# Cloud Mac pre-purchase questions

For developers and buyers after shortlisting. Identify the specific plan, then record official sources, scope, check dates and unresolved answers. No purchase or trial is required to review public policies; this checklist is not a compatibility or continuous-operation guarantee.

1. Plan identity: do provider, hardware, configuration, facility, allocation, currency and full billing term match?
2. Costs: what supports the first payment, minimum commitment, setup, mandatory extras, taxes and renewals? Ask about unknowns; do not treat them as zero.
3. Task and access: SSH or GUI? Is installation allowed, and which macOS release does the software version require?
4. Sessions and load: what happens after disconnect, lock, logout, idle time, sleep and sustained heavy usage?
5. Recovery: what are the maintenance windows, reboot, KVM/fallback access, support hours and published response commitments?
6. Billing exit: when do shutdown, release, renewal cancellation and termination take effect? Is notice or provider confirmation required?
7. Data: what is retained/deleted after reinstall, non-payment, expiry or cancellation? Who performs backups, and what restore/export is included?

Traceable comparison data:
[policy-comparison.csv](policy-comparison.csv) · [public-quotes.csv](public-quotes.csv)

Do not put passwords, keys, payment details or other sensitive information in this checklist.