Is this a challenge?

Following up on the last post...

iCloud, with its features and abilities, promises to be a major improvement over MobileMe.

I'm OK with that as MobileMe certainly had its deficiencies. However I wondered about the future of Apple's offsite system as it pertains to maintaining the Web pages I built with iWeb.

And it turns out I'm not alone. Since last week numerous other Mac devotees are posing the same question in their respective realms of cyberspace.

Making things worse, Apple hasn't made public (yet) the plans for storing more than just audio and visual files, syncing information across one's iOS devices, and automatic backups.

What about our web pages?

Not only that, but what of iWeb?

It didn't escape fans' notice that in the latest release of iLife the emphasis was on iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand. iWeb (and iDVD) were left unchanged.

Unchanged, ignored.......soon to be orphans.


Even James Lileks made note in his entry today:

"As for Web Design, they learned iWeb. Sigh. Not exactly a platform with a future."

Yes, this blog you're currently reading gets the bulk of my creative attention. However long-time readers know I also maintain an Apple-hosted blog that allows more creativity with picture placement and text format. Everything I do there I create in iWeb, usually with the stalwart MacBook.

Time to start thinking ahead. I presume (along with most anyone else in the know) that Apple will kick iWeb and web site hosting to the curb. What now?

How about taking it to the next level? Obtain a different host? (Hey, now I don't have to pay MobileMe a C-note every year to keep the service, maybe I can swing this.) There are a multitude of hosting services out there, plenty of competition means reasonable prices!

And what of learning more advanced Web design? I'm not the nerdiest chap around these parts but I've tackled computer-related challenges before. I must acknowledge that while iWeb was (excuse me, is) easy to learn, it has its limitations. Perhaps I can do simple redesigns that will give the end result of a more attractive (and up-to-date looking) site.

Last but not least I don't have to sacrifice my previous work. The ever-helpful MacLife gang offers a solution to the question of migrating my site (intact) to a different host.

So rather than launching diatribes at Steve Jobs and Company I'd rather just test my own abilities. Time to make lemons into lemonade!