iCloud mail

[Nomatiti]

How many uses iCloud mail as main email? I would like to hear and please tell what you think about it.

 

[anon(9602380)]

Welcome to iMore.

I do not use iCloud mail as my main mail account. I would not want to put myself in a position where I am dependent on Apple or iCloud services. I use it for my "I don't care email address". I have domain email addresses and ISP addresses I use for my personal email. I can better manage them and only hand them out when I really need too. I have a couple of businesses and can not afford to be dealing with customers through iCloud.

 

[xboxbml]

Interesting how people differ... I have always used it for main email since it started.. I have my other accounts forwarded to it..

 

[katesbb]

I used to forward my Gmail to my iCloud account so I could effectively get Gmail "pushed" in real-time to my iOS devices.

But iCloud email no longer consistently pushes to iOS in real-time for me (and a few dozen+ users on various support forums), so I've abandoned it.

 

[xboxbml]

I used to forward my Gmail to my iCloud account so I could effectively get Gmail "pushed" in real-time to my iOS devices.

But iCloud email no longer consistently pushes to iOS in real-time for me (and a few dozen+ users on various support forums), so I've abandoned it.

Really... I've never had an issue.

 

[katesbb]

Really... I've never had an issue.

Started weeks ago for many of us:

Push email delays | MacRumors Forums

https://discussions.apple.com/message/30896881?start=0&tstart=0

 

[xboxbml]

Wow..I guess I should read more.. I switched to fetch hourly a while ago..maybe I'll switch back and test myself.

 

[Nomatiti]

Nice to hear that someone uses it. I have thought about using it.

 

[xboxbml]

Started weeks ago for many of us:

Push email delays | MacRumors Forums

https://discussions.apple.com/message/30896881?start=0&tstart=0

Yeah, I switched it back to push.. I see same issue you do.. Doesn't show mail until after I go into mail app well after email sent to box... That's unfortunate I guess if u absolutely need push. I'm going back to Fetch/Hourly.. that's all I really need. I'll be watching for a fix though..good to know. Thanks.

 

[ritesh]

I used to forward my work email to icloud till about a year ago,to get realtime push,until I realised that it filters and marks important emails as junk. The filter settings are hopeless and lots of other issues, which I don't even remember. Back to using IMAP Fetch mail. I always keep on hoping that mail.app adopts IMAP IDLE with each iteration, but Apple thinks otherwise.

 

[Not Quite Right]

Been using it since the mobile ME days, works for me ...

 

[Wotchered]

I use @ me.com and @icloud.com as my main emails, they work flawlessly for me, I must admit however, that I fetch emails manually, if someone needs to connect with me faster then they can phone,and then I can swear at them in person !!

 

[xboxbml]

I use @ me.com and @icloud.com as my main emails, they work flawlessly for me, I must admit however, that I fetch emails manually, if someone needs to connect with me faster then they can phone,and then I can swear at them in person !!

LOL!..

 

[Sabre Wulf]

I switched from Outlook.com to iCloud mail a month ago. I have found it to be great for my needs, although admittedly my needs are not great. I like that it is part of the ecosystem, along with the other cloud services and Apple Music.

 

[anon(9057135)]

I use GMail because I already use Gmail and because filters are awesome

 

[iN8ter]

I switched from Outlook.com to iCloud mail a month ago. I have found it to be great for my needs, although admittedly my needs are not great. I like that it is part of the ecosystem, along with the other cloud services and Apple Music.

Outlook.com is now on the Exchange infrastructure. They're all Hosted Exchange Accounts, pretty much (except those accounts which haven't been migrated - all new Accounts are created there by default, since the old infrastructure is being quickly phased out). If you have access to Microsoft Outlook (even the 2011 version), then there is very little reason to bother with iCloud. Microsoft Outlook on Mobile is as good as any other, so that's not really a consideration...

This is especially true if you use a mix of platforms across different form factors. Apple's UX is already rather lackluster on their own platforms, IMO. Once you go beyond that, it quickly devolves into terrible.

