iCloud vs iCloud Drive

 ... or what I have learned so far about how the iPad handles files.

I have made no secret of the fact that I have an issue with the way the iPad handles files, both in terms of local storage and in terms of cloud storage. Frankly it is terrible. However I think I have come to understand how this all works and its a bit of a shift in the way you look at data.

If, like me you have come from a PC background, then you expect a file system to operate in a certain way. Generally speaking the file system is integrated into the OS.  With the iPad, this is not the case at all.  

Third party File Apps

While iOS now comes with FILES for handling files, its not that great. There are some much better file management tools out there and my favorite right now is Documents by Readdle. It handles file management well, but it also allows the opening and viewing of many file formats. 

I have audio, video and various other file types in my documents, and for the most part, Documents handles them all quite happily.

There is also Goodreader. I have it installed but have not really used it yet.  Seems like it does almost every Documents will do but looks a little clunkier.

iCloud vs iCloud Drive

But this is the crux of why I am writing this. It took me a while to get my head around this but iCloud and iDrive are two different things. 

iCloud is your total storage space which includes backup service, photo storage, and Apple application file storage as well as iCloud drive, a general file store. 

iCloud Drive is that part of the iCloud storage that acts like a USB or external hard drive. It has a file system and holds all of your documents. 

The beauty in both iCloud Drive and iCloud is that it can sync across all of your devices, reducing the amount of data you need to store because a lot of your data is common to all of your devices.  So imagine combining DropBox with a backup service and that is essentially what you have with iCloud.

It takes a little getting used to if you are a PC person like me, but it works, and for the most part, works well.