iOS5 and iCloud users and review thread - Page 4

I've been disappointed with iCloud since launch and I finally figured out why: It's very un-Apple like in its complexity.

The free replacement for MobileMe is great. Fully what I wanted. "Cloud" backups and syncing of my calendar, contacts, reminders, and PhotoStream, is great. It works how I'd expect from APple: invisibly and correctly.

But the document-syncing system, exemplified by iWork, is very unsatisfying. And I realize it's because it violates every expectation I have from Apple. To get a document into my phone I must:

* (don't get confused and use Send to iWork feature in iWork by accident. That's not the cloud you're looking for)
* Locate document in Finder on Mac

* Open Safari

* Go to iCloud

* Go to iWork in iCloud

* Click back to Finder

* Grab document

* Drag and drop onto Safari

* Click "Yes" to replace existing version

* Get iPhone

* Unlock iPHone

* Launch e.g. Pages

* Wait for document to sync

Repeat those 12 steps *every* time I want to refresh the file

And if I edit it on my phone, roughly 10 of those steps in reverse order to get it back to my computer.

It should be:

* Save document first time with iCloud-sync option enable

* (forever managed invisibly and correctly in background)

Or, at worst:

* Click a File->iCloud Save button

I've read why this stuff is hard. How iOS apps and OS X apps are different and could mangle documents doing round-trips. I don't care. The feature, as implemented, is a poor user experience. It's everything Apple stands against, and I'm surprised such a tedious process was let out the door.

Hopefully there will be interim upgrades in iOS5 and OS X 10.7 to improve the whole iCloud system. If we have to wait until next year for iOS6 for iCloud to make real progress towards its potential, it's going to be a long wait.