iPad Pro Finder For iOS on the iPad Pro

[mattoligy]

Ok so arguably the most requested feature for iOS running on a pro line device aimed to replace a laptop is a file system...

Finder iOS App Mockup

People are understandably reluctant to chuck in their laptop for an iPad Pro if it doesn't even incorporate a basic file system, and they're right. It's true that iOS apps have completely different relationships with files than that of a full desktop OS, as iOS apps are sandboxed! But if Apple could develop a method in which when an app is installed, it's corresponding documents folder is housed in a central location (still sandboxed) but giving the user the flexibility of a finder app to navigate all their content stored across multiple apps in one location (Applications/Documents/*******) that would be a huge plus. And that's just one plus to an iOS finder app... There would also be other great benefits for consumers that want more power, such as a more detailed way to view photos! Ok so the photos app is great for most, but photographers and graphics designers etc (the market Apple is aiming at with the pro) might like an environment in which they can view more advanced data from their images, such as file type and other advanced info housed inside a photos meta data, and the ability edit meta data, such as to include notes etc. And that's just the start. AirDrop would become infinitely more useful and app developers could create more powerful apps!

The sandboxing could be relaxed in the form of apps having to request permission to store content in the local file systems documents folder and apps could even request permission to access another apps documents folder so the sandboxing is opened up on an app to app basis with all permission data stored in a new Documents section under Privacy in the Settings app.

Ok so yes, iOS would have to change the way other areas are dealt with such as how the photos app loads images on a strict numbered file name approach, as photos will likely be renamed in the Finder app etc, but this is all a step forward from an old fashioned way of doing things anyway.

What are people's opinions on a Finder app in iOS, primarily with the iPad Pro in mind?

 

[Krevnik]

I would like a local file storage "area". I don't care if it is as simplistic as what iCloud Drive already allows, but having to shuttle files around is an annoyance and a pain point. Every app does it slightly differently, and there's no good guarantee that an app that you like supports the document storage extension, or that an app you want to interface with it supports reading files from document storage apps. While iOS 8 had a bit of a promise, it's been painful watching so few apps embrace it.

I don't care about the app per se, I care about the pain of using the same file across different apps. Moving the files around outside of a shared storage area is painful. And even though third party apps can fix this, they've not really done it. Apple shouldn't wait for them to fill this gap, and Apple shouldn't expect iCloud Drive will fill the gap for pro users.

 

[MikhailT]

It's already there in iOS, Apple just need to improve it and the developers need to use it more, it's called Document Picker: https://developer.apple.com/library...ogrammingGuide/Introduction/Introduction.html

 

[mattoligy]

It's already there in iOS, Apple just need to improve it and the developers need to use it more, it's called Document Picker: https://developer.apple.com/library...ogrammingGuide/Introduction/Introduction.html

Isn't that largely focused on cloud storage over local storage? Also it really doesn't scratch the surface In comparison to the above suggestions...

 

[Commy1]

It doesn't seem that the iPad Pro will ship with this feature, but it's just software, it can be added to and applied as a patch. My iPhone 5 doesn't have Touch ID but I still have iOS 9, likewise everyone can have the same iOS on their iPad but that doesn't mean they'll get all the features. Maybe it'll be that simple, Apple will add a browser into an iPad Pro Centric update.
Not having a file browser isn't going to dissuade me from picking up an iPad Pro, there are too many other things I want about it physically.

 

[Krevnik]

Isn't that largely focused on cloud storage over local storage? Also it really doesn't scratch the surface In comparison to the above suggestions...

Except, any app can present itself as a document storage provider to the picker. Of the apps I use, the ones that support it are:

iCloud (duh)
Dropbox
OneDrive
BTSync (import works, although exporting a file to a synced folder this way is utterly, and totally broken. *sigh*)
Readdle Documents (local storage only via the picker)
Transmit (supports opening local and remote files through the picker)

And the depressing part about all of this is that every app in that list outside of iCloud fails to support "edit in place" of any kind. Every. Single. One. Even though Apple tells you how to do it in their documentation. Awesome.

This is why I'm waiting for Apple to just do something themselves. They've created an API that requires devs to do more work than they are seemingly willing to do in order to interact with what is already available. I'd love to be able to do something like export a PDF of something out of Paper straight into Dropbox using this. Nope. Cabinet finally enabled import from these services a while back, but doesn't enable export. And because these apps don't support "edit in place", all it is doing is making tons of copies. So again, because devs seem unwilling to do it the right way themselves, Apple really does need to step in here.

The fact that all this exists is even news is a problem, since it was introduced in iOS 8. I'm fine if something like Transmit is my file browser for local storage, but I do need to get consistent access to this stuff for it to be useful.

 

[Ledgem]

Use Documents. It's a free application that can store any file type and allows you to mount your i-device as a removable storage drive on your computer. Thanks to the ability for one application to link out to other applications, Documents is essentially a file system for your iOS devices.

It would be nice if this sort of functionality were available natively, instead of needing to run around using the Picker to shuffle files back and forth between applications... but it is what it is. Documents has been available for a few years, now, and will meet most users' expectations of a file system.

