I’ve got in touch with Dominique James and this is what he said:

1. First, to what do you want to sync Aperture with?

2. Second, you don’t need to rely on useless pre-defined folders because you can always create any folder that you only need and define the parameters of any of the folder, album, project, that you’ve created and it will be automatically updated any time you change or add something. There is nothing more to do. It is done automatically for you.

3. When you need to look for certain characteristics or parameters from your “assets” (let’s just say pictures, because that’s what they are), you can do a quick search inside Aperture and it will give you the results you need, almost instantly.

The hard, tedious, and long-winding things that you do in other software can be done the fast, easy and painless way in Aperture.

Thanks for dropping by. I am a LightRoom user but I’ve been able to use Aperture only for a few times. As such I wouldn’t be the best person to answer your question.

I’ve asked somebody from the local photog community who rely heavily on Aperture to share his insight re this issue.

Here is what is still missing from Aperture 2.0 that Extensis Portfolio has had for years:
Improved AutoSync Performance
At the core of Portfolio Server is AutoSync, the engine that keeps assets and data synchronized.
FolderSync Presets
FolderSync lets you decide how you want it to work: Set a sync schedule or choose to autosync instead, and opt to “ignore” certain items when synchronizing, if desired.

AutoSync Cataloging Presets
Enables auto-cataloging and keyword/metadata assignment simply by dropping the asset into a redefined folder.

AutoSync Path Translation: For faster cataloging and imaging tasks as well as decreased network bandwidth requirements.

AutoSync
Portfolio Server automatically synchronizes catalogs with any server file that’s been added, updated or removed. This offloads and automates all scanning and image processing from the desktop to the server.

If you also feel that this feature would be valuable for your own business, please make your voice heard at:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/aperture.html