Stuck between the Dropbox that was and the iCloud that isn't yet
Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 9:05AM As much as iCloud is the right idea still not realized, Dropbox is the wrong thing done brilliantly well. And at the end of the day, that still amounts to the wrong thing.
Those of us used to, and clinging to, traditional file systems love it, and will continue to love it as it becomes marginalized into obsolescence, as the growing mainstream -- those who aren't power users but are increasingly empowered users, and who won't get it and shouldn't be subjected to it -- sweep past it and into newer, better things.
iCloud could be that better thing, if Apple can nail it. Big if. So could something else, including a new version of Dropbox. But nothing and no one is there yet. So, as iPhones and iPads and other appliances bring computing to a broader user base than ever before, the services that bind them remain stuck between the best-ever version of the past, and a still sputtering and stammering future... More at iMore.
Decent article by Rene. I personally rate Dropbox very highly and iCloud about as low as is possible, but agree that changes to both could make one the killer Cloud service. However, I have seen no indication yet that Apple is capable of improving in this area.
Reader Comments (24)
Dropbox is an external hard drive. I use it to back up and sync a few things.
The guy's confused.
He's taken the problem, apps only having access to their own files, and put forward cloud storage as the solution.
At best it's a work-around for iOS's deliberate limitations. What he's talking about could just as easily be done using local storage with no requirement for a net connection.
The problem with cloud storage, as I've said before, is that it's not sufficiently standardised and integrated into the OS.
I'll speak for Android as it's what I know. Cloud storage should appear in the OS as an extra drive, like a microSD card, and therefore be available to all apps without them having to explicitly support it. Local caching is also required.
Well I'm not so sure he's confused, rather than just wrong. He is suggesting that iOS is pushing towards a future where file systems are hidden for users and that is an idealised goal. That scares me a little, as if true, iOS will never be a professional's platform.
iCloud syncs data, not files and is baked into iOS at a level where every dev can easily use it. And I suppose it will get better, but if this guy is right, it'll never have an exposed file browsing capability. My chief beef with iCloud is that, alongside all Apple online services such as Siri and iTunes, it's slow in the UK.
Personally and professionally, I'm a heavy Dropbox user, although that may have to change at work because they can't be bothered to get ISO 27001 accreditation, which we are currently pursuing.
Bug, the HTC One X used to manage both Dropbox and Skydrive integrating them into Sense. Both appeared as system drives in all apps. Unfortunately the jelly bean update seems to have broken this for me.
It's infinitely easier to use cloud services when they're integrated this way.
Peter I'd say iOS is heavily geared towards consumption; if you want productivity then Android, Windows Phone and BB10 are probably all better choices, or the two flavours of Windows 8 if you go tablet. It'd be nice if iOS could cater for both usage models, but it's never been their focus and would probably harm the consumption aspects of the OS.
For professional use if Dropbox isn't suitable then you could look at one of the many NAS solutions that offer dedicated iPhone and Android apps, plus WebDav, Samba, FTP(S) and HTTP(S) access. I've got a Synology DiskStation, and they're enterprise-standard as well as being suitable for home use. I think Neil does something similar but with a different setup.
Elbowz that's very interesting; I didn't know anyone had done it yet or was even talking about it, which was frustrating as it seemed so bleedin' obvious! I'm glad it's been done (even if it's now broken); hopefully Google will build it into Android 5, which I think is due around the middle of this year.
Did the Sense implementation make it easy to cache files in local storage for when you didn't have a net connection?
"Well I'm not so sure he's confused, rather than just wrong. He is suggesting that iOS is pushing towards a future where file systems are hidden for users and that is an idealised goal. That scares me a little, as if true, iOS will never be a professional's platform."
That is a worry many people have- there seems to be a move towards iOS from Apple because that's where the money is. The lack of a new Mac Pro is one indicator, but there seems to be intentions to make Mac OS more like iOS in the future. I so hope that doesn't happen because Mac OS is so far ahead of Windows (in my experience) and to see it dumbed down would be sad.
"Peter I'd say iOS is heavily geared towards consumption; if you want productivity then Android, Windows Phone and BB10 are probably all better choices, or the two flavours of Windows 8 if you go tablet. It'd be nice if iOS could cater for both usage models, but it's never been their focus and would probably harm the consumption aspects of the OS."
