Disclaimer: This post is not an endorsement or critique of Apple’s “Documents in the Clouds” feature. Instead, it is a meant as an explanation to the general public about the current functionality of the service. Views expressed here are my own. For more disclaimer information, click here.
While many features of Apple’s new iCloud service have launched flawlessly with much fanfare, one particular element needs attention in order to make it work correctly. If you plan on taking advantage of Documents in the Cloud to keep versions of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in sync across your computers, you will have to download one of the iWork apps to an iOS device, then use Safari or another compatible browser to sync your documents.
Sync mechanics
The new iCloud service works flawlessly regarding calendar and contact data. As long as your computer, iPhone or iPad is logged into the cloud under a common Apple ID, your information will sync across all devices. Need to schedule a meeting on the run? Add it to iCal on you iPhone, and it will be present next time you open your Macbook Pro. Did you just add several contacts from a networking event to your computer? Open your iPad and the new names appears without effort.
Updating your Keynote presentation on your iPad during a train ride? Well, you’ll have to take a few extra steps to get it on your computer before you can present it.
iOS Yes!!!!
It is true that Documents in the Cloud works seamlessly across iPads and iPhones. Purchase any of the iWork applications from the App Store first, then make sure that “Documents & Data” is set to ON in your iCloud settings. If these conditions are set, then any new documents you create or edit automatically sync across devices.
But seriously folks, who wants to create a new document or spreadsheet on an iPhone? And what if you don’t yet own an iOS device and just want to sync between computers?
In order to sync your documents from devices to computers, do the following:
1. Open Safari, navigate to iCloud.com and sign in using your Apple ID.
2. Click on the “iWork” icon.
3. Select the application you wish to use (Keynote, Numbers, Pages).
4. Move the cursor over the document, and select download. (Make sure you choose the correct format to download.)
Once you have completed these steps, can you open your document for further editing or presentation.
To move that document back to the cloud, repeat steps 1 – 3 above, then do the following:
1. Click the gear symbol at the upper right.
2. Select upload.
Here are some general caveats about this whole process:
- You will not be able to use Documents in the Cloud across computers unless you have the appropriate application on an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.
- You must FIRST open a document on an iOS device before you will be able to download it to a computer.
- You must create a document in the appropriate application on an iOS device before syncing to computers.
- At this writing, Documents in the Cloud does not work natively with any Office suite application.
As with any other Apple application or service, updates occur on a frequent basis adding functionality and sometimes improving services. Whether this will be the case here remains to be seen. Until then, in order to make Documents in the Cloud work , you must own an iOS device, and purchase the appropriate iWork application.
