[ImperatorLunae]

"Documents you’ve written, presentations you’ve prepared, spreadsheets you’ve made — your iWork apps can store them in iCloud. Which means you can view and edit the same document, in its latest state, on all your devices. And since iCloud automatically updates any changes you make, you don’t even have to remember to save your work."

But I already do this on Google Docs, and I don't have to buy a Mac to do it. In fact, I don't have to buy anything to do it; I already have a desktop/laptop/phone, and Google Docs is free of charge. Plus, most people I know already have Google Accounts, so sharing is already implemented.

[pwthornton]

Google Docs is a limited suite of Web apps trying to mimic Microsoft Office. iCloud has an API that 3rd party developers can use for all sorts of applications. Neither Microsoft Office nor Google Docs is anything near the caliber of using Omnioutliner for note taking and doing great outlines. iCloud will allow the developer to store documents on iCloud and provide syncing across computers and mobile devies, which Omnioutliner for the iPad currently can't do.

Google Docs big selling point is collaboration. That's what I use it for, and I love it. But sometimes I need a richer and more powerful experience, and that's what dedicated apps provide. I'm glad that Apple is pursuing this strategy, because I believe there is a need for both.

The other big plus of Apple's iCloud strategy is offline support.

[nostromo]

I think Apple is trying to differentiate by having the best of both worlds (native software and webapps). Personally I think it's really compelling.

I love Google Docs, but can find the interface really frustrating. If you told me I could have all of the benefits of Google Docs with a native software experience, I'd be at least willing to try it out.