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Very Serious iCloud + Pages Questions

I have a lot of anxiety about the way iCloud stores documents. The information from Apple is unclear. All I know is that documents will be stored in the app itself. That's fine if you only have dozen or so documents, but I have about 2,500 Pages documents, arranged in a clear and easy-to-use hierarchy of folders. I used SugarSync to keep the files and folders identical on all devices. So I have these questions:

Will iCloud give me the alternative of storing files in the file system, where they are easy to find?

If I choose not to use iCloud, will Pages continue to save documents in the file system? If it won't, I have to abandon Pages.

Will iCloud automatically import all the Pages documents from the file system into Pages? If so, will it move the files or create duplicates?

If there are duplicates, how will I know which copy of a file I'm opening?

How will I be able to find and delete duplicates? With 2,500 files, it isn't going to be easy or obvious if it's a manual procedure.

Will iCloud recreate the way I have organized my 2,500 files in the file hierarchy?

Will iCloud put my 2,500 files in one place and force me to reorganize them through a grueling manual process dragging them on top of each other one by one?

Will iCloud allow me to have only one level of folders, as in the iPad version of Pages, LaunchPad, and the first Macintosh? There's a reason why Apple abandoned a flat filing system on the Macintosh in the 1980s; that reason is still valid today.

What does iCloud do if a Pages file requires files of a different type, such as JPEG files, or needs to be stored in the same place as files of a different type, such as the Word, Pages, and plain text version of a resume?

If iCloud destroys the way I've organized my files, what happens if two files with different content in different parts of the file hierarchy have the same name?

Obviously I can't use iCloud for documents until I know the answers to these questions, or I risk a huge mess.

iMac 24-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Oct 5, 2011 1:38 PM

86 replies

Oct 13, 2011 6:32 AM in response to Sjazbec

Yes, of course one will find that they have said the right things and not promised more than that - but the thing is that most people have understood that this was going to work all over and not being limited to iOS-devices only. Yes, that is perhaps the result of wishful thinking but all the same; this simply isn't good enough. We live in 2011 and although we haven't got flying cars, I thought it would be possible to achieve this. And this SugarSync doesn't work as smoothly as I want, either.

simon56

Level 1

0 points

Oct 13, 2011 6:35 AM in response to Sjazbec

Perhaps you can explain this, Sjazbec, and why, in your opinion, this is not misleading:

Now there are versions of Pages for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. And they all work together beautifully. So your documents go wherever you go — on every device you use.

(http://www.apple.com/apps/pages/)

Oct 13, 2011 6:40 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

They are not stored in the apps on your Mac!!! They will stay the same as they have always been. They will ne stored in the apps on the iPad/iPhone only. This is the way it has always been, nothing has changed. You are blowing this way out of proportion. In the amount of time you have spent requesting further clarification you could have tried iCloud, made a decision on the best course of action that will most suite your needs, and moved forward with that decision. Instead, you still don't seem to understand. Follow the suggestions given to you, do a test run, and stop wasting everyone's time with your pointless ranting, and proclamations of misinformation.

simon56

Level 1

0 points

Oct 13, 2011 6:47 AM in response to dignanmorse

If you feel that your time is being wasted, you don't need to read or respond to this thread. However, this issue is being asked in a significant number of threads in a significant number of forums. Apple is wonderful. However, this doesn't mean that everything they do is wonderful. Users raising legitimate concerns is not a waste of time. Without it, there would be no feedback mechanism.

Oct 13, 2011 6:48 AM in response to simon56

They are not there yet. Think of the logistical nightmare of releasing this type of solution on day one. Yes, you and I may be less than satisfied, but at least this gives the general public time to get their iCloud accounts setup and the kinks worked out before Apple updates the iWork Mac applications to take advantage of iCloud. The Mac functionality of iCloud document storage is going to be on a per app basis. Everything is sandboxed within a per app folder structure. If you want to see it open up this directory on your iCloud enabled Mac: ~/Library/Mobile Documents. You'll find a separate folder for every app you have enabled on your iOS device to store documents in iCloud, including the iOS iWork apps. The desktop applications simply don't see this folder yet. Already applications are appearing in the Mac app store that take advantage of iCloud on your Mac. Give it time iWork will eventually.

Sjazbec

Level 4

1,674 points

Oct 13, 2011 6:49 AM in response to simon56

simon56 wrote:

Perhaps you can explain this, Sjazbec, and why, in your opinion, this is not misleading:

Now there are versions of Pages for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. And they all work together beautifully. So your documents go wherever you go — on every device you use.

(http://www.apple.com/apps/pages/)

"they all work together beautifully" is NOT "they sync together beautifully".