I agree that Apple could do more here, but in all my years of using smartphones I have not used any for real productivity because of the small keyboards and general lack of practicality. The same has applied to tablets for me; Nexus 7, iPads, HTC One X (which I own now), Galaxy S III, iPhones- never used any for creation as such and always for consumption. This is why I am looking for a new laptop- probably a Chromebook in the near future. There would be no point in any manufacturer making a smartphone that could do much more for me because it wouldn't be time efficient to use it anyway.
The best productivity tool is the one you have with you...
Most mobile OSs are becoming more suitable for productivity, and devices like the Note II have been designed with productivity very much in mind. There are also some very good office suites available, at least on Android and probably on others too.
It's very easy to attach a decent Bluetooth keyboard, and the screens are big and sharp enough that I'd happily write detailed emails, articles and documentation.
I don't think anyone's quite cracked the mobile keyboard yet but there are some very decent efforts out there. Oddly enough they started to appear when the iPhone got Bluetooth, but they'll work on pretty much any smartphone.
I've got a Microsoft Arc keyboard on my home PC which is extremely light and thin. I can plug the USB dongle into my S3 (or my gf's Note II) and use the same keyboard I use at home!
Also we're talking about phones, but there's really no good reason tablets can't be excellent productivity tools when paired with a decent keyboard. That's where every manufacturer but Apple is heading; iPads suffer or benefit from from the same consumption focus as the iPhone.
In the end we'll use one OS for everything: phone, tablet, laptop, desktop and home entertainment system. Microsoft (finally) realised that and that's why they brought out Windows Phone and Windows 8. So if your phone's dumbed-down everything will be.
"Peter I'd say iOS is heavily geared towards consumption; if you want productivity then Android, Windows Phone and BB10 are probably all better choices, or the two flavours of Windows 8 if you go tablet. It'd be nice if iOS could cater for both usage models, but it's never been their focus and would probably harm the consumption aspects of the OS."
iOS id geared towards consumption? I thought that old canard was put to rest permanently in 2011! The adoption of the iPad in by enterprise has been unprecedented - "off the scale", as one CIO put it. It's the only tablet platform making any kind of real-world impact on business and education. With an order of magnitude more productivity-focused tablet apps than any other platform - many developed specifically for iPad, Apple enterprise tools for mass configuration and deployment, the new 128Gb model (heralded as a boon for cad files, X-rays, film edits etc) and 94% of Fortune 500 companies either testing or deploying, it should be obvious that business takes iPad seriously as a tool to boost productivity, not sap it.
Here's a few blatantly cherry-picked quotes from CIOs which support my case:
"Google, with their Nexus range, are now starting to embrace the same strategy providing a consistent OS across the key form factors. However Android has some way to go to catch the leadership position of iOS."
"It's clear that right now iOS-powered devices hit the sweet spot of desirability, quality, security and manageability that enterprises demand and the iPad Mini opens up new use cases and niches."
http://www.wired.com/insights/2012/12/how-the-ipad-mini-is-impacting-the-enterprise/
"Four-hundred dollars to make a knowledge worker 10 percent more productive is money extremely well spent."
http://www.cio.com/article/712185/Lessons_from_a_Big_iPad_Enterprise_Adopter
It's obvious that Apple is aiming the iPad at light productivity; music creation, word processing, spreadsheets, enterprise use etc. And that has been a huge success. But what I haven't yet seen is the tools necessary to make the device a desktop replacement - an exposed filesystem, precise stylus input for art, an iPad in a clamshell keyboard form factor for software development, etc. And I don't think we're going there, either. Apple's strategy is rather obvious; iOS for pleasure and light productivity, OSX for programming, Photoshop and so on. This is the opposite of Microsoft's one-size-fits-all strategy which is attempting to unify Windows 8 across desktop, mobile and tablet. Scanning across the reviews for the Surface Pro, last week, nearly all conclude that the device is compromised as both a tablet and a laptop. It would appear that Apple has the sounder philosophy - or perhaps they're just making a better case for it at the moment. Time will tell.
"Scanning across the reviews for the Surface Pro, last week, nearly all conclude that the device is compromised as both a tablet and a laptop. It would appear that Apple has the sounder philosophy - or perhaps they're just making a better case for it at the moment. Time will tell"
Surface Pro is version 1; also I think the Lenovo Yoga & Helix and the Asus Vivo Tab TF810 and Taichi are better examples of high productivity touch screen devices.
Agreed. It's early days, but like I've said before on this forum - I'm not convinced that this kind of convergence is very compelling.
I like the Surface Pro, but it's not going to sell very well; it's a laptop with a poor keyboard and trackpad that you can't use on your lap, or an expensive, heavy tablet with a fan, poor battery life and a bunch of legacy apps not designed for touchscreens.
