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"iCloud data syncing, especially with Core Data, has become the bane of many an iOS developer's existence. I can't tell you how many developers have run into major issues implementing sync with Apple's iCloud, no, really, I can't tell you as most of them won't go on the record. But there are quite a few.\r\n\r\nOne of those developers is Black Pixel, who we've covered here before several times. After purchasing the beloved RSS reader NetNewsWire in 2011, Black Pixel set about rebuilding it as a client for the Mac and\u00A0iOS. And, like good soldiers, they were determined to use Apple's new iCloud data syncing methods to keep it up to date across devices and platforms. Unfortunately, they ran into a snag. iCloud core data syncing just isn't very good.\r\n\r\nIn the wake of the announcement that Google Reader is done for, the lack of a modern, updated NetNewsWire for Apple's various devices has become even more of a thorn. Black Pixel Founder Daniel Pasco notes that they've re-written NetNewsWire from the ground up for the iPhone and iPad over the last year.\u00A0In a blog post today, Pasco says that future versions of NetNewsWire will have sync, but it won't be done with iCloud:\r\nAs far as sync is concerned, we knew we would likely need an alternative to Google Reader as early as last year. At the time, the option that seemed to make the most sense was to embrace iCloud and Core Data as the new sync solution of choice. We spent a considerable amount of time on this effort, but iCloud and Core Data syncing had issues that we simply could not resolve.\r\n\r\niCloud hasn't worked out for us and Google's announcement solidified and accelerated our plans.\r\nThe exact issues that Black Pixel ran into implementing iCloud aren't detailed in the post, but I can tell you that it's a sticking point for many. The Podcast app Instacast recently also divested itself of iCloud data sync. iCloud issues I've heard complained about by developers include \u00A0incoherent or\u00A0nonexistent\u00A0framework documentation as well as an overall lack of maturity on behalf of the protocol.\r\n\r\nBut Black Pixel is a very high-profile developer in the Mac community, and recently hired on some very talented staff including the returning Ex-Square product designer Chris Clark\u00A0and Apple developer evangelist Michael Jurewitz. Having developers like Black Pixel 'rage quit' integration of iCloud Data Sync doesn't say a lot about the maturity of the system, and it's becoming a real problem for Apple.\r\n\r\nAs Pocket developer Steve Streza (who wrote a smart thing about app sync here) puts it,\u00A0&amp;quot;Remember that [Black Pixel]\u00A0has many of the brightest people in Cocoa development. If they couldn\u2019t get iCloud working, who can?&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nImage Credit:\u00A0Justin Sullivan/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/03/20/netnewswire-ditches-icloud-data-sync-because-its-crap/>