What is the Difference Between iCloud and iCloud Drive

The main difference between iCloud and iCloud Drive is that the iCloud is a cloud computing solution that provides cloud storage and apps for desktop, tablet and mobile devices while iClould drive is the file hosting service of iCloud that allows storing files in iCloud securely.

iCloud is a service that enables the users to add, remove, and synchronize data files, contacts, bookmarks, etc. on selected Apple devices. All data is stored in the iCloud’s remote storage server. iCloud Drive, on the other hand,  is the file hosting service of iCloud. It allows storing files in iCloud securely. Moreover, it helps to access those stored data on iCloud.com, and all other IOS powered devices.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is iCloud
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is iCloud Drive
     – Definition, Functionality
3. What is the Difference Between iCloud and iCloud Drive
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

iCloud, iCloud Drive

What is iCloud

iCloud is a cloud storage and cloud computing service developed by Apple Inc. It allows the users to store data such as documents, images, and, audio on to its remote server. Therefore, the other devices can download and share them. It generally works as a data syncing centre for email, contacts, notes, calendars, bookmarks, reminders, images and other data. Furthermore, iCloud by default comes with 5GB of free storage. The user can also upgrade it to more storage by paying a reasonable monthly charge.

The user can set up iCloud on his IOS or Mac device and then sign in to iCloud on other devices using the same Apple ID. Then, the changes made on one device will appear on his all other devices. For example, if the user creates a new photo album on his Mac, then that album will automatically appear in photos app in iCloud.com on Mac, IOS devices, Apple TV, Apple watch, etc.

What is iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive is the iCloud’s file hosting service that allows storing files such as photos, videos, documents, music and other apps data on iCloud.

The user can save files while keeping them on Mac. They become available on iCloud.com, all his computers and IOS devices. On iCloud.com, he can use iCloud drive to upload, download, share, delete, organize, and rename files as well as to recover recently deleted files. Moreover, he or she can also start working on one device and continue on another device.

Difference Between iCloud and iCloud Drive

Definition

iCloud is a cloud computing solution by Apple Computer Inc. that provides cloud storage and apps for desktop, tablet and mobile devices. iCloud Drive is iCloud’s file hosting service for devices running IOS 8, OS X Yosemite, Windows 7 or later and online web apps access via iCloud.com. This is the main difference between iCloud and iCloud drive.

Usage

Moreover, iCloud allows storing documents, videos, photos, music, apps and other data online and syncing them between IOS powered devices. In contrast, iCloud Drive allows the user to securely store files in iCloud and access them on iCloud.com and all his computers and IOS devices. This is another difference between iCloud and iCloud Drive.

Conclusion

The main difference between iCloud and iCloud Drive is that the iCloud is a cloud computing solution that provides cloud storage and apps for desktop, tablet and mobile devices while iClould drive is the file hosting service of iCloud that allows storing files to iCloud securely.

Reference:

1. “Apple.” Official Apple Support, Available here.
2. “ICloud.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Oct. 2018, Available here.
3. “Apple.” Official Apple Support, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Icloud logo” By EEIM – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “iPhone Home Screen” By Mahesh Mohan (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

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