Apple went live with OS X 10.7.2 update, iOS 5.0 update for iPad, iPhone and the iPod touch and iCloud.com for everyone. While the world is busy playing with iOS 5’s new features like Newsstand, Notifications Center & iMessage, we are a little puzzled with iCloud. iCloud replaces MobileMe, a service that late Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself criticized. With a completely rewritten cloud version of mail & sync from Apple, we have faced the first bouncer already, incompatibility with Google Sync!
We have happily synced Google contacts on our iOS devies via iTunes and the same played well with me.com & Mac’s Address Book as well. However with iCloud coming into the picture, we get a warning that Google Sync would be turned off (disabled). This would mean that all our contacts would move to iCloud and we would have to maintain it there. While thats not a bad thing, Apple misses the point IMO.
a) I use Gmail and love to have my contacts there. New contacts are added there. I CANT manage without my contacts being in regular sync with my Google account. Moving to iCloud would mean shifting from Google, which is the primary service provider for my email. Moving isn’t a cakewalk, Yes my organization email is on Google Apps as well, adding fuel to fire!
b) Google Sync solved a big problem. It allowed me to sync my contacts between virtually any OS, be it Symbian, BB, iOS or Windows Phone 7. I could just pop my SIM in a new phone, sync contacts in 5 mins and done. With iCloud contacts not playing along with Google Sync, I stand to lose that convenience.
c) iCloud is free, so is Google sync. But Google Sync has been adopted in the industry and we wonder if Apple would be allowing other devices (specially mobile) to sync with iCloud. Even worse, will everyone adopt iCloud if that happens?
I would hope that some workaround or update comes to change this deadlock, until then, contacts on iCloud is a no go for me.