Either way, it's a compromise, but maybe it'll all click a couple of generations down the line.
A lot of businesses are adopting iPads because they're fashionable and cool. It's the same reason many companies want 'an app for that' when they'd be far better off with a mobile website (I've been there).
There may well be usage scenarios where they're better than the alternatives (other tablets, smartphones, ultrabooks etc.), but overall they're still not suited for productivity, particularly content creation and data entry.
I think in many cases they haven't been chosen because they were the best tool for the job. Would an IT department get the same buy-in from the board if they said they wanted to buy a hundred Transformer Infinities, even if they were better suited to the task?
Regarding the quotes, would they have been quoted if they'd said "Actually they were a complete waste of money"? Would they be prepared to make themselves look poorly managed? Would that fact even make it up to their level of the company when there are people whose jobs might depend on preventing it? I've known people who've been quoted in the media in such ways (not about iPads) and they're always far more interested in getting positive publicity than anything else.
I'm reminded of that ambulance-chasing lawyer that'll give you a free iPad "so you can keep track of your case's progress on their website". It's a gimmick.
MS Surface is compromised, yes. However from what I've seen reviews aren't criticising the OS so much as they're saying it needs faster (than Tegra 3 or Atom) or more power-efficient (than Ivy Bridge) processors. Tegra 4 and Haswell are coming; the next generation of Surface should be fantastic (and pretty compromise-free) and so should devices from other manufacturers now that MS has given them a hefty kick up the arse.
The OS itself (both flavours) is excellent in a tablet form factor (especially for a first attempt), and with the prevalence of the hybrid form factor it's set to take mobile computing to the next level.
The only thing that disappoints me is that in the Intel-based machines the GPU is puny. Doesn't matter for most productivity tasks but it matters to me. AMD x86 chips are far better in that respect but don't have the power efficiency. I'd like to see discrete GPUs added.
Bug,
Couldn't disagree with your post more!
You can't just dismiss everyone adopting iPads across the enterprise for productivity as pandering to fashion.
There are several really hard-headed reasons to choose an iPad over another tablet platform:
* A huge selection of productivity apps, designed specifically for iPad and not up-scaled from phones. No other platform is even close.
* A locked-down platform that is less likely to suffer from malware or security issues.
* Enterprise support from Apple with their Configurator package, which makes it easy to spec and roll out multiple iPads for business.
* A consistent, mature development platform with no fragmentation issues and a massive number of potential development partners.
* High battery life, reliability, user satisfaction and ease of use, which minimises total cost of ownership and training costs.
I'm not denying the usefulness of other tablet technologies in the enterprise, but I think you should consider that the iPad has a lot going for it as a productive tool in business and education.
All of that said, I would still maintain that Apple still sees OSX as their high-end productivity solution and is limiting the full potential of iOS, perhaps fearful that they ruin the unrivalled usability by complicating the interface and therefore throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Interesting discussion and I think it depends on what people want to do. I remember an insurance guy who came to our house and he had to use a Windows tablet (an old one)- it was painful to watch. An iPad would have been perfect for the job in question. However, I can't use an iPad for freelance work because it would take far too long and be a huge compromise. I would be using it for the sake of it and I suspect some companies are using iPads for the same reason. However, for many business tasks there are compelling reasons to use an iPad and I can understand the quick adoption rate. I can also understand why many businesses will not go near Android in its current form.
"Would an IT department get the same buy-in from the board if they said they wanted to buy a hundred Transformer Infinities, even if they were better suited to the task?"
No, because the support costs would likely be higher over time. One very good argument for business is that IT costs tend to be less for Mac / iOS.
Well if we all agreed on everything this would be a dull place ;o)
* A huge selection of productivity apps, designed specifically for iPad and not up-scaled from phones. No other platform is even close.
Except WIndows 8, which makes iOS look like it's still in nappies. Admittedly mostly not tablet-optimised so far, which is where the hybrids come into their own. Also full MS Office, Visual Studio, Photoshop and pretty much any other productivity software you care to mention.
* A locked-down platform that is less likely to suffer from malware or security issues.
I'd say Windows 8 is more secure. There's an old quote that Windows is like living in the city with your windows barred and OSX is like living in the country with your doors open. Sooner or later the city expands to swallow the village (I added that last bit). I'd be very surprised if iOS isn't less secure than OSX.
Also most enterprises manage user permissions using Active Directory, which is bread and butter for Windows 8 and .Net. Not sure if iOS is AD-aware, and historically it doesn't play nice with MS Exchange Server, requiring the server to be opened up to let any old device connect (although that may have been fixed).
