Cloud: is it too hard to say goodbye to what you know?

I had a conversation with some extended family members who recently jumped off the Apple bandwagon, and have both switched to Samsung. They know well the feeling of being 'boxed-in' by Apple's products and services, and that they could get so much more with a Galaxy SIII - so when the time came, they up and left. But they didn't leave entirely, and to be fair - neither have I.

I've never (and thankfully) owned an iPhone, but I have owned countless iPods - one of which I use regularly to this day. I've never hidden the fact that the iPod was the perfect creation back when it was introduced, and the main reason why I continue to use mine today is because I need just about all 149GB to lug around my extensive media collection. I know there are cloud services, and soon (hopefully), the Google Music service will arrive in Australia, and the greater world - but I've always preferred the piece of mind knowing my media was stored within, and was accessible wherever I was.

Backwards thinking, I know. Everywhere we look, cloud is taking over. I'm not a complete cloud-o-phobe however, I use a couple of cloud services for productivity based activities only. I just can't seem to think of cloud for any other purpose than that. I haven't only this preconception, the larger concern is not necessarily security or privacy, because I'd be sure to keep important files stored locally - rather the idea of streaming from the cloud, and its impact on battery and data charges.

My refusal to spend for storage means I try to keep
files to a minimum

When it came to purchasing tablets for their children, those family members had no other option for selection of games and overall tablet-optimised apps than to go straight for iPad Minis. As apprehensive as they were, they knew on the tablet front, at least for now, the iPad was their most viable option - assuring me that their next set of tablets would be of the Samsung variety.

I agreed with them wholeheartedly. The iPad Mini in particular may have had a clever marketing scheme to trick buyers into thinking it's their everyday companion on the go, despite some of its two year old innards, but the iPad's strong suit has largely been its app selection.

I haven't personally found an issue with apps on the N7 at all, but I don't buy every second app or game out there, so I wouldn't know the difference - I only run what I need and use regularly, or purchase apps if they're on sale, being the tight Uni student I am. It's hard to expect Apple loyalists to completely leave behind all the services they're familiar with, and have invested themselves in. I'm the same.

The Galaxy Nexus has throughout its life dealt with complaints regarding battery life, and a solution for many have been to purchase the extended 2000mAh battery. So far, the only device I've owned which I've thought hard about forking out the coin for some extra juice was the Nexus One, which, depending on how its used can be abysmal. The Galaxy Nexus is alright, so long as you don't leave data on, and if you have JuiceDefender Ultimate, which handles everything while the phone is in sleep.

On the other hand, I couldn't bare to think how bad the battery life would end up being if I relied on cloud services, especially if I was using them to stream my music and media content - not to mention the phone bill charges for pushing over the monthly data limit. It's all fair to say that I should just increase my monthly payments to accommodate the increase in data usage, but I'm a student, go figure. I've spent a day here and there, streaming TuneIn Radio on my trips to and from Uni, which are about an hour each way, and by the end of each day I'd totalled roughly 120-180MB of data - out of my 1.5GB allowance. It's appalling. Whenever I listen to TuneIn now, I make sure to record a radio station for two hours the night before, all on the home WiFi, and with the GNex plugged into the wall charger.

With an increased emphasis on moving towards cloud based services, what are your thoughts on the prospect of having to pay monthly or yearly charges for storage, in addition to your monthly data charges? Do you believe in cloud, or feel there should be more incentive for individuals to make the move? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below: