I agree that the iCloud brand has generally been a failure. Does anyone ever proudly use their @icloud.com address anywhere? MobileMe is considered an embarrassing failure by many, but I still see @me.com email addresses from time to time.

But technically, iCloud is not really one "thing". iCal, Reminders, Notes and Photos work pretty well, whereas iCloud Core Data is an unsalvageable afterthought. Working on some parts might still be fun.