Smykil reports, “The whole ‘file sharing’ process is obviously just another step towards iTunes replacing the Finder. Why can’t I do this over Bluetooth or WiFi? Why doesn’t the iPad just mount on the desktop like a drive? In Apple’s attempt to make this as simple as possible for everyone, they have made it excruciating for those who know what they are doing, and inexplicably difficult for those who have no clue.”
“In the end, using iWork for the iPad is a lot like going to the moon. It might be a nice place to visit, and it may even be fun to bounce around for a bit, play a little golf, or buzz around in that sweet little moon buggy, but in the end, it’s not a place I’d like to live, or even stay for any extended amount of time,” Smykil reports. “iWork is decent, but there is only so much you can do for an office suite without a full keyboard and a mouse.”
MacDailyNews Take: More accurately, there’s only so much that Jeff Smykil can imagine can be done for an office suite without a full keyboard and a mouse. Apple just shifted the paradigm; give ’em some time, Jeff. History suggests Apple will make things happen that most people haven’t even imagined yet.
Smykil reports, “iWork for the iPad won’t replace most people’s desktop office suite. It may be OK for your grandmother, but without a way to print, even that is doubtful. But if you need to make a quick change or two in a cab, in coach, or in a cramped telephone booth, iWork is definitely serviceable.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We believe that people’s evaluations of iWork are strongly based on how successfully they can let go of old ideas and, instead, Think Different™.
STFU guy. Pages works great on the iPad.
Bitch and moan about the mouse and keyboard all you want, I don’t miss them.
I use iWork in my iPad more and more everyday, which means I am using the version on my iMac less and less every day. I can see myself using ONLY the iPad version within weeks. Not months, not years … WEEKS!
What was this guy expecting? A full-blown office suite? For what Apple did with this on the iPad, it’s quite the feat. It’s a lot better than I would have imagined and has plenty of great functionality. I bet version 2.0 will not be too far behind.
“For what Apple did with this on the iPad, it’s quite the feat.” I agree, and what’s not mentioned (in the excerpt, anyway) is the $10-per-app price point. What’s Office go for, a minimum of $400 unless you’re a student? For eight percent of the price of Office, you get a heck of a lot more than eight percent of the functionality, without even talking about usability, stability and design aesthetic.
You should be able to have wireless printing either to a computer connected printer or directly via a base station or a Wifi equipped printer. Period.
I’ve got an HP app that can print photos to my printer from iPhoto. I’m sure that, sooner than later, we’ll be able to print from iWork on iPad.
That’s one of the cool things about Apple products – they get better with time.
That’s pretty much exactly how I feel about Office, even though I have to use at least Excel every day. I’d like to live somewhere else (preferably somewhere with more pictures).
On my iPhone, that is.
Can’t you use the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with the iPad?
I agree that having an easy way to print is very important to me and the number one reason I have put off buying one. I go back and forth to Florida frequently. As it stands now I would need to take my IPad and my IBook in order to print. There is something seriously wrong with that. Rather than get an IPad I will simply upgrade to a MacBook.
Serious question: Has MDN used/tested iWork on an iPad?
I have two iPads, but no iWork yet.
Just curious…
I’m with you MDN… “give em time”. However, until then, it is painful to use as a productivity tool. I have over 50 clients for whom I keep detailed files (pages, numbers, keynote). I sync this central depository of information with my iMac and MBP via iDisk since I’m constantly traveling. But, of course, I can currently do very little with all this data until Apple links iDisk and the iPad iWork suite. Of course, I can email myself the document… or sync it via iTunes (if I’m ever at home)… but these aren’t workable solutions for anyone wanting to be productive. I have very little doubt that Apple will eventually get there… I’m just trying to be patient in the meantime.
