The cloud has made my digital life more convenient. Of course, in the digital world convenience is inversely proportional to security (e.g. see here) which is one of the reasons that there are mixed views on storing sensitive or personal data in the cloud. For example, Woz is not a fan because he likes to know where his files are.

My job is largely based in the Czech Republic and recently I stopped using hotels and started renting an apartment. Around about the same time, the iTunes Match service was released which matches an iTunes library with music available in the Apple store and fills in the gaps by uploading tracks from your computer.

On my second trip to the flat, I moved most of the things in that I needed. I picked a new Apple TV and put it in my luggage. On arrival at the flat, I simply plugged it into the flat panel television, reset it, put in my details and within 30 minutes I had access to all my music from the cloud.

My iPhone also works with the iTunes service and so I can get any track from my music collection anywhere in the world provided I have a data connection. I can add music to my cloud from the iTunes store or I can add tracks by buying and sampling CDs into iTunes. The tracks are available on all my devices within a short time. The convenience of the cloud far outweighs the security risks. It allows me to maintain a globally accessible music collection without having physical media and for someone living in two locations or travelling a lot, this is a good thing. For my music collection, I don't really care where the files are - as long as they are relatively secure and available all the time.

(Be careful if you download tracks while data roaming on your mobile as you may incur significant charges.)