Is Pages the best app for creating and editing Word documents, or is there something better?

Pages is the best at the moment. You can try out Quickoffice.

Pages, office2, and docs to go does allows those things. With pages though, sometimes doc. Format gets screwed up a lil if u have a formatting done on desktop not supported by pages. Like fancy fonts or bordering for example. The latter 2 work just fine.

Originally Posted by normanj

Is Pages the best app for creating and editing Word documents, or is there something better?

I agree with the last poster - although other Forum members recommend Doc2Go and QuickOffice.

You have to remember that it's a stripped down version of the Apple iWorks Mac version and can 'struggle' with complex formatted documents. There are some limitations but most of them have workarounds so, if you decide to go the Pages route and have any problems, get back in touch and hopefully we can help you with any 'fixes' you may need. But, for most all applications, it's a very capable performer - particularly, as you'd expect, with graphics where it excels - even better than Word (which isn't saying much, I guess!)

You can read about Pages capabilities on the Apple Help site

http://help.apple.com/iwork/1.3/mobi...ml#tan724868a9

Have fun and welcome to the Forum

Tim
Scotland

Thanks - in terms of creating documents, my needs are more text than graphics.

Originally Posted by normanj

Thanks - in terms of creating documents, my needs are more text than graphics.

I use Pages quite a lot, but I also have Docs to Go, Office 2, and Quick Office installed on my ipad. They all have limitations when it comes to handling files and working on Microsoft Word documents. I keep chopping and changing between them for different uses.

Most of them are fine for producing or editing basic text documents or documents with text and graphics. They offer a limited amount of formatting when compared to Word and some lack some basic functionality like search and replace. All lack track changes, which, if you are using the iPad for business use is, in my view, a pretty fundamental deficiency. Pages handles tables reasonably well, but doesn't handle merged cells in word documents effectively.

In short, I haven't found a single word processing package for the iPad that is sufficient for a broad range of business needs. Which is a pity, because it has the grunt and speed to replace a desktop/laptop. It's just let down by the cut-down nature of the business apps.

Originally Posted by AlunReynolds

Originally Posted by normanj

Thanks - in terms of creating documents, my needs are more text than graphics.

I use Pages quite a lot, but I also have Docs to Go, Office 2, and Quick Office installed on my ipad. They all have limitations when it comes to handling files and working on Microsoft Word documents. I keep chopping and changing between them for different uses.

Most of them are fine for producing or editing basic text documents or documents with text and graphics. They offer a limited amount of formatting when compared to Word and some lack some basic functionality like search and replace. All lack track changes, which, if you are using the iPad for business use is, in my view, a pretty fundamental deficiency. Pages handles tables reasonably well, but doesn't handle merged cells in word documents effectively.

In short, I haven't found a single word processing package for the iPad that is sufficient for a broad range of business needs. Which is a pity, because it has the grunt and speed to replace a desktop/laptop. It's just let down by the cut-down nature of the business apps.

Excellent points!! I agree, the lack of 'Track Changes' is a big problem for most business applications. Most of the other issues can be 'sort of' worked around, though it's certainly the case, as the poster points out, that there is a definite problem with complex formatted documents.

Tim
Scotland

Sorry for hijacking, (this may help the OP) but whats the best way to keep the formatting the same, to the best of pages ability??

I had a christmas list my GF sent me, it was a load of pictures and text boxes. In word it was fine. but opened in pages the pictures were in the complete wrong place and the text boxes had to be re-scaled.

Theres options within word to place the pictures and text boxes either behind text, in front of text, in line with text, tight and square.

so which one would keep this simple formating??

cheers.

Originally Posted by addiosamigo

Sorry for hijacking, (this may help the OP) but whats the best way to keep the formatting the same, to the best of pages ability??

I had a christmas list my GF sent me, it was a load of pictures and text boxes. In word it was fine. but opened in pages the pictures were in the complete wrong place and the text boxes had to be re-scaled.

Theres options within word to place the pictures and text boxes either behind text, in front of text, in line with text, tight and square.

so which one would keep this simple formating??

cheers.

Do you need to be able to edit the document? I only ask because, if you only need to view it, then 'Save As' and PDF in Word. Then there'd be no problem in a PDF viewer on the iPad.

Have you tried saving it in either .doc or .docx? I've found that this makes a difference in the way 'Pages' displays the resulting document.

Sorry that these suggestions aren't really too much help!!

Tim
Scotland

no, no all suggestions are welcome!. I sort of adjusted within pages to make it readable.

The PDF is a good idea, so I'd probably use that for revision notes and such,
but I would like to edit some documents, so i'll try the .doc and .docx format.

I tried Docs to Go, Office 2, and Quick Office and they were awful at the formatting, so I thought it maybe something I was doing! pages was still quite bad but managable!

also has anyone tried using dropdav?? add the webdav to pages and then you can save directly into dropbox, I tried it but it kept saying 'unknown error' so prehaps there was a problem their end...