How to download files?

I don't find any information on downloading files with an iPad. Could it be that this is not possible at all?

For example: I frequently scan the new updates on macupdate.com, also with my iPad3. When I see an interersting (Mac OS X) program there I would like to be able to download the file directly with my iPad.

How can I do such a download to my iPad and how do I get the file than over to my Mac?

Or, even better, how can I do such a download directly to my Mac or to Dropbox or to Whatever-Makes-Sense?

 

If you are using Safari, I'm not sure you can do that. But with Atomic Browser, you can download a file, and then save it to Dropbox.

Tom

 

Thanks. I found how to do it with Atomic - which is my main browser anyway.

How do people usually find things like this out? I'm often wondering about the lack of in-depth instructions for the iPad and for basically all apps. I know that Apple has no interest in users having control over Apple devices or Apple apps (the changes to Mac OS X over the last years and iOS as such make that very clear). But why think also almost all app makers that instructions are not necessary?

One more question: Atomic shows me the location of my downloads as "Documents". Can I look at this folder (or whatever it is) directly somewhere on my iPad?

 

I also have iCab Mobile and will look into it here. I somehow keep getting back to Atomic, though - as if this would be the better browser.

 

I played a little with iCab Mobile and start to like it more and more. Downloads work also great with iCab Mobile.

Thanks again,
neartheredrocks

 

I download files directly into the filebrowser app.
From there i upload it to my Network Harddrive.

 

Yeah I'm a little confused about the atomic web browser download folder documents, this is so confusing cause there is nothing there.
Where is it downloading stuff to? Or maybe it look like it was downloading but did nothing, I hope, cause I can't find anything. On the mac pro it downloads everything to the download folder - simple.

 

This is confusing - because we are used to a "usable" file system as we know it from Mac OS X, and there is no such thing on the iPad (and all other iOS devices). It is even more confusing because neither the iPad nor most apps have reasonable manuals. The makers of these things - especially Apple - don't want you to ask questions, instead you are supposed to just click onto colorful icons and be happy. However, with the help of a forum like this one it is possible to gain more and more control over an iPad.

I don't know either where exactly (in which "Folder") Atomic Web puts downloads (no usable file system - see above) but I know that downloads are visible in the Downloads window of Atomic Web. If nothing is there, nothing has been downloaded.

If you want to test downloading, go i. e. to macupdate.com, choose any application, and click onto the "Download Now" button. A window will pop up saying that the file xxx cannot be displayed and whether you want to download it instead. Click OK and the file will get download and be visible in the Downloads window. If you then click onto the file you get presented with a couple of options, one of them being to upload the file to Dropbox. Uploading to Dropbox, of course, requires a Dropbox account and the linking of Atomic Web to this account (which can be done in the Atomic Web preferences). After you have done this successfully once or twice it becomes as simple as downloading something on a Mac.

By the way - also Mac OS X is moving more and more away from a usable file system and to nothing but clickable icons. The beginning can be seen in OS X 10.7 where the hard drive is not any more by default seen on the Desktop and where the Library folder is hidden. I don't like it but for many new and many not so deeply interested users this might be a good thing.

 

Apple has already hidden all the Unixy folders on the Mac since Mac OS X 1.0. As on topic, downloading a file using Safari requires another "Files" app such as FileApp to be installed. From there you can transfer it to your computer.

Sent from K48