On the face of things, Apple’s new iCloud Keychain feature should make a third-party application such as AgileBits’ 1Password redundant. I am not so sure and have decided to stick with the more sandboxed solution from 1Password. I worry that anyone gaining access to one of my devices could be in a position to get hold of confidential information. I am not sure if I am being paranoid and, for many people, iCloud Keychain will clearly provide a good answer to the old problem of remembering passwords. It’s free provided you have an Apple ID and it will take care of remembering, synchronising and providing passwords as required.
Once the system takes care of remembering passwords, users are freed from the temptation to use one easy-to-memorise key for dozens of sites and services. I know we all know better, but it is surprising how easily we slip into the lazy habit of using tried-and-tested passwords for new registrations.
To make up your mind whether to stay with 1Password or migrate to iCloud Keychain I recommend reading one of these detailed reviews. Joe Kissell has this comprehensive guide in Macworld while Jacob Penderworth has written The Complete Guide to iCloud Keychain for the excellent MacTuts+ site.