iCloud was the first and arguably the best known of all the popular cloud computer services, but it's also the least understood. Features rival the offerings of Dropbox, Amazon, and Google, but what sets iCloud apart is how it enables and supports the whole Apple ecosystem.

Apple, always pushing the boundaries of tech awesomeness, has been upgrading the Mac operating system each year with new looks and features designed to make us want their stuff even more than we already do. The little scamps. This year, the California-themed upgrade is Big Sur.

If you ask people what they use to manage pictures on their iPhone, they probably won't say “Apple Photos.” Same for their Mac. Or iCloud for that matter. And it doesn’t help that the name of what it is is the same as what it does.