Pages and ms word?

[Ruffian829]

I'm looking for a basic document creation app where I'll be able to easily put them on my Mac for the tough editing stuff. I don't have pages on my Mac I have ms Word. If I get the iPad pages app will I be able to open the files in word on my Mac? Is there a better app for this?

Thanks!

 

[LostLogik]

Yes, the Pages app on the iPad will export a Word version of your document for editing on your computer. There isn't really anything better but there are alternatives, DocsToGo for instance but I prefer Pages. It's a better experience. However, as with all conversions, it isn't perfect.

 

[palpatine]

ugh. not recommended. pages and word don't play together well. in my case, i do all of the text stuff on my ipad, and do the formatting later on my mac. i try to avoid editing formatted stuff on my ipad.

 

[thunderbunny]

With iCloud you can create a Pages document on the iPad, and then download it in word format from iCloud.com

 

[Ruffian829]

Palpatine which program do you use on the iPad before editing on your Mac? What you described is what I want to do- all major editing on the laptop.

 

[swedefish]

I think you're right about wanting to do your formatting on your Mac; imo the iPad is not at all suited for formatting and I'd go as far as saying that Pages for iPad is a bit of a waste unless you really desire the iCloud syncing. Even the built-in notepad would be sufficiant for text entry and export to your computer for formatting/editing. If the standard notepad isn't up to par, I'd suggest getting WriteRoom for iPad, which has Dropbox sync. It's a great no-frills plain text word processor.

 

[Ruffian829]

Will icloud allow me to sync from iOS pages into ms word? Not sure if I understand how it all works?

 

[swedefish]

Will icloud allow me to sync from iOS pages into ms word? Not sure if I understand how it all works?

I'm absolutely no expert on iCloud, in fact, I am still confused about exactly what's so great about it, but i will provide my understanding of it. If you use Pages, the documents you create will be saved to the cloud and thus if you open a document on your Mac and then save it you will be able to open the most recent save on Pages for iPad without having to go through a sync process--"it just works".

The thing with most iOS apps is that they store the documents in the app as opposed to in an OS folder (eg the Documents folder in Mac OS). So I think you will be hard pressed finding a Mac app that stores the documents in the app like on iOS. However, if you're mainly concerned with sharing text documents between Mac and iOS, Dropbox is a great resource for keeping documents synced. By saving shared documents to Dropbox you will be able to create text on the iPad and open and format on the Mac. If you save in .rtf format on the Mac you will be able to also open and edit the text on the iPad using, eg WriteRoom for iPad. However, if what you desire is to create and share formatted documents and retain formatting when editing on the iPad, I think you will have a hard time accomplishing that using any software other than Pages. There is also Evernote, which some people swear by but I don't want to comment on it as I have never used it.

 

[Bergryen]

I cant say anything. i dont know much about it.

 

[Ruffian829]

All I'm really Looking for is a simple word processor app for the iPad that I can "sync" or transfer docs to ms word on my MacBook (because I dont have pages) via dropbox, icloud, or anything else.

 

[Ashwood11]

I'm looking for a basic document creation app where I'll be able to easily put them on my Mac for the tough editing stuff. I don't have pages on my Mac I have ms Word. If I get the iPad pages app will I be able to open the files in word on my Mac? Is there a better app for this?

Thanks!

I would get Pages on my iPad!

 

[swedefish]

All I'm really Looking for is a simple word processor app for the iPad that I can "sync" or transfer docs to ms word on my MacBook (because I dont have pages) via dropbox, icloud, or anything else.

If you are adamant about working with .doc, I'd go for something like Quickoffice Pro, which syncs over Dropbox and Wi-fi. If you are ok with .rtf, I'd choose WriteRoom for iPad which syncs with Dropbox. A dark horse option is to use Evernote, which is very popular (actually, I believe Quickoffice syncs with Evernote as well). I think what you ought to do is check out reviews for the apps mentioned in this thread and see what other users are saying, check video demos etc to figure what will work for you. Or, if you have money to spare and you're choosing between two apps--buy both and try your way with them.

