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OS X Mountain Lion's Documents in the Cloud Simplifies File Access Across Devices

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Apr 12, 2001
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One of the major new features in OS X Mountain Lion is greater integration with iCloud, with one of the additions being new Documents in the Cloud functionality. As noted by John Gruber, the feature expands significantly on the existing feature that allows limited syncing and transfer of iWork documents across their iOS devices and Macs.
iCloud document storage, and the biggest change to Open and Save dialog boxes in the 28-year history of the Mac. Mac App Store apps effectively have two modes for opening/saving documents: iCloud or the traditional local hierarchical file system. The traditional way is mostly unchanged from Lion (and, really, from all previous versions of Mac OS X). The iCloud way is visually distinctive: it looks like the iPad springboard -- linen background, iOS-style one-level-only drag-one-on-top-of-another-to-create-one "folders". It's not a replacement of traditional Mac file management and organization. It's a radically simplified alternative.
Click to expand...
mountain_lion_icloud_documents.jpg



iCloud Documents in Pages (Source: Pocket-lint)​
Apple is of course already extending this functionality beyond iWork in OS X Mountain Lion, with the iCloud file storage showing up in other apps such as TextEdit. Apple is also releasing APIs to allow third-party apps to take advantage of the feature.

mountain_lion_icloud_document_textedit.jpg



iCloud Document within a folder in TextEdit​
The functionality is naturally being compared to that of Dropbox, which allows users to save files directly to their Dropbox accounts for access anywhere, but Apple's new iCloud solution offers the advantage of displaying only those files intended for use with the app being used, helping to filter the list of documents and offering iOS-like folder organization of files.

Article Link: OS X Mountain Lion's Documents in the Cloud Simplifies File Access Across Devices
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/16/os-x-mountain-lions-documents-in-the-cloud-simplifies-file-access-across-devices/
OK - this is cool! Although I don't like the fact it's limited to the computer that the person owns... i.e I couldn't just go to work and save all my documents in iCloud, bypassing lost USB drives?
 
They're getting rid of the filesystem!

(Personally I can't wait)
 
Anybody with a copy of this....is iCloud still limited to just iWork files only? My biggest gripe so far is that you can't use it for other file types (most notably PDFs).
 
miniroll32 said:
OK - this is cool! Although I don't like the fact it's limited to the computer that the person owns... i.e I couldn't just go to work and save all my documents in iCloud, bypassing lost USB drives?
Click to expand...

I think the idea is that you can log into any internet-enabled Mac and access all your files. Probably any PC too, if it has the iCloud software installed.

The problem is the apps natively supporting iCloud storage.
 
Wonder if that "School" folder is limited to 12 icons -- and if so, can we install the likes of Infinifolders? ;)
 
The "cloud" is not as great as they're making it out to be. It is a city thing. Out in rural areas the cloud is often not accessible. Bandwidth is low. Coverage is spotty or non-existent. Apple is ostracizing rural users. If you don't live in the urban areas you're not worth of being their customer. Fact: the world is not connected.
 
AdeFowler said:
I'd like the iCloud version to get simultaneously saved to my local disk in case my internet goes down.
Click to expand...

If it works anything like 10.7 all the iCloud documents are located in ~/Library/Mobile Documents/

And yes, at the moment you can stick anything in that directory and it is synced with iCloud.
 
I have been wanting Dropbox functionality in iCloud since it's launch. This is great news! As much as I like iCloud now, this makes so much better.
 
Bubba Satori said:
And if you can't access the Cloud or have bumped into a data cap?
Click to expand...

f00f said:
+1. Restrictive corporate firewalls make for no iCloud love.
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pubwvj said:
The "cloud" is not as great as they're making it out to be. It is a city thing. Out in rural areas the cloud is often not accessible. Bandwidth is low. Coverage is spotty or non-existent. Apple is ostracizing rural users. If you don't live in the urban areas you're not worth of being their customer. Fact: the world is not connected.
Click to expand...

Yes we all should have to suffer because YOU can't access the internet...

:rolleyes:
 
pubwvj said:
The "cloud" is not as great as they're making it out to be. It is a city thing. Out in rural areas the cloud is often not accessible. Bandwidth is low. Coverage is spotty or non-existent. Apple is ostracizing rural users. If you don't live in the urban areas you're not worth of being their customer. Fact: the world is not connected.
Click to expand...

Fact: Move
 
pubwvj said:
The "cloud" is not as great as they're making it out to be. It is a city thing. Out in rural areas the cloud is often not accessible. Bandwidth is low. Coverage is spotty or non-existent. Apple is ostracizing rural users. If you don't live in the urban areas you're not worth of being their customer. Fact: the world is not connected.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I operate in four locations. One has godly speed, one consumer class speed, and two have either dial-up only or spotty cellular data (LA/SB mountains). We have not arrived yet in 60% of the geographic USA. Yes 80%+ of the population is covered. I get that. They are stationary physically near an enabled CO or urban mobile.

Rocketman
 
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