I bet Dropbox threw a party!

[w00tini]

Obviously iCloud is not the storage service many of us wanted... a fully integrated 'Dropbox-like' iOS experience.

I'm not saying the way they're using iCloud for iWork on iOS is bad, I guess I was just thinking they'd allow more drag and drop storage in iCloud.

Oh well, as long as Dropbox keeps developing I'll be happy using the two services.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Could you elaborate for those of us who have not really used iCloud yet? How is it not the experience that drop box is?

 

[marc11]

Obviously iCloud is not the storage service many of us wanted... a fully integrated 'Dropbox-like' iOS experience.

I'm not saying the way they're using iCloud for iWork on iOS is bad, I guess I was just thinking they'd allow more drag and drop storage in iCloud.

Oh well, as long as Dropbox keeps developing I'll be happy using the two services.

iCloud was never promised to be a storage venue like DropBox, never once, it was made very clear it was never a storage location like iDisk. Through the countless posts here as the beta was taking place, it was reiterated time and time again that iCloud was not a storage location for the user to access and place files.....So I am sure DropBox didn't throw a party. Now someone might be able to write an app to work like DropBox that can store data in iCloud, but how much data and if that data can be generic or has to be app specific is unknown to me, but my guess tells me each app can access and store its own data in iCloud and not sync other apps or system data to iCloud.

Oh and I have no idea what you mean by "a fully integrated 'Dropbox-like' iOS experience" what does that mean?

 

[Solowalker]

Steve Jobs said that when people think of the cloud, they think it's just a big hard drive in the sky, but Apple didn't want to do it that way. As per Steve's usual, they tried to re-imagine it. So you don't have a 5 GB drive you can put stuff on when using your computer and then be able to access it from the web and/or your iDevice.

Instead, it's a service developers use and need to program into their apps, which is why there's been a mass of iOS 5 updates for apps (only some are using iCloud, though). It's kind of like a replacement for the file system on your device; instead of saving to a drive on your phone, you're saving it to the cloud which in turn allows you to access it elsewhere like on another device. But since iOS isn't used as a traditional computer, it's not accessed like a traditional computer. You don't manually manage it (so no drag and drop files into a drive), apps manage it for you. Just tell an app to save whatever to iCloud and it does. The file is saved, backed up, and synced all at once.

So it's similar to DropBox, but simultaneously more complex on the back end but more–some would say overly so–simplified on the front end. It's Steve's way of trying to obscure away the file system entirely since that really is people's biggest hurdle to using a computer, which I'm saying from personal experience having several years as a personal computer instructor to individuals and not just saying it because he said it.

Not sure if that helps any...

 

[MacLDN]

Hmm I can see both sides of the coin, however a DropBox style service would have been great!

 

[marc11]

Hmm I can see both sides of the coin, however a DropBox style service would have been great!

It would have been and I was sad to see iDisk go, but Apple never once said they were giving us a new iDisk, they clearly said iDisk was history for now. So not sure where any expectations would have come from.

 

[marc11]

I've recently bought an iPad and I need a good app that can edit Excel apps directly from Dropbox.

Numbers.

 

[MacLDN]

It would have been and I was sad to see iDisk go, but Apple never once said they were giving us a new iDisk, they clearly said iDisk was history for now. So not sure where any expectations would have come from.

I don't know where the expectations came from, I think people hear 5GB of storage and get blinded by that fact and stop listening maybe...

 

[marc11]

Numbers.

Love the negative ding from someone when I suggested Numbers as an iPad app that can open Excel files stored on DropBox....and yet the brave sole doesn't post why that is wrong or an alternative....TOOL.

 

[0970373]

I went with SugarSync to replace iDisk. Dropbox is fine if you have very little or a whole lot of data. There's no option between the free 2GB account and 50GB, which is way too much for me and most people.

Dropbox has failed to implement a better pricing structure and better features and you can't ask me to pay a premium for that.

While I was testing it, I found out that you can't share folders within a folder if you have the higher folder already shared. (Did that make sense?) Plus, I didn't like having all the files be local on all machines.

