FYI: iCloud syncing is instant and perfect.

[mythology]

7. Apple and Amazon really screwed the pouch on Mat Honan's security

The worst part is, similar loopholes have been used in the past and Apple didn't even follow their own security protocols. I remember reading about somebody who only used publicly available information found on places like Facebook to eventually crack online bank account passwords back through other email addresses by using the fact that security questions pretty much universally suck at providing real security. What is your dog's name isn't a legitimate security question.

Although Mat Honan did help out by having some poor security practices of his own. He really should have known to have a redundant backup and to not always use the same username format of first name last name@.

Having a single point of failure is a mistake. Relying simply on the cloud to protect you, opens you up to having that point breached and everything gone.

In short, if you use iCloud, have a second backup system for your contacts and photos etc.