* Enterprise support from Apple with their Configurator package, which makes it easy to spec and roll out multiple iPads for business.
I've been using Ghost images and installation scripts on Windows for a looooong time. I don't know the Configurator package but I'd be willing to bet it's not as powerful as a PowerShell script. Powerrrrrrrr!
* A consistent, mature development platform with no fragmentation issues and a massive number of potential development partners.
.Net knocks that into a cocked hat, especially for enterprise development. Also, isn't it tricky to get your own company's apps onto iOS?
* High battery life, reliability, user satisfaction and ease of use, which minimises total cost of ownership and training costs.
People are far more used to the Windows interface, and for non-Metro apps Windows 8 isn't all that different (although MS changed it too much).
For battery life, Windows RT has it but full-fat Windows won't get that till Haswell later this year. However hybrids, with their extra battery in the keyboard, aren't too bad. But this is something the second gen needs to address, and will as Haswell's main advantage over Ivy Bridge is power consumption (including a far better idle state). That'll make the tablets thinner and lighter (less cooling) and of course give far greater battery life.
By the way the benchmarks comparing an Ivy Bridge tablet against an iPad 4 really illustrate how much slower mobile chips are, even now. For anything that requires heavy processing it makes a huge difference to have a full-fat processor in a mobile form factor. Here are the benchies: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6695/microsoft-surface-pro-review/5
Ultimately all mobile OSs are compromises, and to date all mobile hardware is too. With the next gen of (already announced) hardware the compromises should be far smaller and we'll no longer need to use a mobile OS in our tablets and hybrids.
Then on to the phones...
Shaun I agree Android isnt suited to the enterprise; it's not an area they've done much to target. Thing is I see iOS in much the same way. Perhaps that's unfair and Apple's improved it greatly in that area?
Windows is the enterprise OS. Linux has made good progress in the server space but for the vast majority of users it's all Windows. Windows 8 is a bit of a departure, but ultimately it's still Windows.
Bug,
Windows IS the OS for enterprise. No doubt. Except for tablets, where iPad now dominates. Shame on Microsoft for ceding that market to Apple - they were asleep at the wheel. That said, never count them out - who knows where Windows will be on mobile, given a few years.
A Forrester poll last week of businesses showed much excitement for Surface and iPad, and very little for Android. iPad has the three year head start and Windows has the entrenched desktop licenses. Look forward to a long, drawn-out war of attrition with Surface Pro vs the 128Gb iPad as the first major salvo.
By the way, the current BYOD trend is the best argument I've heard for HTML5 over Apps, though if I were a CIO, I'd use something like Appcelerator Titanium to build in HTML5 and target different OS' natively from one codebase. Native apps always always work nicer than web apps.
Of course the iPad dominates; Windows 8 is Microsoft's first serious play in this area and it's only just out. In fact the Surface Pro, the real enterprise contender, has only been out a matter of days.
I reckon in the enterprise the tide will quickly turn back towards MS, probably with the first gen Surface Pro but if not then definitely with the second. Windows 8 is just far more suited to the enterprise than iOS.
By the way how easy is it to get a company's own apps (for internal use) onto iOS devices? I know it was tricky on Windows Phone initially and then MS made it fairly simple; I haven't heard if Apple did something similar.
How many people need ms office on the portable devices? That is all the functionality? And do you regularly use all the advanced features?
I doubt it. And that's why in business the iPad succeeds as well as its proven increase in productivity.
It's easy to get one's own apps onto iOS. Joining the enterprise developer programme confers the ability to mass provision iPads, remotely install or remove apps and certificates. And, yes, no approval is required.
Some enterprises even deploy their own App Store! Alternatively, enterprise can mass-purchase App Store apps and request customer builds/prices from established developers.
I don't think Surface V1 will gain much traction. It's too compromised. But, hey, that's just an opinion, so let's give it a year and see what happens.
Gavin, I think the lack of "real" MS Office is a sticking point for iOS, despite good support for viewing the key file formats out of the box. I have no idea whether MS will release Office for iOS under a 365 license. Reputedly, they have made it for both iOS and Android, but will they release it?
It is a weakness but I use Dataviz Docstogo. Very good as well as pages.
Thanks for the info Peter; good to know.
Apparently the 128GB Surface Pro has sold out, although that just tells us the demand outstripped the supply, not that the demand was high.
Jah - agree on recent samsung (though I wish they'd leave it more vanilla).
Maybe I've had too many sony devices... :/