Initially the iPad was launched as a content consumption device rather than a tool geared towards content development, indeed, I remember being incredibly disappointed after Steve Jobs gave his keynote presentation which launched the era of tablet computing for the masses. “It’s just an oversized iPod touch”, I remember saying. However, since using this device for almost a year now, I have changed my tune somewhat and it is why I am confident that this three week experiment will be successful.
If the iPad is to be used as a worthy laptop replacement, it has to be able to work with files. I need to be able to create, edit save, copy, print and compress files. I need to be able to open and send email attachments. The problem is that the iPad doesn’t have a traditional file system for storing data. The native iOS method for dealing with files is frankly, extremely clumsy. The way it works is to handle them on an application specific basis from within iTunes. When the iPad is tethered to my Mac, I can click on the apps tab, and scroll down to view a list of the apps that are capable of file sharing. Then I can add files to each one – an absolute pain!! Furthermore, this method does not help you in any way if you want your iPad to be your primary computing device as it is for me at this very moment. I can’t fly back to my Mac every time I need a file!!
The problem is that files are stored inside the application that created it. For example if I write a letter using Pages it remains ring-fenced in the Pages app. Without my Mac running iTunes, the only way of opening this file in another application such as DocsToGo would be to share it with myself via email, iWork.com or iDisk and all three options require an internet connection which may not always be available. It would be more efficient to have one central file repository on the iPad where I can copy these things and any apps that need the file can access it.
So given the fact that I do not have my Mac with me and I am not always connected to the internet, what is my solution to the filesystem problem, without resorting to jail-breaking my iPad?
I use a combination of iFiles, a nice app for managing files on the iPad together with two cloud based storage services – Dropbox and iDisc. There are many other options available for example Google Docs, Box.net and SugarSync but my combination seems to work very well.
iFiles has all the functionality most users will ever need. Among it’s many functions, one can create directories, move files around, compress and archive flies and connect to all the major cloud services. With the exception of iWork documents, files of a given type can be opened in the associated application worked on and then saved back to iFiles via the “open in” function.
iFiles can also be mounted as a filesystem on a Mac or PC connected to the same wifi network, allowing easy transfer of documents to and from the iPad. Before I left for Europe, I simply transferred all the documents I needed for my trip onto my iPad and anything else I need I can always access from my Dropbox.
When Apple’s iCloud becomes available later this year as part of IOS 5, it will provide another online storage option. iCloud will have a number of advantages not present in other cloud-based services. It will be integrated into many of the default apps of iOS 5 allowing seamless synchronization and backing up of music, apps, books, email, contacts, photos and calendar events. The hope is that this functionality will also be incorporated into third party apps as this would provide a complete solution to the file management problem.
