Apple’s New Files App Promises File Accessibility, With Limitations

With the recent iOS 11 updates, Apple introduced its new and handy Files app (thank you Apple for the brilliant name?). Files allows you to browse, search and organize all of your files from iCloud Drive and other cloud services, consolidating files from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Now you can view everything from one convenient app.

Files appears to many as a clear acknowledgment from Apple that the old ways of accessing content are lacking. As user content increasingly fragments across multiple locations—from smartphones to tablets to computers—there’s a growing demand for consolidation. People want to see and access all of their content without hiccups or headaches.

While Files represents a useful, meaningful step forward for Apple loyalists, there are still some clear challenges to keeping your digital life in one easy-to-use place.

With Files we know it’ll be easier to access your stuff across Apple devices. What happens if you love your new iPhone X, but use an entirely different platform like Windows for work? The accessibility challenge still remains (at least for many). With Files, users are still forced to marry into a single OS.

Another major complaint is locating documents across varying cloud solutions, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive—it’s a bit of a chore.

Let’s say you’re working on a project with a friend, and she shares her documents via Dropbox, while you share via Google Drive. Files don’t simply collate your resources into a “Project” folder. Instead, you’ll have to navigate to the Dropbox folder to find your friend’s documents.

Perhaps most importantly, what happens when there isn’t any connection and you can’t get to your files? You’ll need something that works even when the cloud is offline and Files is not that solution, either.

For now, if you’re an Apple purist, enjoy the new organizational capabilities that Files offers. But, keep your eyes peeled for innovative solutions that will streamline and ensure file accessibility, taking consolidation to the next level. The ultimate solution will offer seamless integration across devices and platforms—truly disruptive technology always unifies and simplifies.

LINK is an ultra-portable computer that groups your photos, videos, documents, and more, consolidating across devices for always-available file accessibility. LINK works in places where the Internet doesn’t, and you can always use LINK’s self-generating, dual-band 5GHZ Wi-Fi signal to access and transfer important documents. LINK can also seamlessly transfer files between various devices, across different developer ecosystems, without requiring expensive third-party apps.

Learn more about how LINK, the pocket-sized powerhouse, can help bridge the gaps in your digital world.