 

[palpatine]

Palpatine which program do you use on the iPad before editing on your Mac? What you described is what I want to do- all major editing on the laptop.

I prefer to save my formatting until the end of a project, and thereby avoid all of the headaches with Word, Pages, and other similar products.

I write my drafts and revisions in SimpleNote or VoodooPad. Then, I sync (in the case of SimpleNote) or copy (in the case of VoodooPad) the content into Scrivener in OSX on my Macbook Pro. The iPad is not designed well when it comes to handling rich text, and I think it is generally best to use it for content production. I do, however, use three types of markup (recognized by Scrivener and many other apps) for minimal formatting. A marked up line in my file might look like this: I hear that *italics* and **bold** are great for making text look cool.{{see Brown, 1999, 205}}. That markup gives you italics, bold, and footnotes. That is the vast majority of what I need. Centering, margins, and all of that silliness can be messed with at the end in the final stage.

It might seem a little clunky if you are used to using word processors, but I think it is a lot more efficient. In addition, it is MUCH more widely compatible, takes up less memory, and is actually faster to create.

 

[Ashwood11]

The iPad is not designed well when it comes to handling rich text

The design of the iPad has nothing to do with the handling of rich text. It is not a hardware issue. The problem is the limitations of the app which you are using to create the text.

 

[palpatine]

The design of the iPad has nothing to do with the handling of rich text. It is not a hardware issue. The problem is the limitations of the app which you are using to create the text.

i did not say it was a hardware issue, and i did not mean to imply that. it is apparently a software issue, and apple did not design the ios to handle rich text well. for example, safari seems to be missing some component that would have enabled developers to create something browser based to work around ios problems.

i am not a developer. i only know what developers say. evernote has been working on it for a while and only a few days ago finally managed to implement it. they said it was tough. i believe them.

there must be a reason why so few apps support such a basic thing as rich text, and even well-reviewed and well-supported apps still get buggy when exporting rich text.

anyhow, as i said, writing with minimal markup seems to solve most of my formatting needs, it takes up less memory, and the final product is widely supported.

 

[mortenandersen]

It is foremost - perhaps exclusively - a hardware issue!

The design of the iPad has nothing to do with the handling of rich text. It is not a hardware issue. The problem is the limitations of the app which you are using to create the text.

It is exactly the design and hardware of the iPad that make it VERY INCONVENIENT TO USE as a device to produce/write large masses of text, and the main reason is that it is (just) a tablet or just a screen, without a physical keyboard, which you are absolutely dependent on to make a longer text. Of course, you may have an external physical keyboard, but that is NOT the point here, because that makes it necessary to carry around TWO units, a screen (called iPad) AND a keyboard.

The iPad is best for consuming, for instance looking at web sites, pictures and reading ebooks. Not much more...

 

[swedefish]

It is exactly the design and hardware of the iPad that make it VERY INCONVENIENT TO USE as a device to produce/write large masses of text, and the main reason is that it is (just) a tablet or just a screen, without a physical keyboard, which you are absolutely dependent on to make a longer text. Of course, you may have an external physical keyboard, but that is NOT the point here, because that makes it necessary to carry around TWO units, a screen (called iPad) AND a keyboard.

The iPad is best for consuming, for instance looking at web sites, pictures and reading ebooks. Not much more...

That still has nothing to do with how the iPad handles rich text.

 

[Ruffian829]

That still has nothing to do with how the iPad handles rich text.

Nor does it help in any way with the question I asked...
The fact that I carry around an iPad and a keyboard or not is irrelevant.

I'm just looking for an app to do basic document creation on, that I can later open in ms word and have most of the basic formatting hold through (paragraphs, and possibly bold/italic/underline)

Thanks to those of you who did help and offer suggestions.

 

[bmat]

Pages will hold basic formatting that you mention. But I don't like using it when I have heavily formatted documents (no iPad app does that). I use docs to go also because it will show track changes when I open a document with them. Pages just accepts them. But that is more fo reading purposes when someone sends a brief with edits and I want to see the edits. I wouldn't edit it in either, as the formatting would be lost.

