I just received an email telling me that Apple's subscription bundle is going up in price, from $38 to $40 a month. Yeah, it seems like everything is going up in price these days.
To be fair, a $2 a month increase is not the end of the world, but I have also been working for months to migrate all my personal data from Apple's iCloud to my own local storage, because if I can save $40 a month, I would still like to do so. So, I guess this latest price increase is all the motivation I need to finally cancel it for good.
Honestly, I feel a little bit anxious about unplugging all this. All my photos, videos, and personal notes are stored in the iCloud. Because this is a bundle, I will also be losing the Apple News subscription, which I do actually read regularly, especially the financial articles. I also watch Apple TV sometimes, as well as listen to the iTunes radio.
So yeah, feeling a bit anxious about it, but I figure worst case, I can always resub, or just fine-tune it down to a cheaper monthly plan. I've got until the middle of August to get it all done. I sure hope I don't forget anything I need to transfer over.
Anybody here use some kind of cloud service? Are you kind of married to it like I am?
July 26th, 2026 at 11:52 am 1785066754
July 26th, 2026 at 05:52 pm 1785088323
July 26th, 2026 at 07:23 pm 1785093789
As far as photos...Walgreens will store your photos as long as you purchase some prints once or twice a year. I don't often order prints, but getting some on sale does help and the almost free storage does help. Not sure what CVS has for their prints, but it might look very similar.
July 26th, 2026 at 11:26 pm 1785108406
When I used to write more on a laptop I backed up to a thumb drive.
Photographs are an interesting thing.
My dad has a box of pictures that his parents took but even he doesn’t know who most of the people are in them. I sorted them out a few years ago and my siblings took a few, but most will be in a box until he dies. Then I will toss most because I am 70 with no kids and only two nephews who can’t be expected to keep the family archives.
My mom made organized albums of her pictures - probably 30 or so. I’ve passed some on, tossed some - like pictures of flowers her neighbor took.
My aunt had boxes and boxes under her bed. My cousins sorted through but they brobably now have boxes and boxes.
Now we take so many pictures and store them digitally, but who will care later? Out of sight, out of mind?
I think of them now as ‘share the moment’ not ‘forever memory.’ I periodically delete all but the most special.
July 27th, 2026 at 03:12 pm 1785165162
LOI: You pose a very interesting question here. The pros and cons of print vs digital. My parents love prints. They grew up on it, and it’s very easy to pull out a picture and reminisce about the past. However, they are also… well, hmm clutter for the lack of a better word… containing a lot of their friends and relative that I do not recognize. And some day, I too will have to toss them out.
I, on the other hand, prefer digital if only because I always have my phone around me. So, whenever I want to, or someone wants to look at a picture, I just pull it up on my phone. I can pull up any of them without finding them first, especially when I am not home. It also leaves no clutter, so when I pass away some day, my kids will not have to sort though or clean that stuff. However, somehow it’s also not quite as nostalgic though? I don’t know. Perhaps in the end, it’s also personal preference?