Yeah - IOS has a file system but not a user-facing file manager. Lots of folks seem to really care about the latter.
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How does it work without a file system?
- Thread starter peterpan123
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Here is a simple one - video editing with iMovie. Without a file system all the files have to be in Photos, which means they have to be synced there somehow. With a file system they could support external storage (Because I have multiple SD cards that are bigger than the iPad Pro storage, one wedding would nearly fill up a 128GB iPad.) Video editing requires external storage, unless you are just trying to make a quick home movie for the family.
Another one - software development (Of any kind, even web.) Right now an app would have to have an entire interface dedicated to being a file manager (One app exists like that, Coda.) Having a file system would mean that you could have a Git app an editor app and they wouldn't have to cross over, and wouldn't have to "Share" files.
Basically the problem is the iPad Pro falls apart in most "Pro" tasks because it is really bad at managing projects with lots of files. The problem is the current situation makes building a pro app way more complicated than it needs to be because you have to come up with some kind of convoluted system for managing files in an OS that tries to abstract that idea.
While I love iOS and it's capability, it's extremely frustrating when working with anything of use. As part of my business I have to download txt business reports from online software and the only way to do it on an iPad is as follows:
1. Download Documents by Readdle
2. Open Readdle Browser in Documents and navigate to the business report website.
3. Download txt file onto readdle documents
4. Open text file.
5. Copy text file.
6. Quit out and launch excel, new workbook only.
7. Paste text file into excel and analyze.
On a Mac/PC:
1. Navigate to report website.
2. Open txt file in browser.
3. Copy and paste into excel.
4. Analyze.
It feels like everytime I use an iPad for something meaningful I have to jump through hoops to accomplish it. I'm not saying that it's not capable, I'm saying that it's just a royal nuisance to take 3-4 extra steps every time I try to open a document.
Thus, I have left iPad to pure media consumption - hence my interest in iPad Pro. It's great for music, movies, photos, basic web browsing, and best of all, massive e-Newspapers to enjoy with my morning coffee.
1. Download Documents by Readdle
2. Open Readdle Browser in Documents and navigate to the business report website.
3. Download txt file onto readdle documents
4. Open text file.
5. Copy text file.
6. Quit out and launch excel, new workbook only.
7. Paste text file into excel and analyze.
On a Mac/PC:
1. Navigate to report website.
2. Open txt file in browser.
3. Copy and paste into excel.
4. Analyze.
It feels like everytime I use an iPad for something meaningful I have to jump through hoops to accomplish it. I'm not saying that it's not capable, I'm saying that it's just a royal nuisance to take 3-4 extra steps every time I try to open a document.
Thus, I have left iPad to pure media consumption - hence my interest in iPad Pro. It's great for music, movies, photos, basic web browsing, and best of all, massive e-Newspapers to enjoy with my morning coffee.
Hmmm...doesn't Safari have a text viewer built-in? I mean, if you touch the text file link, doesn't it open as a text file? From there, you ought to be able to select all, copy, switch to Excel, new file, paste.
I love Documents, but I'm not sure it's needed for this workflow. You're the expert - you have the actual experience with the workflow, but I've copied stuff from a web site into Word using this mechanism.
Thanks for the thoughtful suggestion, but it doesn't copy properly if I pull it straight from the Safari browser...not sure why. I'm always on the hunt for ways to make iPad my primary machine, so if you've got some ideas, please by all means, let me know!
I believe in different tools for different jobs. One thing that has annoyed me for DECADES is how the PC tries to be everything for everyone. That approach adds a level of complexity, and many users blame themselves if they don't understand that complexity.
In my opinion, the goal of iPad since day 1 has been to alleviate that complexity. The downside is a lack of flexibility.
In my opinion, the goal of iPad since day 1 has been to alleviate that complexity. The downside is a lack of flexibility.
I feel your iMovie example is a bit of a stretch and has little to do with a user accessible file system.
We'd have to deal with quite a few other problems to begin with like USB disk access, iMovie for iOS redesigned to compile movies on an external drive, and a SD cards designed to accommodate the speeds required for real time editing. Plus address its current flaws to not choke on files a tenth of that size. Then completely overlook that on OS X it is in fact video editing software for those "quick home movies for family" and iOS has a dumb down version of that.
Even if everything was addressed, user accessible file system with USB hosting and disk access and SD cards connected via USB had SSD speeds we are still left with iMovie which is far from Pro software even if it is on a device that carries the Pro title.
You can use iCloud Drive btw if you don't want to put everything into photos. I do that on occasion but usually at that point I'll just use iMovie on my iMac.
I don't know much about software development to comment on that.
Again, I'm not disagreeing a user accessible file system is a bad thing or the way Apple is doing things is the best way it just seems real world uses are probably a lot fewer and farther between than most people think.
