Apple's iCloud Service Not Supporting Windows XP

Martin Brinkmann
Jun 8, 2011
Updated • Jan 4, 2018
Apple, Companies
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10

Apple introduced their new cloud hosting and synchronization service iCloud two days ago. We have covered Apple's iCloud service on the date of announcement, but we have looked at the features mostly. To paraphrase what has been written: Apple iCloud will give iTunes users online space to store their purchases in the cloud, to access them from up to ten different authorized devices. Users from the US can furthermore pay an annual $24.99 subscription fee to bring music that they have not purchased on iTunes to the cloud.

But what about the system requirements of the service? We know that iTunes is needed to use iCloud. The latest iTunes 10.3 is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and newer versions and editions of the Microsoft operating system.

When you look at the iCloud website on the other hand, you will notice different requirements at the bottom of the page:

Features are subject to change. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices. See www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/ for more information. Some features of iCloud require iOS 5 on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac computer with OS X Lion or a PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Outlook 2007 or 2010 recommended). Some music features of iCloud are available in beta now in the U.S. only and require iOS 4.3.3 on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM model), iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac or PC with iTunes 10.3. Download iTunes 10.3 free.

Notice the part about Windows compatibility of the service? Apple explicitly mentions Windows Vista and Windows 7 as the only two Microsoft operating systems supported by iCloud. While that does not necessarily mean that Windows XP users cannot use iCloud at all, it at least means that Apple will not answer support requests for the unsupported operating system.

Windows XP users: Have you signed up for the iCloud service yet? What's your experience with the service?

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Comments

  1. kesh said on October 23, 2011 at 9:54 pm
    Reply

    Would make a popular 3rd party (XP) app… any possibility?

  2. Ernesto Organero said on October 19, 2011 at 7:20 pm
    Reply

    La funcion fundamental de Icloud es replicar datos de un equipo a otro. La aplicacion para unificar outlook con Ipad o Iphone no funciona con Win Xp,. Esto es a mi juicio un error ya que una de las pretensiones de Apple es llegar al mundo empresarial y profesional y las empresas tratan de usar todo el tiempo posible los sistemas operativos, ya que son costes indirectos con los que las empresas se ven gravados. A dia de hoy millones de empresas usan XP en sus PCs.

  3. Bad move said on October 14, 2011 at 4:47 pm
    Reply

    No XP support (one of the most stable MS OS for years) then NO iPhone purchase. So here is one less potential customer for for product, Apple. Apple believes that everyone sits in a cubicle surround by, foremost, fashionable iToys. I can see why people adopt the other brands simply to escape Apple-fascism. Just say no to a company who is in this market for IMAGE vs usability. The iRecession will soon land at Cupertino, where the iElite will undergo an iRevelation which will not have a happy ending for such technological tyranny. MS already had to learn this lesson in the 90’s.

    This is the net effect of a company that controls a great piece of a certain market, they Can easily shutoff or shutout a large section of their overblown customerbase after luring these poor people into purchasing their product. “These poor people” of course refer to those who are quite content with Not upgrading to the latest toy or OS.

    Just a matter of time before iPhone 3gs users will be left reeling in the dark by Apple high command. I won’t be on that ship when it finally succumbs to its greed and superficial image.

    1. dave said on October 14, 2011 at 7:05 pm
      Reply

      seriously? xp is terrible, even in sp3 64-bit fashion. get with the times because windows 7 is actually pretty awesome. apple’s business plan seems to be doing just fine. it’s microsoft that release the same tired OS post windows 3.1.1 days (95, ME, 2000, XP) and guess who’s gaining more market share. even my company moved from blackberry’s/laptops to iphones/ipads. that’s right, ipads.

      i mean come on, even microsoft is not supporting xp anymore.

  4. BIGMAC said on October 13, 2011 at 3:12 am
    Reply

    Gee whizz, I almost forgot. i wonder if this has anything to do with the $150 million that Bill Gates lent to Steve Jobs when Apple was failing all thos years ago. Just a little conspiracy theory.

  5. BIGMAC said on October 13, 2011 at 3:05 am
    Reply

    Not so. you can download the iCloud onto your XP but it will not allow you to install it. popup tells you that that you must have Vista or Windows 7

  6. James Ogawa said on August 3, 2011 at 4:49 am
    Reply

    You might be jumping the gun. Apple does not say that Windows XP is not supported, only that *some* iCloud features require Vista or Windows 7. Windows XP should otherwise be a supported operating system. At least until Apple says it isn’t.

  7. Robert Palmar said on June 8, 2011 at 6:58 pm
    Reply

    Ironic since iTunes is antiquated software to say the least.
    I would not use iCloud even on a Windows 7 system
    to avoid the infection of iTunes installation.

  8. kalmly said on June 8, 2011 at 3:22 pm
    Reply

    A dark and dastardly decision. I smell a conspiracy between Apple and Microsoft. Imagine the pain of being left off of the iCloud!! Imagine not being able to use IE 9!!! How ever will I survive?

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