What is the Documents & Data item used for in the iCloud preference pane on my Mac?

Question

I am seeing an item called "Documents and Data" in the iCloud preference pane. I have switched it on, but what can I expect from it? I have searched the web about iCloud, syncing between Mac and iOS devices and how iWork relates to all of this, and I don't like what I see.

Question:
Can anyone tell me what happens when I switch on/off Documents and Data syncing on my mac?

I know that there is a folder ~/Library/Mobile Documents that contains the actual documents and data, that I can muck around in there, use it like a Drop Box, that any iWork documents I put in there get mutilated beyond belief when opened by the corresponding iOS iWork app, and that Apple does not offer support on this matter, but most iCloud users owning a Mac don't, so let me rephrase:

What awesome and easy to use iCloud sync feature becomes available to me when I switch on that particular item in the iCloud preference pane on my Mac?

If the answer really is "None", I'll accept it. I just would like to make sure I haven't missed anything.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Well, at the moment, there isn't much to see with that option. However, enabling Documents and Data sync allows applications on your Mac to sync their data with iCloud, just like iWork on iOS does. But, most Mac applications have not been updated to support this feature yet (even Apple's iWork suite doesn't support this yet). However, this does allow applications to sync with any other Macs and iOS devices that you own, so I recommend leaving it on so you are prepared for app updates that support iCloud. iA Writer is an example of an application that already uses iCloud to sync between both Macs and iOS devices.