14 DAY TRIAL // iCloud Control Panel for Windows, the tool required to use iCloud-specific features like Photo Stream, Contacts and Calendars on a Windows PC, has been updated and released as a free download in tandem with Safari 5.1.2.
Pushed out via Software Update and the Apple Support Downloads section, iCloud Control Panel for Windows 1.0.1 weighs in at 10 megabytes and requires Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7, Safari 5.1.1 or Internet Explorer 8 or later, Microsoft Outlook 2007 or 2010, and a Broadband Internet connection.
“The iCloud Control Panel is required to use Photo Stream, Contacts and Calendars (Microsoft Outlook 2007 or later required) and Bookmarks (Safari 5.1.1 or Internet Explorer 8 or later required),” reads a technical note on Apple’s web site.
Customer are informed that in order to create an iCloud account they will require an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 5, or a Macintosh computer running Mac OS X Lion v10.7.2. A changelog for iCloud Control Panel for Windows 1.0.1 was unavailable at the time of this writing.
Download iCloud Control Panel for Windows (Free)
If you don’t have iOS 5 already installed on your iDevice, simply connect your device to your Mac or PC and iTunes takes care of the rest.
As soon as you’re done with that, begin setting up iCloud on your devices exactly the way you want it.
Additional benefits of using iCloud include iCloud-enabled apps, such as the latest versions of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS, a feature that lets you keep documents up to date on all your devices.
Find My Friends is also a key feature - it’s available as a free download from the App Store and, just like its name implies, it lets you locate your buddies on a map.