So what is it?
Announced in June 2011 and due for roll out over the next couple of months, the iCloud is Apple's big foray into the Cloud space. Well, its latest one anyway – the iCloud is actually the evolution of something that started in the early 2000s with first iTools, then .mac and, most, recently, MobileMe. The company also has iWork.com which is a SaaS based office application suite. The iCloud will allow users to store files and access them across the whole range of Internet enabled Apple devices, including Macs and MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and iPods, and will also come with syncing functionality across things like email and calendars.

Which part of the market is Apple looking to dominate this time then?
You could think of it as something of a hybrid between Spotify, Dropbox and some of the Google Apps functionality. Like Dropbox, you can store any file you like and access it on multiple devices. You still have to pay for new content, unlike Spotify though, where you stream music for free. And Spotify is supported on a wider range of devices, including Apple products themselves as well as PCs, Androids and other smart devices. You have to be Appled up to get going with the iCloud. It has the additional syncing services, which you don't get with Dropbox and only for music play-lists with Spotifty, although Google has rolled this out to good effect already on Android smartphones.

How much does it cost and how much storage do you get?
The basic package is free and gives you 5gb of storage. This compares favourably with Dropbox's no-cost option, which gives you circa 2.5gb (gigabytes), dependent on completing certain introductory tasks. After that, the iCloud costs $20USD per year for 15gb of storage, and up to $100USD annually for 55gb. You can also pay $24.95USD per year for a premium package which allows you to store up to 25,000 music tracks which you can download from the iTunes store for nothing if you already have them in your personal iTunes folder.

For all accounts, things that you purchase through iTunes don't count towards your allowance. And, on top, you can store an additional 1,000 photos through the iCloud's tie in with Apple's PhotoStream service, which comes as standard.

For comparison's sake, Spotify is either free for 20 hours listening per month or £10 per month for completely free access, including on mobile devices, and with the ability to sync 3,333 tracks for offline listening.

Can you use it commercially?
There's no reason why not. And it has been rumoured that the iCloud will come equipped with Apple's internet SaaS based office suite iWorks, which includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentation making facilities and all of that good stuff. This is yet to be confirmed.

When will it be available?
A beta version is online now but can only be accessed by registered and approved developers. The full roll out is expected this autumn and could potentially coincide with the release of the iPhone 5, rumoured to be hitting the shelves in September or October (Apple is notoriously coy with its release dates).

What's being said about it?
Many are wondering whether Apple will finally get it right this time where the Cloud is concerned after its perceived previous failures.

Wired magazine, for instance, said the success of the iCloud is all but clear cut, since “tech observers agree that MobileMe has been one of Apple’s most embarrassingly flawed products, thanks to its extremely buggy launch and limited functionality.”

Apple founder Steve Jobs was predictably in little doubt about the operation of the programme though.

“[It all] happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it’s integrated into our apps you don’t even need to think about it—it all just works.”

Will it catch on?
It's a brave man that bets against Mr Jobs and co and you can probably expect it to be installed as standard, with the basic account, for any new Apple product that it works with. The take up of similar things in the market means this is almost guaranteed a steady use among Apple's community who could now turn away from Dropbox, since the iCloud offers more storage with its basic package. Spotify users might be a little harder to break down, since they can listen to as much music as they like for a reasonably small amount of cash each month.