Lately, we've been hearing a lot about cloud computing. Amazon's and Apple's recently announced cloud computing services have generated a lot of buzz. But if you don't understand why cloud computing is the future of computers, you're not alone.

The "cloud" simply refers to the Internet. "Cloud computing" refers to software and services that run over the Internet. Webmail like Gmail and Hotmail are considered cloud computing. So are online backup services like my national radio show's advertiser Carbonite.com.

You can access cloud computing services and data from virtually any Web connection. Let's take a look at Amazon's and Apple's cloud services and the advantages they offer.