents on iCloud

• Share photos across devices with Photo Stream

ODDS ARE YOU HAVE more than one computer in your life. An iPad for sure, and maybe a desktop or laptop computer, an iPhone, an iPod Touch, or some combination of these devices. All of them can snap photos, store contact information, keep track of appointments, and transport downloaded music, apps, and books. Wouldn’t it be great if they could share the same files and information so all your devices were always in sync and up-to-date?

They can. When you set up all your iOS and desktop/laptop devices to work with iCloud, it backs up and syncs your photos, music, apps, books, email, calendar appointments, contacts, and iWork documents across Windows PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches. Best of all, the service is free and comes with 5 gigabytes of online storage, not counting your iTunes Store purchases or your cache of photos.

Because iCloud is included with iOS 5, you may have signed up for it when you activated your iPad. If not, you’ll learn how to do that in this chapter. Either way, this chapter tells you how to use iCloud’s features to keep your life in sync. (For MobileMe members wondering what happens next: MobileMe will be active until June 30, 2012, ...