Help with creating an Apple iCloud account

[Russ59]

Hi all,

I'm sure there are enough Apple brains on IIS to help me understand this iCloud/Apple ID I'm about to create.

I have a new iPhone and next week I'm purchasing a new iMac. I have stated the registration process but it is asking me for a current email address. It seems that my gurrent gmail address is used for logging into my Apple account. I thought the whole point of the iCloud was to create an iCloud email address (in my case for example, russ59@icloud.com) and therefore you are independent of another email service. Isn't iCloud a standalone email service? Have I completely misunderstood the iCloud service? I understand I want to use it for my iTunes and syncing all my devices through the iCloud service, but what if I only want to use the iCloud email address and no other??

Cheers,
Russell.

[Forgey]

An Apple ID is the email address you use as a login for just about everything you do with Apple, including using iCloud to store your content, buying songs from the iTunes Store, and downloading apps from the App Store.
So the way i see it you use the email address you used to sign up for an apple id.

Have a look here http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4436

[shane.mcneil]

Hi Russell

You can setup an iCloud address, but you don't have too. If you don't though, you wont be able to access all of the features on iCloud.

With just your Apple ID you can use Contacts, Calendar, Reminders & Find My Phone.

With an iCloud address you can also use Mail & Notes.

I just went through the same process. I don't much if I can help, let me know.

Regards,

Shane

[shane.mcneil]

Just reread your question:

So basically yes you can setup it up as a stand alone email, but you don't have to to use some of the iCloud features. If you have other email addresses you can usually set a forwarding address on their server and forward them to your iCloud address. That way they will sync across your devices.

[Steffen]

Like Shane said, an iCloud email address isn't required for most things to work. My AppleID (which I use to sign in to iCloud) isn't an iCloud email address. I've also created an iCloud email address for the sole purpose of syncing Notes between OS X and iOS, but everything else works without it.

Cheers
Steffen.