Its unfortunate that some here have attacked those who simply want to maintain control over their data. The most fundamental of human rights is to retain agency over yourself and your property, their is no more intimate property than your personal data. To suggest that user choice is somehow a crazed Tin Hat function is ridiculous.
It really does not matter if Apple's security and iCloud is perfect, the ultimate default should be user choice. There was no compelling technical reason for Apple to remove local sync in Mavericks. If a person has one mobile device and one laptop or desktop using the cloud for syncing has no legitimate use case.
I am not even sure what someone is supposed to do who has no Internet access. I know research scientists who do field work, they use their Apple mobiles for notes and then back them up in their tents or cabins with their laptops. What will be their solution Apple?
For whatever reason Apple made this decision, it was not for users.
I will add here that anyone who reads could not have missed the record year this has been for data breaches. Apple will not be totally immune, no one is totally immune.
I am researching and writing a book about privacy, this move will be in there, along with turing Bluetooth back on in iPhone after I have expressly turned it off. In this case, Apple cares more about iBeacons than user security and privacy.
Apple, I dearly hope you are listening to the 3,322 posts in this thread and taking note of the 308,640 views, this is a remarkably unpopular move on your part. Your soiling your brand.
