The Web site for Apple's iCloud went live for developers last night, and with it came some more details about pricing for Cupertino's cloud service.
Apple iCloud users get 5GB of free storage, but upgrades are available. According to screen shots posted by 9to5Mac, an additional 10GB will run you $20 per year, while 20GB will cost $40 per year and 50GB will be $100.
Prices in the U.K. and Europe will be somewhat similar, 9to5Mac said. The 10GB option is £14 per year (about $22), while 20GB is £28 (about $33) and 50GB is £70 ($114) per year. The same plans in Europe will be €16, €32, and €80 per year, respectively.
At this point, iCloud.com is only accessible with a developer account and Apple slapped it with a very Google-esque beta tag. Access to the site is also reportedly available only to existing MobileMe customers on Mac OS X desktops and notebooks. A first attempt by PCMag editors to simply log into the site on a Mac resulted in a screen promising that iCloud is "coming soon." Later, when we tried installing the latest iOS update on an iPhone before a second try, our log-in attempt on iCloud.com was still a no-go.
A report from AppleInsider suggested that the internal iCloud site had not yet been available for iOS.
In a separate post, 9to5Mac posted additional screen shots that showed iCloud's Mail, Calendar, and Contacts applications, as well as an "iOS-like application switcher." The site also includes iCloud iWork, which provides access to Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. The description for iCloud for Pages says "iCloud stores your documents and keeps them up to date on your devices and the Web. To get started, launch Pages on your iOS device and turn on iCloud."
Apple unveiled iCloud during its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. It will store your content in the cloud and wirelessly push it to all your other devices, including iTunes music. If you add a new contact, take a photo, buy a song, or make a new calendar appointment, it will automatically be pushed to the cloud, Apple chief Steve Jobs said. Apple's iCloud will support up to 10 devices for free, and everyone will get up to 5GB of free storage for music, docs, or photos, not including a new Photo Stream photo-synching feature, or purchased apps, docs, or books. A matching service for non-iTunes music will be $24.99 per year.
In the days following the iCloud announcement, questions remained about the fate of MobileMe. Would iCloud continue to let users upload any file type they wish to iDisk? Would the service still offer Web hosting? Would it still offer the beautiful online photo galleries of MobileMe? Apple eventually published a FAQ that provided the answers: No, no, and no.
For more, see PCMag's hands on with iCloud and the slideshow below. Also check out Apple iCloud vs. Amazon Cloud Player vs. Google Music Beta and iCloud: What We Wanted vs. What We Got.