You can download via icloud.com = Maybe that is what Apple reads as "beautifully".

Stop it. We don't come further here . It is just not there, so We must assume that Apple intentionally wants us to use the solutions they have now in place. I know it is not what most people thought it would have or could have been. But alas, it is set and done.

If there was a iWork Desktop Update to include this feature, they would have releases it in conjunction with the iOS counterpart to avoid discussions/speculations like this here. They did not provide it on the Mac, so I assume it is all according to their plans.

It might be a downer, yes. It might lead to angry people, it might lead to a future update. But we are in the NOW not in a "maybe".

I will stop posting to this topic now, because basically it turns in to a ranting . I also am disapointed, yes - but because I use icloud now for a longer period, I have gotten used to it over time, still hoped for a last minute update but it hasn't come, So I am in the same boat and just have to accept Apples decisions.

You should too ( or complain at Apple, but not at me - I am a user like you all ).

Oct 13, 2011 6:50 AM in response to simon56

Agreed, but you've asked the same questions, and received the same correct answers several times. At this point you seem stubborn. The best thing to do is back up and try it. You can always restore. It will all take less time than this and will answer all of your questions. Then, with the knowledge you have gained, you can come back here and contribute something.

Oct 13, 2011 6:55 AM in response to simon56

Yes, I would call that if not misleading, then not exactly to the point. Your document go wherever you go, but not in sync, not if you do not upload and download them manually on your Mac. If that is working together beautifully, then the beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Seems to me that they have turned a blind eye to the Mac and become blinded by the beauty of the iOS-devices.

Oct 13, 2011 6:56 AM in response to Wilfred Hildonen

All in due time. Even with the number of people incapable of understanding iCloud in its current form, it is minuscule in comparison to the confusion that would result from full desktop iWork integration. Most people are generally not that technologically savvy and need to be eased into new things, especially when they could cause data loss.

Oct 13, 2011 6:59 AM in response to Wilfred Hildonen

The Omni Group is planning rolling out iCloud integrated versions of there iOS and Mac software soon. It's just a matter of waiting. It hasn't even been 24 hours since the public release. Most people who own an iOS device don't even know a new OS was released yesterday.

Oct 13, 2011 7:29 AM in response to dignanmorse

Apple isn't giving us misleading information per se, all they tell us is "it's wonderful" (okay, it's an Apple product, we knew that) instead of "here's how to use it," "here's how it works," "here's what it doesn't do," and "here's where it might not be for you." It reminds me of Microsoft's Live Meeting. No one in my office could figure it out. I ended up calling a Microsoft representative who was an expert in Live Meeting, and he could only tell me how wonderful it is. I pressed and pressed, and finally he had to admit that he didn't actually know how to use it.

We have to give Apple a grace period because this just came out yesterday, but still, they had beta testers, they had developers, and they have a staff of tech writers. Somebody wrote all that vague advertising copy. Why couldn't they have written a how-to web page? The developers and beta testers must have known how to use it, why can't we know?

We're pulling hen's teeth here, and we are gradually getting what we need. I'm beginning to experiment with it, since I know it won't affect my file system on my Mac. The information on the ~/Library/Mobile Documents folder is extremely useful, not the least because of its implications. Thanks.

Oct 13, 2011 7:35 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

Folks, I thought the same thing, that it would be like Evernote for all the iwork applications, which is how it was initially portrayed. Having said that, I don't understand where the "drag and drop" functionality is on the Mac. I have selected "documents and data" but there's no explanation how to upload it to iCloud. Worse, when I hit the ? for Help, it comes up with a blank page saying I'm not connected to the Internet, even though I am, as evidenced by this post. Can anyone at least explain the drag and drop on Mac. I went to Finder, thinking it would be there like iDisk, but iDisk is gone and there's no replacement.

Oct 13, 2011 7:48 AM in response to mk17apple

The drag and drop is available at www.icloud.com/iwork.

Oct 13, 2011 7:54 AM in response to Kenneth Collins1

I agree it is frustrating that this is all we get. I guess I'm a little subdued because I've known for some time and I see the potential for third party applications to communicat between iOS and Mac versions of their applications. I have also taken to "hacking" the system a little by adding PDF files directly to the Goodreader folder that resides in ~/Library/Mobile Documents, as Goodreader has iCloud support built in. By adding a file to the Goodreader Documents folder on my Mac it shows up in the iCloud section of Goodreader on my iPad and vice versa.

Oct 13, 2011 7:58 AM in response to dignanmorse

no, it's not available if all you are trying to do is sync a Pages document from your Mac. this only relates to having an Ios version, which I don't have or need. Indeed, the advertising said you could put a Word document in the iCloud. How is this possible?

Very Serious iCloud + Pages Questions