Do You Need An Umbrella To Use iCloud?

A recent survey uncovered the confusing fact that one in three people think that using "The Cloud" involves actual clouds. That's right. There are computer users who believe that to access their Cloud-based data they need galoshes and an umbrella.

I'm trying hard not to laugh, but this happens with any leap forward in technology. There are always those who get it, and the ones who are left behind. Heck, I've even been asked to lead a lesson for our staff on how to utilize their Dropbox accounts.

According to the survey:

• 51% percent think bad weather messes with the cloud
• 54% think they don't even use the cloud
• 14% that have lied in job interviews about being very familiar with the cloud

Cloud based storage is probably one of the most important computing developments in recent years. It is your digital life--your music, your movies, your eBooks, and your documents--stored in one central location that you can access from any device, anywhere.

I use iCloud, Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Drive, and Box to store my various digital things, and I can access them from wherever I am. Between the four services, I have 76.38 GB of storage space I can use for whatever I want.

Even if you don't use one of these services, you probably still utilize the Cloud without even knowing it. Downloading books for your Kindle? That's from the Cloud. Keep notes in Evernote? That's the Cloud. Watch movies in Netflix? That's the Cloud. The list goes on and on... The Cloud is everywhere, and it's amazing.

These ads from Microsoft a few years ago don't explain what cloud based computing is at all. All I know is that to access my data, I need a spinning desk and possibly a flannel shirt.

[Via Gizmodo]