Apps for Work

An Ipad is not and never will be a laptop replacement. You can purchase apps which will do the tasks you describe, but it's a complimentary device, not a replacement.

For your described requirements:

Pages ( word Processing, will open MS Word documents)

Numbers ( spreadsheets, will open MS excel documents)

Keynote ( Presentations, Powerpoint compatible.)

There are many more in the app store, but most who have tried to use an Ipad as a laptop have had to admit that it really isn't possible to do everything that a laptop would.

I'm not knocking the iPad, I own one, but I also have an MBP and an Air, they all work together. I can't envisage a situation where just the Ipad would suffice in a work based environment.

dinggus said:

I understand, but when I travel I'm just doing simple editing and creating a simple powerpoint and then I upload it to work's database.

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You call those things "simple", that's because a laptop makes those things simple. Try doing that from a toaster, not so simple.

Just because one device makes something simple doesn't mean the task is simple for every device.

kevroc said:

You call those things "simple", that's because a laptop makes those things simple. Try doing that from a toaster, not so simple.

Just because one device makes something simple doesn't mean the task is simple for every device.

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A toaster can't do word processing,

an iPad can.

Look into Google Drive. That has offline mode, and you can export to the Office formats on the web version. Spreadsheet editing was just added the last update.

Office for iPad won't be out until next year.

I use iAnnotate to work with PDFs (although WritePDF might be a better alternative for you if you are filling in forms).

DocsToGo and QuickOffice for Office docs on the go, Pages for creating new docs on the go.

IThoughtsHD, Notability and Evernote for note taking.

OmniFocus and SmallTask for task management.

Agenda as my calendar.

Sente and DropBox for PDF management.

dinggus said:

Just what I wanted, recommendations!

Thank you. Is Adobe Reader not good enough to fill out forms? Reason I ask is because I pulled up a PDF and was able to highlight things and annotate.

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If it works for what you need, it's good enough!

Pages
Numbers
Keynote
GoodReader
iA Writer
Dropbox

I would ask one additional basic question. Are you coming from a Mac to the iPad or a Windows desktop? If the Mac your good to go because you understand the limitations of the iPad/Mac world, but if you are coming from the Windows world you will not be very productive.

It will be a whole new way of thinking using the iPad. You will be very limited to what you may be able to do with the iPad...Just know that it seems to me that nothing within the iPad speaks to anything else within the iPad. An iPad app product is nothing on the iPad. It only becomes something once you drop the application product somewhere off the iPad. I have learned that there is no file system within the iOS world such that a file can be moved to another application. It is only the applications product as a hard copy that is available to you and only once it leaves the iPad somehow.

For office files we use Polaris in our company. It does quite a god job on PPT and Excel. Of course it runs into limits but a bit later compared to iWorks.

Macman45 said:

I can't envisage a situation where just the Ipad would suffice in a work based environment.

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In my company our global CEO requested a single device policy for our field force. It require a change people working. Actually reduce the number of EXCEL files send around by email, go into a solid backend system/private cloud.
And using newly created digital content for marketing.
We finished the rollout for our part; some apps still to be deliverd. Ask me in six month if we were successful

Macman45 said:

I can't envisage a situation where just the Ipad would suffice in a work based environment.

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This means the iPad, or your imagination, is inadequate. Sales people showing presentations to potential customers, presentations prepared by others or prepared by the sales staff who have access to a virtual desktop via the iPad.

dinggus said:

I'm proud to say I left Windows back in 2010.

I just need to make simple power points, pictures and then a description to the pictures, that's it.

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I want to get there too...I just need to understand better the iOS world. I just found an article that reset my expectations and now I can better manage them regarding what I think I can do on my iPad. I really like the security features of being locked down so well but just need to better understand the iOS environment.

dinggus said:

Being sarcastic about "being locked down"?

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Not that I was aware of...it is locked down as I understand it. That is what the strong "sandbox" concept does for all apps. No app can see another apps document subfolder under that other app. If you want to see an app's document in another app one has to take it out off the system and bring it back in, that is if the second app can read the first app's document off system location.

Macman45 said:

An Ipad is not and never will be a laptop replacement. You can purchase apps which will do the tasks you describe, but it's a complimentary device, not a replacement.

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Hm, I had to pay for my iPad...

Try complementary.

Whether it's complementary or a replacement is really a subjective matter. There are those using it without a computer whether you do or not.

CloudOn
DropBox

dinggus said:

There's no way to transfer documents like stated above? I know OPlayer lets me open up the IPort to transfer media files.

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Sorry, I was replying to your original post.