SugarSync has a lot more options on the storage size, devices to sync, true cloud access via a file manager. Plus, if you sign up now for the 5GB free account, it will give you an offer to have your 1st year at 50% off. So I got 30GB for $25.

No, I don't work for the company but I like to sing the praises of good products.

/my $.02

 

[LapsangSouchong]

Ha. I was just thinking that. I've been stalling in upgrading my dropbox and making it more of a back/archive in addition to some short term storage. But now that I've played around with iCloud, I think I'll leave IT at 5GB and pay dropbox instead.

 

[karansaraf]

I thought iCloud was meant to back up your documents? Does that not mean your documents folder? If so, then surely you can just drag stuff into that folder and it will be backed up?

I haven't been able to use it properly yet because ... https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=13594194#post13594194

 

[Weaselboy]

There is an iCloud API, so hypothetically a dev. could make an app. that allows file storage there and has functionality similar to Dropbox.

 

[heydrew]

I think the problem is expectations and clarity. I'm a rather advanced Apple user. I watch the Keynotes. I don't download developer tools or play around in beta, but I'm almost always the first to grab an update and mess around.

A day later, I honestly still don't understand the 'documents' part of iCloud.

What I want, simply, is to have my documents sync between my home computer, my work computer, my desktop, laptop, iPad, etc, so that any change I make on each device pushes the changes to all the devices. And I want a master copy in 'the cloud' so that if, for some absurd reason, my house, office, and every iDevice is consumed by a black hole I can grab a new laptop and have my documents.

Drop box does this with symlinks or whatever they're called. I'm still confused whether iCloud does this, if I've missed turning some magic button or or what.

 

[hitekalex]

I thought iCloud was meant to back up your documents? Does that not mean your documents folder? If so, then surely you can just drag stuff into that folder and it will be backed up?

No

 

[vitzr]

I haven't tried iCloud so I will not judge.

What I do know is that Dropbox has served me very well for a few years and I'm not about to change. It fits my needs perfectly.

Using Macs, PC's, Androids, and iPhones (yes plural) I have no use for a proprietary system that will not interface in the exact same way with all devices.

Dropbox does this very well.

If Apple is interested in achieving the same success with iCloud as their other products, I do think that at some point they may open it up so everyone like myself will find it useful.

Apple is very smart. Time will tell.

 

[unkn0wnsoldier]

I don't have Pages on mac, but I do on iOS. When I created a new doc on my ipad, it immediately showed up on icloud.com. Maybe if I also had the mac version of Pages, I'd be able to directly access my new doc from there. The only way that I can edit the icloud Pages doc is to go to icloud.com and download the doc to my computer. Can anyone confirm that the mac Pages can see those documents directly on icloud?

 

[Weaselboy]

I don't have Pages on mac, but I do on iOS. When I created a new doc on my ipad, it immediately showed up on icloud.com. Maybe if I also had the mac version of Pages, I'd be able to directly access my new doc from there. The only way that I can edit the icloud Pages doc is to go to icloud.com and download the doc to my computer. Can anyone confirm that the mac Pages can see those documents directly on icloud?

I have Pages on iPad and Mac and have played with this a little. If you create a doc on the iPad it is saved to iCloud and you can go to iCloud.com and see/DL that doc. You can then make changes and upload back to iCloud.com using the iCloud.com interface... it is not at this point integrated in any way with the Mac version of Pages. At this point I see it being of very limited value.

 

[unkn0wnsoldier]

I have Pages on iPad and Mac and have played with this a little. If you create a doc on the iPad it is saved to iCloud and you can go to iCloud.com and see/DL that doc. You can then make changes and upload back to iCloud.com using the iCloud.com interface... it is not at this point integrated in any way with the Mac version of Pages. At this point I see it being of very limited value.

