My documents on ipad how to#
My documents on ipad full#

I should be able to receive a document, manipulate it and re-attach it to the original email, preserving the context of the original conversation but adding the updated data in the form of the document, nothing in these operations violates the “data is the thing” paradigm.Īpplications don’t OWN your data, they OPERATE on it, they manipulate it, big, big difference. The data is the thing and must be allowed to move freely and be manipulated anywhere. The iPad and iPhone assume the data is owned by the application and that is where they have failed. Restricting the movement of the data in any way causes problems, much the same way having to remember where you put the data causes problems. People work on data (photos, songs, documents, maps), applications work on data, data is the thing, data is the object that moves around from place to place. But it is in the application of this basic principle that you are mistaken. I agree with your basic argument, that there really are no files, only data. The problem, really, is that you have your nose so far up Steve Job’s butt that you simply go in the direction that he tells you because you can’t see the path in front of you due to his flapping butt cheeks. Ned forwarded me your thoughtfully worded response to his infantile whining, I must however respectfully disagree with your explaination. However the move from focusing on files to focusing on data is also happening in other areas such as Cloud Computing where you don’t know or care where the physical file is located as long as you have access to the data. Google is a big proponent of these ideas. It is primarily meant for consuming content, simple content creation, and web browsing.

My documents on ipad full#

In addition the iPad is not meant to be a full computer. Similarly other applications may provide a means to send their particular type of data as an email attachment.Īll this means simplicity for the user, which you should be able to appreciate if you have ever had to give technical support to a non-technical person, as I have many times for my mother and mother-in-law. For example in the Photos App you can select photos to send, write the email and send it. What this means for email attachments is that you have to use the application that manages the data that you want to send in order to include the data in an email. (there are some limited exceptions to this like the photo store and the address book where the data can be accessed by multiple applications). All interactions have to be through applications, and applications only have access to their own data There is no centralized file system that the user has access to where he/she can browse and do something with a file. It is up to each application to store it’s DATA (photos, notes, songs, drawings, etc.) and allow the user to interact with it.

While technically there are applications and associated files on the device, this is all hidden from the user for simplicity and elegance. The reason that you can’t attach a file in an email on an iPad (or iPhone) is that there are no ‘files’. I’m writing this on my iPad and it’s not letting me agree with you due to it’s highly advanced autocorrect features, so I will try to explain why what you see as a deficiency is actually a benefit.

My documents on ipad how to#

Bill Gates rocks because he figured out how to reply to an e-mail and attach a file. I cannot reply to an e-mail and add an attachment. I threw my two cents into the mix but I would be interested to hear alternate views… I recently participated in an email exchange between colleagues regarding the fact that there are no “files” in the iPad, only apps and associated data.