Apple's Cloud Ushers in a Post-PC World

The wait is over for Apple nerds dreaming of streaming on Steve Jobs' cloud.

Apple officially announced what it confirmed in a press release last week. The Cupertino-based computer maker is releasing a cloud-based music and data storage service for its customers.

There were few surprises in the announcement, as Jobs addressed the enthusiastic crowd of developers at the company's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference.

Going into Monday's announcement, the only question seemed to be how much Apple will charge for iCloud. The good news for dedicated Apple fans is that the service will be free but for those who have a habit of buying physical CDs or purchasing their digital music from other avenues other than iTunes, they will have to pony $29.99 to float that music on Apple's cloud.

Jobs said iCloud would automatically sync music across Apple users' multiple devices for free but music purchased through other sites would have to be mirrored from Apple's service, which is why the company will charge the fee.

iCloud will also be able to store Apple users' photos and other data. Perhaps the most revealing part of the iCloud announcement was Jobs' admission of a past Apple mistake.

The colorful CEO said Apple's previous attempt at cloud service, MobileMe, was "not our finest hour." But he said that things would be different with iCloud.

"It just works," he said.

Apple also announced that users would be able to back up their data on multiple devices without having to turn on a PC. Jobs referred to Apple cutting the PC chord as the "post-PC world."

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