Windows XP users will finally need to upgrade to enter the iCloud

This got a bit lost amid all the WWDC 2011 hubbub earlier this week, but Apple quietly delivered a bit of bad news to steadfast Windows XP users with its iCloud announcement.

Image via Wikipedia

Unlike its MobileMe service and recent versions of iTunes, which have somewhat surprisingly supported Windows XP all this time, use of Apple’s iCloud service on a PC will require either Windows Vista or Windows 7. Of course, XP users shouldn’t feel too badabout being left behind — as TUAW notes, Apple’s only extended support for the Mac version of iTunes 10.3 back to OS X 10.5, which was just released in 2007 (when Windows XP was already starting to tell other upstart operating systems to get off its lawn).

Image representing Apple as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

[Thanks, Stephen]

Windows XP users will finally need to upgrade to enter the iCloud — Engadget.

It’s a subtle change but an important one: Apple’s published Windows system requirements for iCloud are a bit different than they are for MobileMe and the current version of iTunes. Per the company’s press release:

Using iCloud with a PC requires Windows Vista or Windows 7; Outlook 2010 or 2007 is recommended for accessing contacts and calendars.

Emphasis mine. What’s missing? Only the world’s most popular operating system (still!), Windows XP. While iTunes 10.3 and MobileMe both include XP SP 2 in the support list, it looks like the next stop on the road to the cloud is a no-go for the older OS.

Considering that Apple’s backwards-compatibility on iTunes 10.3 only goes back four years for its own operating system, it’s kind of surprising that the ten-year-old XP has stayed on the short list for as long as it has. This shift, however, may mean that some PC users will search for alternatives to Apple’s tools for iOS support (assuming that iTunes itself will move up to match the iCloud specification).

Image via Wikipedia

Are you running Windows XP on any machines you currently use with iTunes or MobileMe? If so, is the prospect of iCloud requiring Vista or Win7 keeping you up at night?