I’ve used iWork, esp Keynote, for the iPad and I agree with Smykil. Keynote is very crippled. Limited fonts, some animations not supported, and groups ungrouped when transferred from a Mac. Anything but the simplest Keynote presentation built on a Mac will be a mess when imported into the iPad — verging on useless. This is very unfortunate. Presumably future versions will be better, but ver 1.0 is very incomplete and feels like it was rushed to market. It is not really useful for touching up a Keynote presentation or preparing a top quality presentation from scratch. The lack of printing ability and the complex method for importing and exporting documents add to the problems. I have not used Pages but I understand that’s also compromised. Numbers is OK but I use it mainly as a database program.
One more thought… regarding printing… this is 2010… you guys are really still using a printer?? Is it dot matrix or what?
@ MDN
“We believe that people’s evaluations of iWork* are strongly based on how successfully they can let go of old ideas and, instead, Think Different™.”
*And indeed, of the iPad itself.
I am slowly moving towards Pages on my iPad for all my word processing. The 2 things I would need to use it 100% are printing (anyone recommend a good App for wireless printing through my Time Capsule? That’s how I print from my MBP) and I need to be able to use folders inside of the My Documents menu. Those two things and the iPad becomes my exclusive machine. I love it.
It’ll get better, but right now, the usefulness is limited.
@ macanatic
I’m with you. Now, if I could get every courthouse in the country to go completely digital………
While I would like printing, I don’t feel it is imperative to the success of iWork on the iPad. I own all three and have used all of them on the iPad.
What I would like to see is improved ability to get newly or previously created documents in and out of the iPad without the use of iTunes and a wire. I would love to see iWork.com or my MobileMe membership to have some kind of sync. If iWork would access my iDisk, I’d be happy as a clam with iWork. Heck, I’d probably pay a small monthly if iWork.com would do it.
I just want something that syncs wirelessly.
You know, I don’t doubt that Apple products get better over time. But like it or not, TODAY, iWork is rough around the edges. The article is not talking about what iWork WILL do. It addresses what it can and cannot do today.
I have tried the iPad and colleagues have as well. In a couple weeks, the 3G version will be my main portable device. That said, I agree that the whole iTunes thing is convoluted. Quite frankly, a simple connection to iDisk would be fine. And it would be easier if there was consistency between the desktop versions and the iPad version.
For printing try Print Magic from wellala.com. They have what appears to be an awesome print app. I’ve tried the test print app and it worked with my Brother laser printer (HL-2070N) connected to my wireless router – “right out of the box”. I printed a test page from iPad to Brother. Way cool.
I’m waiting for the iPad version to be releaesed in a couple weeks before I buy the app.
This app makes the iPad a viable replacement for a laptop.
If you had kids you wouldn’t be asking that question?
ploogman
1. you can print from an iPad and if he is talking about bosses and offices, they can set up a server that will poll an email address and simply print the attachments it receives – problem solved
2. you can connect a keyboard to it for an all day office environment and put the iPad on a stand – bye bye desktop PCs – that is what’s happening for real – bye bye PC
3. the people he is talking about being unable to figure out how to work iWork are the millions who slave under Microsoft Office, have no idea why their crap is messed up and then need to spend their company’s money on help desk and tech support – yeah, that sounds better than using a simple iPad? come on – PC blows and is dated for 99% of users – if you are a developer jump ship to Mac right now and don’t wait – seriously folks
My kids want to know what the writer means by “telephone booth?”
I told them that’s old tech, but it fits Smykil.
One more thing: We are Mac users. I am a Mac user. When I have concerns about Apple products, I am not interesting in hearing an immediate comparative analyses of Apple products and Microsoft products. Windows has little relevance to me. So, those who are apt to react to suggestions for improvement of Apple products by immediately comparing them to the admittedly inferior Windows based products, don’t do any favors to the Mac community.
Even Apple can improve. And over time, they usually do. That does not mean we, the users, will sit idly and grin broadly when the products don’t deliver what we would like.
It was vociferous Aperture users in the Apple forums that really pushed Apple to providing quick updates for that product. Silence would have been useless. I suspect the same will be true for iWork on the iPad.