 

[DJTaurus]

Except, any app can present itself as a document storage provider to the picker. Of the apps I use, the ones that support it are:

iCloud (duh)
Dropbox
OneDrive
BTSync (import works, although exporting a file to a synced folder this way is utterly, and totally broken. *sigh*)
Readdle Documents (local storage only via the picker)
Transmit (supports opening local and remote files through the picker)

And the depressing part about all of this is that every app in that list outside of iCloud fails to support "edit in place" of any kind. Every. Single. One. Even though Apple tells you how to do it in their documentation. Awesome.

This is why I'm waiting for Apple to just do something themselves. They've created an API that requires devs to do more work than they are seemingly willing to do in order to interact with what is already available. I'd love to be able to do something like export a PDF of something out of Paper straight into Dropbox using this. Nope. Cabinet finally enabled import from these services a while back, but doesn't enable export. And because these apps don't support "edit in place", all it is doing is making tons of copies. So again, because devs seem unwilling to do it the right way themselves, Apple really does need to step in here.

The fact that all this exists is even news is a problem, since it was introduced in iOS 8. I'm fine if something like Transmit is my file browser for local storage, but I do need to get consistent access to this stuff for it to be useful.

sarcasm mode on: i dont see any app to download torrents.

 

[Mivo]

I would like a file system, but perhaps it's a dated paradigm. I have been using computers for a little over thirty years (was already a teenager when I got my first one), and they all had operating systems with user-accessible file systems, starting with a CP/M-running Amstrad. So, this is the model I'm used to.

Lately, though, I have been doing work in Ulysses (a writing app for both Mac and iPad), and it uses a "one library" approach that is markedly different from a traditional file system. Of course, the scope is limited to just text documents (but not individual files), so it's not a perfect example, but I find it works well. The problem with iOS is, I think, that it's not as consistent as I would like it to be. Exchanging data ("files") between apps is either not possible or a pain in the behind, and awkward. This situation is further emphasized when it comes to importing (including downloading) and exporting chunks of data ("files").

So, basically, I'm open to a different approach to storing, accessing, and exchanging data that moves away from a traditional file system, but the current implementation of an alternative to a file system isn't as efficient or usable as I believe it needs to be. The dependency on an external "full computer" and software like iTunes is clunky.

 

[mattoligy]

sarcasm mode on: i dont see any app to download torrents.

Wow, approaching on a delicate subject there! However it's a good illustration of how closed off iOS actually is! And this will be another reason why many people will choose not to replace their laptop with an iPad Pro. If we lived in a world where anything that could cause harm was locked away from humanity, can you imagine what kind of world it would be... No sir it is now illegal to drive a car as one could intentionality crash into another or break the speed limit. But officer I'm just trying to get to work... Apple treat it's iOS users like children and it's pretty insulting. The closed nature of iOS is holding it back from so much! But then look how Apple treats Jailbreaking... An area full of creativity and innovation and all they want to do is shoot it down! They should be supporting it. Making it part of iOS, like android does with its launchers and themes etc! Makes no sense to me.

 

[sjleworthy]

i thought about a Finder or Explorer (on windows of course) system since day 1 on ios, but over the years i find more and more no need. for what reason?

there are seamless dropboxes and clouds available, and the individual apps store and file mange your data perfectly, and cross app files share easily too. i cant personally see where i'd really want one or need one now if i looked at it.

 

[mattoligy]

i thought about a Finder or Explorer (on windows of course) system since day 1 on ios, but over the years i find more and more no need. for what reason?

there are seamless dropboxes and clouds available, and the individual apps store and file mange your data perfectly, and cross app files share easily too. i cant personally see where i'd really want one or need one now if i looked at it.

The point is how much more iOS would open the doors to new app opportunities if there was a basic file system and a fully supported way to access external media etc! But now I think about it, I know fully why Apple don't want to support a file system scenario in iOS. If one could use external storage easily, what would motivate them to spend the extra on 64/128GB models...

 

[sjleworthy]

the problem i sometimes have isnt storage but speed and method of storage. if i want to work on video or huge cad and photoshop images, getting backwards and forwards between my ipad and pc is a sweet pain in the ass, by speed and mostly the convoluted methods Apple sometimes employ. A simple drag and drop (or copy/paste) between device and desktop would be a dream.

a central filing system that both mac/pc and ipad could use together would be a massive asset.

 

[mattoligy]

the problem i sometimes have isnt storage but speed and method of storage. if i want to work on video or huge cad and photoshop images, getting backwards and forwards between my ipad and pc is a sweet pain in the ass, by speed and mostly the convoluted methods Apple sometimes employ. A simple drag and drop (or copy/paste) between device and desktop would be a dream.

a central filing system that both mac/pc and ipad could use together would be a massive asset.

I agree, however the subject of a file system on an iPad Pro in this instance is in the context of it being a pc replacement!

 

[mattoligy]

Bump* (for the sake of the poll)

 

[randyspellwyn]

I was thinking of a file system for iOS since Android phones became powerful like iPhone's. Having a universal file system on iOS can even boost sales of higher storage devices, because people could carry their huge files on their pockets easily, like using an iPhone as a storage drive. It was awesome when I had an Android phone and was carrying my files and things to everywhere. Not complaining about iOS, just telling that it would be a great feature to have on it. But I really have an expectation that Apple saved this revolutionary (for iOS) feature for iOS 10 to be a milestone update. Because iOS needs that. I am sure that next summer we will see it become true. Mark my words. WWDC 2016.