Issues I've had with iCloud Mail:

1. The lackluster Web Client. Sluggish and Slow. Outlook is incredibly far ahead of Apple there, and I find Microsoft's Web Services for PIM to be the cleanest that I've ever used - especially the new version of Outlook. Very few distractions, well designed, and incredibly performant (it's basically Outlook Web Access for consumers).
2. The fact that main things you can do across Apple's own platforms are client-side settings only. This means that when you want something "to be a certain way" on your Mac, it may not actually be mirrored on your iPhone. This is not the case with Outlook on Exchange, since everything is server-side.
3. Having to jump across 4+ Apps for PIM Tasks (Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Notes, etc.)
4. On Mobile, the iCloud Mail Synchronization speed is absolutely horrific with iCloud. It's incredibly slow. It's also very inconsistent. Hundreds of times I've "cleared my trash" or deleted multiple emails only to see them reappear after the Sync was "finished." This literally never happens with Exchange.
5. The way Microsoft Outlook integrates Cloud Storage (OneDrive, etc.) on Mobile is fantastic. Apple still hasn't really gotten iCloud baked into their OS well. As an aside, I was quite astounded that I couldn't save a PDF I was viewing on iOS to my iCloud Drive...
6. Spam Calendar Event Invites. I had never experienced such a thing until recently... On iCloud.
7. I find Microsoft Outlook 2016 to perform much better than Apple Mail, while loading just as fast and incorporating the job of 3.5+ Apple Stock Apps into one.
8. Exchange Categories, etc. are significantly ahead of iCloud. For people who like to be organized, iCloud actually isn't that good. You're much better off with Gmail (though you lose the great client experience and synchronization flexibility) or Outlook.
9. Because Outlook is one application, it can do things more efficiently when it comes to working across different sections of PIM (i.e. selecting an email message and clicking "Meeting" to create an appointment referencing that email with almost no work).
10. Being saddled with IMAP and Cal/CardDAV for Synchronization with iCloud. And to get any decent Synchronization on Windows, you need Microsoft Outlook and an incredibly heavy plug-in installation... If you have Outlook, then why even bother with iCloud at all, especially if you ALSO use Windows.

Still, I've used it since it was convenient enough given the poor support Outlook had (in the past) for Outlook.com. This is no longer the case. It's amazing, now. On the Web, on Windows, on macOS, on Mobile... Hell, even on Linux if you use Evolution (I believe it has Exchange support) or any platform which supports Exchange or EAS.

 

[SprSynJn]

Found the Microsoft employee.

 

[iN8ter]

It's hilarious how far people will go to contribute absolutely nothing to the discussion.

Two months ago:

I just use iCloud. I have an ISP email address and they have an app with near instant push notifications if I need that, but for now I just forward it to iCloud. I like to limit the number of internet accounts I have. Since I don't use other Google services, I'm not signing up for Gmail to get all their other gifts.

Haven't had any issues with iCloud, but I'm not a heavy email user.

Things changed when I had to get a Microsoft account, for Office, and experienced how much they've improved their online services.

When things are better, they're better. I'm not running out to get a Windows Phone, but their web services are simply better than Apple's; and a lot more portable without any major changes in User Experience (meaning which email I use doesn't factor into the devices I choose to buy, etc.).

 

[Just_Me_D]

It's hilarious how far people will go to contribute absolutely nothing to the discussion.

Two months ago:



Things changed when I had to get a Microsoft account, for Office, and experienced how much they've improved their online services.

When things are better, they're better. I'm not running out to get a Windows Phone, but their web services are simply better than Apple's; and a lot more portable without any major changes in User Experience (meaning which email I use doesn't factor into the devices I choose to buy, etc.).

Dude, it was a light-hearted poke, without any ill-intensions so lighten up. I'm *assuming* you're referring to the "found the Microsoft employee" comment, by the way.