After hearing all these, I have a hard time to find reasons to buy the iPad PRO. If it had a cellular phone feature or file management system, I would buy it. However, it does not. Despite the marketing that it is a PRO device, it is just a large screen with stylus content-consumption device which is lighter than laptops. it seems that the Surface PRO 4 may be better for those who want to create things.
The file system gripes have existed since the first generation iPhone. People used to say they wanted one to store attachments from emails in the folder structures they'd established on their windows phones or computers.
The current iOS file system where apps must sandbox data and content is the best available for content management. It is the most organised, clean and safe way, if the content from App A needs to go to App B then it is easy to transfer across. You can then have intermediary apps like good reader that connect to servers, browsers, wireless hard drives that manage content in its own sandbox. That concept is great and workable, but then you get people who try to make cases for sd cards, usb sticks, hard drives, floppy disks (where does the number of port requests get silly?) etc.
Quite simply the iPad is a wireless device, always has been and always will be and likewise iOS will always sandbox or use iCloud.
As for whether the iPad Pro is really "pro", well for artists, note takers, content consumers, large document readers and iOS gamers, it is. The surface pro 4 is great for combining an iPad with a MacBook, but in reality I'd rather have 2 devices that work coherently than one gimped tablet/laptop hybrid.
The current iOS file system where apps must sandbox data and content is the best available for content management. It is the most organised, clean and safe way, if the content from App A needs to go to App B then it is easy to transfer across. You can then have intermediary apps like good reader that connect to servers, browsers, wireless hard drives that manage content in its own sandbox. That concept is great and workable, but then you get people who try to make cases for sd cards, usb sticks, hard drives, floppy disks (where does the number of port requests get silly?) etc.
Quite simply the iPad is a wireless device, always has been and always will be and likewise iOS will always sandbox or use iCloud.
As for whether the iPad Pro is really "pro", well for artists, note takers, content consumers, large document readers and iOS gamers, it is. The surface pro 4 is great for combining an iPad with a MacBook, but in reality I'd rather have 2 devices that work coherently than one gimped tablet/laptop hybrid.
After reading some of your posts, I suspect you're making the right choice, and I think you'll really enjoy the SP4.
But I don't think the SP4 is better for those who want to "create things." I've created lots of stuff on my iPad 2 over the years - I just don't store it all on the iPad. I move it off the iPad onto a NAS, or cloud storage or something else.
Thing is, I do the same with my rMBP - I create material there and then move it off to storage. I love the feel of the Apple keyboard, so it makes sense to use the rMBP when I'm doing long form writing. The iPad is great when I want to do a rough illustration or two. But the content doesn't need to stay on either device forever.
I see the iPad as something of a terminal device in the classic sense. Create stuff on the iPad, then move it off to some other medium. Or, import stuff the iPad to be consumed there. Definitely a companion device, though.
I read that there are some adapters and wireless sdcard devices such as the Kingston MobileLite Wireless to connect the iPhone/iPad. If the files created by Application X can only be accesses by Application X, can I do the following:
1. Save all the files that I want to share with other applications, created by Application X, to a sdcard.
2. Save all the files that I want to share with other applications, created by Application Y, to a sdcard.
3. Save all the files that I want to share with other applications, created by Application Z, to a sdcard.
Access these files from any application through the sdcard. This way, even there is no wifi, it can still share files among applications. Can this be done?
1. Save all the files that I want to share with other applications, created by Application X, to a sdcard.
2. Save all the files that I want to share with other applications, created by Application Y, to a sdcard.
3. Save all the files that I want to share with other applications, created by Application Z, to a sdcard.
Access these files from any application through the sdcard. This way, even there is no wifi, it can still share files among applications. Can this be done?
Slightly off topic but: When designing in Sketch, which I spend 90% of my time in when working, I find myself going into Finder less to move and transfer stuff and simply using the Share button within the app. Going into Finder has felt so antiquated in my workflow recently that I've begun to think I'm fine without a file system in iOS. I also hated the new Save As/Duplicate/Revert system in OS X applications but it's since grown on me and is great for version history/revisions.
Another "Apple knows best" situation for me as someone who was initially outraged by all the changes.
Another "Apple knows best" situation for me as someone who was initially outraged by all the changes.
In general, no, not directly. I have a wireless RAVPower FileHub that can have a connected USB storage device. I can access that device with apps like FileBrowser, GoodReader, and even Infuse, a video player. But to use other apps in conjunction with the USB device, I have to copy them using one of these other apps and use the "Open in" functionality to then copy to/from to that other app that can't see/access the storage - so you have to use an intermediary like FileBrowser. At least that has been my experience on my Air 2 so far.