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iWork vs Office

iforsakenu

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Which do you think is better? Keeping documents in sync via the iPad 2 and MacBook Pro? Editing on iPad and finishing on the Mac, and vice versa.
 

Tim SPRACKLEN

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For sure, iWorks is a stripped down version of the desktop equivalent and there are most certainly numerous incompatibilities - as well as a number of well-known workarounds. My experience is that a document originated on the iPad is 100% compatible with the desktop version but the reverse is most certainly not true.

For example, Pages cannot originate superscripts and subscripts - but it displays them just fine. It cannot originate footnotes but, again, it displays them just fine. As I mentioned, there are numerous - if ugly - workarounds to most of these problems. One big issue for me with Pages it its inability to process - either display or originate - 'Track Changes', which makes it fairly useless for collaborative document processing. So I tend to use Pages to originate the text and minor formatting of a document - it's great for use while I'm travelling - and then to consolidate and finalise the document on my desktop machine.

Tim
 
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iforsakenu

iforsakenu

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Tim SPRACKLEN said:
For sure, iWorks is a stripped down version of the desktop equivalent and there are most certainly numerous incompatibilities - as well as a number of well-known workarounds. My experience is that a document originated on the iPad is 100% compatible with the desktop version but the reverse is most certainly not true.

For example, Pages cannot originate superscripts and subscripts - but it displays them just fine. It cannot originate footnotes but, again, it displays them just fine. As I mentioned, there are numerous - if ugly - workarounds to most of these problems. One big issue for me with Pages it its inability to process - either display or originate - 'Track Changes', which makes it fairly useless for collaborative document processing. So I tend to use Pages to originate the text and minor formatting of a document - it's great for use while I'm travelling - and then to consolidate and finalise the document on my desktop machine.

Tim

This makes sense. I mean I was maybe hoping for a better outcome, however it is the reality of it(for now) maybe:) what you think the possibility of an iPad version of an MS Office port? Thanks in advance
 

Tim SPRACKLEN

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I would very much doubt whether they'll be a Microsoft version of Office for the iPad - in the way that there is for the Mac. There have certainly been no rumours of this on the Forum. I think the best that we can hope for is an updated version of Pages.

Tim
 
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iforsakenu

iforsakenu

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Yeah this is true. Oh well. I'm more interested in an app that is geared for college students that holds and outlines a syllabus
 

twerppoet

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If Microsoft ported anything to the iPad it would probaby be their online Office suite (office in the cloud). I forget what they call it. But I would not be holding my breath for that either.
 

Ranjan

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I use Docs-to-Go to save and read MSOffice documents from my email attachments. I can also sync via iTunes any MSOffice document on my Mac/PC. It has limited editing capabilities.
 
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iforsakenu

iforsakenu

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Ranjan said:
I use Docs-to-Go to save and read MSOffice documents from my email attachments. I can also sync via iTunes any MSOffice document on my Mac/PC. It has limited editing capabilities.

I just can't bring myself to pay $14.99 for this. I wish apple had trials for such expensive apps. I know the iPad is an expensive utility, however I'm a college student on a budget so sometimes it can be overwhelming. At any rate I'd like to know what makes this so much better than say the "iWork" suite offered by apple? and I don't understand why apple doesn't bundle the 3 for $25. it saves you $5 and would get more people to buy the full thing. Is this your alternative? Thanks in advance.
 

Ranjan

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iforsakenu said:
I just can't bring myself to pay $14.99 for this. I wish apple had trials for such expensive apps. I know the iPad is an expensive utility, however I'm a college student on a budget so sometimes it can be overwhelming. At any rate I'd like to know what makes this so much better than say the "iWork" suite offered by apple? and I don't understand why apple doesn't bundle the 3 for $25. it saves you $5 and would get more people to buy the full thing. Is this your alternative? Thanks in advance.

I have been using Docs-to -Go ($9.99 promotion) on iPhone for two years mainly as a means to save and edit mail attachments. Now, there are other ways to save attachments but can't edit. The DtoG .ppt slideshow was more like a .PDF slide show which was not suitable to replace a computer in a slide presentation. So, I just bought Keynote ($9.99) for iPad and keynote remote ($0.99) for iPhone. Keynote on iPad is awesome to create slides and the Keynote remote on iPhone works great via a Bluetooth connection allowing you to move around. The iPhone shows the speakers notes too! I connect the iPad via a VGA adaptor to a projector.
 
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iforsakenu

iforsakenu

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Ranjan said:
I have been using Docs-to -Go ($9.99 promotion) on iPhone for two years mainly as a means to save and edit mail attachments. Now, there are other ways to save attachments but can't edit. The DtoG .ppt slideshow was more like a .PDF slide show which was not suitable to replace a computer in a slide presentation. So, I just bought Keynote ($9.99) for iPad and keynote remote ($0.99) for iPhone. Keynote on iPad is awesome to create slides and the Keynote remote on iPhone works great via a Bluetooth connection allowing you to move around. The iPhone shows the speakers notes too! I connect the iPad via a VGA adaptor to a projector.

Then this just budges me forward to complete my iWork suite. Maybe I'll exempt numbers. I don't really do spread sheets. Or do you think it could come in handy?
 

AlunReynolds

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They have but it doesn't work...

If Microsoft ported anything to the iPad it would probaby be their online Office suite (office in the cloud). I forget what they call it. But I would not be holding my breath for that either.

I got a beta account for office 365. You can see documents on your iPad from it but there is no way to edit or originate text. Sigh :(
 
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iforsakenu

iforsakenu

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AlunReynolds said:
I got a beta account for office 365. You can see documents on your iPad from it but there is no way to edit or originate text. Sigh :(

Is this beta for an iPad app? And when is this expected to go public. Ay info is appreciated, Thanks
 

AlunReynolds

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iforsakenu said:
Is this beta for an iPad app? And when is this expected to go public. Ay info is appreciated, Thanks

MS are not that clear. They talk about 365 working across platforms, because it is web based. However it certainly doesn't work with any browser I have on my iPad. The browsers do not recognise text areas as such. Hence the cannot be selected and the on screen keyboard does not pop up.
 

Lusid

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iWorks vs Docstogo depends on where the document originates.

If I am starting from scratch on the iPad, iWorks is great. Its not full featured enough to finish a complex document or work on complex formatting, but for getting them started or producing more mundane content iWorks is fine.

If the document came from MSOffice, iWorks will butcher anything but the most simplistic files. Docs2go handles them much better, at least for viewing. I don't use it for editing much, because I don't use their sync tools to maintain formatting fidelity after iPad edits to the files.

If I really need a full featured productivity suite, I use a PC package via pocketcloud.
 

lukepast

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Then this just budges me forward to complete my iWork suite. Maybe I'll exempt numbers. I don't really do spread sheets. Or do you think it could come in handy?

I managed without Numbers for the past year! I just bought it today as I was bored and thought I needed it to do something - it turned out it didn't work for the particular task.
 

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