If that's the case, then I agree with you. I envisioned a system in which what you created on one would show automagically on the other. The uploading and downloading is not seamless at all.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

I have Pages on iPad and Mac and have played with this a little. If you create a doc on the iPad it is saved to iCloud and you can go to iCloud.com and see/DL that doc. You can then make changes and upload back to iCloud.com using the iCloud.com interface... it is not at this point integrated in any way with the Mac version of Pages. At this point I see it being of very limited value.

I have iWork on every device I own. At this point, I can't get it to cooperate at all.
Here's what I see when I click on the iWork part of iCloud... everyone?
(I have iWork on all my devices, updated. Ready to go.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

I think the problem is expectations and clarity. I'm a rather advanced Apple user. I watch the Keynotes. I don't download developer tools or play around in beta, but I'm almost always the first to grab an update and mess around.

A day later, I honestly still don't understand the 'documents' part of iCloud.

What I want, simply, is to have my documents sync between my home computer, my work computer, my desktop, laptop, iPad, etc, so that any change I make on each device pushes the changes to all the devices. And I want a master copy in 'the cloud' so that if, for some absurd reason, my house, office, and every iDevice is consumed by a black hole I can grab a new laptop and have my documents.

Drop box does this with symlinks or whatever they're called. I'm still confused whether iCloud does this, if I've missed turning some magic button or or what.

This pretty much sums it up. the symlinks make it happen. Easily. And yes, this is what I was hoping for from iCloud.

 

[Solowalker]

As has been mentioned, developers can add iCloud support into their apps with APIs. We'll see how this plays out. My personal opinion is Apple has big plans for this but is starting out slow. I think it would be trivial for them to add back in the different sync features of OS X using iCloud, even iDisk. The "just download your docs from the web" thing is too clumsy and not elegant; I'm sure Apple knows this. There's most likely a new iWork right around the corner with iCloud built in but iWork for iOS was just deemed more important for launch.

I think that's the whole point of the Documents sync to the Mac but it just isn't useful yet because no app is using it. iCloud + Versions implemented at the app level really could be a great way to replace the traditional file system. We'll just have to wait and see if it catches on.

 

[jacksnack]

I went with SugarSync to replace iDisk. Dropbox is fine if you have very little or a whole lot of data. There's no option between the free 2GB account and 50GB, which is way too much for me and most people.

Dropbox has failed to implement a better pricing structure and better features and you can't ask me to pay a premium for that.

While I was testing it, I found out that you can't share folders within a folder if you have the higher folder already shared. (Did that make sense?) Plus, I didn't like having all the files be local on all machines.

SugarSync has a lot more options on the storage size, devices to sync, true cloud access via a file manager. Plus, if you sign up now for the 5GB free account, it will give you an offer to have your 1st year at 50% off. So I got 30GB for $25.

No, I don't work for the company but I like to sing the praises of good products.

/my $.02

Thanks for this tip! Cu later iCloud when you're a grown up boy/girl.

 

[heydrew]

As has been mentioned, developers can add iCloud support into their apps with APIs. We'll see how this plays out. My personal opinion is Apple has big plans for this but is starting out slow. I think it would be trivial for them to add back in the different sync features of OS X using iCloud, even iDisk. The "just download your docs from the web" thing is too clumsy and not elegant; I'm sure Apple knows this. There's most likely a new iWork right around the corner with iCloud built in but iWork for iOS was just deemed more important for launch.

I think that's the whole point of the Documents sync to the Mac but it just isn't useful yet because no app is using it. iCloud + Versions implemented at the app level really could be a great way to replace the traditional file system. We'll just have to wait and see if it catches on.

I'm glad you wrote this because for the last 24 hours I seriously thought I must've been doing something wrong. I even reorganized My Documents folder thinking that was where it must've synched from on iCloud.

 

[ScaredyCat]

What I want, simply, is to have my documents sync between my home computer, my work computer, my desktop, laptop, iPad, etc, so that any change I make on each device pushes the changes to all the devices. And I want a master copy in 'the cloud' so that if, for some absurd reason, my house, office, and every iDevice is consumed by a black hole I can grab a new laptop and have my documents.

You should take a look at AeroFS it uses local storage with optional cloud backup...

ScaredyCat