 

[palpatine]

mortenandersen is wrong. i produce the vast majority of my work on the ipad. i also consume on it. for some people, it can easily handle both consumption and creation. for others, it may not. your mileage may vary, depending on what you are doing with it.

as for this external keyboard complaint, that is kind of like saying a desktop is useless because it requires a monitor or a keyboard. the beauty of the ipad is that you can choose. one moment it may be a fabulous ereader. another one it might be very similar to a laptop. except, it weighs about as much as the macbook air with the keyboard, has about twice as much battery life, and costs a lot less.

as for the op's question about formatting, evernote handles rich text. pages handles rich text. many other programs do as well. a lot of people want to move seamlessly between microsoft word on osx and the ipad, and that is where the trouble starts. but, that is a different issue.

in my case, i produce my work on elements in the ipad (it handles markdown well) and do the final stages with scrivener (osx) on my macbook pro.

 

[mortenandersen]

I take the critic

mortenandersen is wrong. i produce the vast majority of my work on the ipad. i also consume on it. for some people, it can easily handle both consumption and creation. for others, it may not. your mileage may vary, depending on what you are doing with it.

as for this external keyboard complaint, that is kind of like saying a desktop is useless because it requires a monitor or a keyboard. the beauty of the ipad is that you can choose. one moment it may be a fabulous ereader. another one it might be very similar to a laptop. except, it weighs about as much as the macbook air with the keyboard, has about twice as much battery life, and costs a lot less.

as for the op's question about formatting, evernote handles rich text. pages handles rich text. many other programs do as well. a lot of people want to move seamlessly between microsoft word on osx and the ipad, and that is where the trouble starts. but, that is a different issue.

in my case, i produce my work on elements in the ipad (it handles markdown well) and do the final stages with scrivener (osx) on my macbook pro.

All in all, I agree with palpatine's post, and I disagree with myself in my earlier post above on the "impossibility" of creating/writing use of an iPad with or without an external keyboard. However, I will maintain that the two unit solution has its inconvenient aspects also. But, I was far too absolute and also in fact wrong, as palpatine points out so well. And I also see (and use!) the OBVIOUS advantages of the iPad, for example as a web browser and ebook reader, among many other ways of intelligent use.

 

[palpatine]

All in all, I agree with palpatine's post, and I disagree with myself in my earlier post above on the "impossibility" of creating/writing use a iPad with or without an external keyboard. However, I will maintain that the two unit solution has its inconvenient aspects also. But, I was far too absolute and also in fact wrong, as palpatine points out so well. And I also see (and use!) the OBVIOUS advantages of the iPad, for example as a web browser and ebook reader, among several other ways of use.

very kind post. it sounds like we are in agreement.

although i feel like the wireless keyboard is very convenient (it all fits in my small man purse), i'll add some more to your point about the inconvenient aspects of the ipad, though, and say that the ipad requires compromise, forethought, and extra preparation in order to do simple things that you could sometimes do without a second thought with a computer--an example of this would be uploading a file to a website. the ipad certainly won't work for everyone as a content creation device.

that said, it can be done, and for some people it will be worth the effort. in terms of rich text and basic formatting, evernote is a free way to get started, but there are lots and lots of choices out there.

 

[Ruffian829]

Soo would you guys recommend pages or documents to go?

My hesitation with pages is it's lack of syncing (I don't have mobile me) and docs to go supports dropbox... But will icloud solve this?

 

[palpatine]

Soo would you guys recommend pages or documents to go?

My hesitation with pages is it's lack of syncing (I don't have mobile me) and docs to go supports dropbox... But will icloud solve this?

neither. i'd recommend what i recommended

 

[Ruffian829]

neither. i'd recommend what i recommended

Right, my bad lol. I had to re-read the posts here, I believe my icloud question was already answered as well I'll blame this on my six month old = sleep deprivation.

On that note I think I am just going to get pages. Mainly b/c of the UI and I have no need for power points, spreadsheets, etc. I don't think I'll be that great at the *italics* and **bold** system and hopefully with icloud it'll do all that I need.