iPad v. Macbook

[Dave2002]

Well, I don't know. I just wondered why there was difficulty transferring a pdf from an iPad to a computer. Why can't it be emailed?

I can't remember - it might be that it was possible, but maybe it's more possible now than then. A particular problem for students (not that I know many ... ... well not so many nowadays ...) is that some of them have files on a desk top machine and or laptop, and they also download articles to tablets, such as iPads. The download part from the source site is easy, and the pdfs can be filed away - for example in Papers. The issue is then getting them back to the desktop machine. One at a time by email is possible, but realistically rather a pain if students have done a comprehensive literature survey.

There is no problem if the pdf papers are downloaded first to the desktop machine, as they can then be synced with ipads - and they were even in the early days. The problem was is the pdfs were first downloaded onto the iPads - which students operating in mobile mode might want to do.

Getting the files back from a tablet to a desktop or tablet may have presented problems.

With a PC and a USB stick this is easy - just stick them all in a folder, copy the folder to USB, plug the stick into target PC (even a Mac) and copy the folder. With an iPad, which doesn't have USB capability, this is not possible. Thus the great advantage of being able to read and download research articles while mobile is somewhat annulled by the difficulty of doing the transfer back to other machines.

Although I personally I have an aversion to iCloud, that would do the job, but synchronising between iPads and MacOS X via iCloud has only become a sensible option in the last couple of years with the recent versions of MacOS X and iOS. I think it will work with pdfs stored in Papers now - but then it was a pain.

Also, the somewhat earlier iOS update(s) which wiped out user's files, unless they happened to be backed up in an Apple approved app, were not helpful either. As I wrote earlier, associating files with apps in the iOS way is a bonkers way to do a file system - but that's what Apple has done. This is presumably done so that users don't get confused with terminology such as "file", "file name", "hierarchical file store", "directory structure" etc. . Files get backed up with apps. At that time recovery, if possible at all, involved reinstalling the earlier iOS version, checking to see if the files were still available, trying to recover them, and then finally redoing the update. The "upgrades" could take hours, so it was not trivial! Ouch!

[Anastasius]

But doesn't that solve the problem of transferring files to computers?

For us mortals, I think that it does but you have to remember that Dave2002's files are MASSIVE!!

All the things that you listed a few posts back I do perfectly happily on my Samsung S4 Mini phone. The voice recognition typing is pretty accurate as well. But for the odd email, pecking away at the wee keyboard is fine.

[french frank]

For us mortals, I think that it does

I was just thinking of the poor students doing all their research on the hoof with their iPads and then having such a problem transferring all the work they'd done on to their home computer.

(and, btw, I've found another use for Time Machine besides recovering files you've overwritten by Saving: recovering your double deleted emails that you wished you hadn't deleted. It does happen )

[Dave2002]

Things have moved on - and improved, so the "poor" students won't have such problems these days. Actually it often wasn't "their" work which was needed to be uploaded, but copies of reference articles. iPads are good for downloading and reading them. One of my friends and former colleagues always said that getting your data onto a computer or file system was often easy, but many people forget to check how easy it is to get it back off again. Always best to check.

Also, some of the students I have known were anything but poor, in another sense of the word.

Re the TM tip - that's interesting to know - though do beware of reinstalling viruses and phishing emails. I don't know how to get those out of backup files, though I don't think they can do any harm as long as they are not reactivated.

[Lento]

But doesn't that solve the problem of transferring files to computers?

Via iCloud Drive? Never tried it: just a thought.

[french frank]

Re the TM tip - that's interesting to know - though do beware of reinstalling viruses and phishing emails. I don't know how to get those out of backup files, though I don't think they can do any harm as long as they are not reactivated.

You know the moment! You realise you need to check something in … that email you deleted the day before.

[Anastasius]

...

Re the TM tip - that's interesting to know - though do beware of reinstalling viruses and phishing emails. I don't know how to get those out of backup files, though I don't think they can do any harm as long as they are not reactivated.

You do worry so!! A phishing email won't do any harm if you click on it. By definition it relies on the wetware between your ears temporarily suspending commonsense. And you're not going to get a virus from any email onto your Mac. (By that I mean a virus that will affect your Mac). Unless, again, you suspend the wetware between your ears and click on the Admin password to let something install that you shouldn't.