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The iPad is a great viewing device but not so good creating and editing

G

GadgetAddict

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 10, 2010
391
1
Brooklyn, NY
Who's with me on this?

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad. I've been using it for months and I am very happy with it, no regrets whatsoever. Watching shows and reading books on the subway? There's nothing better. Quickly viewing PDFs with colleagues? Again, it even beats a laptop.

But when it comes to actually doing some work, such as preparing documents and spreadsheets, I always use my computer no matter how simple the task. I've got pretty much all the available office suites for the iPad and I am using them just for viewing, not creating stuff.

Then look at the iPad apps on the App Store. Besides the remote desktop apps I can't really find any other apps where you can actually do some work. For entertainment, reading, quick reference, interactive "education" (i.e. The Elements, etc) and many other tasks the iPad is amazing but when it comes to doing "work" I don't think it delivers. I'm not blaming Apple or the developers.

Anyways, that's my opinion and experience so far, I hope I don't get stones thrown at me... Instead, I hope others can share their opinions as well.
 
GadgetAddict said:
Who's with me on this?

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad. I've been using it for months and I am very happy with it, no regrets whatsoever. Watching shows and reading books on the subway? There's nothing better. Quickly viewing PDFs with colleagues? Again, it even beats a laptop.

But when it comes to actually doing some work, such as preparing documents and spreadsheets, I always use my computer no matter how simple the task. I've got pretty much all the available office suites for the iPad and I am using them just for viewing, not creating stuff.

Then look at the iPad apps on the App Store. Besides the remote desktop apps I can't really find any other apps where you can actually do some work. For entertainment, reading, quick reference, interactive "education" (i.e. The Elements, etc) and many other tasks the iPad is amazing but when it comes to doing "work" I don't think it delivers. I'm not blaming Apple or the developers.

Anyways, that's my opinion and experience so far, I hope I don't get stones thrown at me... Instead, I hope others can share their opinions as well.
Click to expand...

Can't agree with you on this one dude. I have a 17 inch MBP, a few months old that gets not a whole lot of love. I've now moved much of my photo library to my iPad and edit them there while on the move. I can write docs, some spreadsheets (I would be lying if I said it was perfect cause it ain't), and a few other things. Yes a full size computer can do more but when out and about nothing beats my iPad for getting things done.

Cheers.
 
I'm pretty sure I've seen this discussion last week... and the week before that... and the week before *that*. :cool:

I do agree that creating stuff on the iPad is not as easy to do as on desktop/laptops. If I'm at home or at the office, yes, I use my desktops to type anything, however short. However, I do find it convenient to be able to get some work done while sitting in a subway, bus, or coffee shop. I don't want to lag my laptop around on the off chance that I'd have a spare moment or two to get some work done, but keeping an iPad in my backpack at all times is a no-brainer.
 
The lack of tactile feedback is a hinderance to doing any involved task on it, but for simple stuff it's easier.
 
I do extensive writing and editing on it directly at this point, mostly using the virtual keyboard, not the Bluetooth that I do keep in reserve. I also do a fairly substantial amount of photo editing. It did take some getting used to, and there are some things I have to work around a bit, but it does work. And once you're used to it, it works fairly well.

So no, I can't agree with you at all. But to each his own. I can see where spreadsheets would be a problem, though.
 
So, what you're saying is that the iPhone is not as functional as the iPad which is not as functional as a MacBook which is not as functional as an iMac which is not as functional as a Mac Pro which is not as functional as a supercomputer?

I'm sensing a pattern, almost as if it's part of the Apple business model. :eek:
 
Add me to the list of those who don't agree. Maybe it's down to the type of work people are trying to do, but I find the Ipad is excellent for creative work - drawing/painting, apps for which there are MANY choices, and even writing, especially if you have a bluetooth keyboard. Because of its simple interface, there are few distractions and that allows much better concentration, whereas my computer, which allows so many open windows at once, etc., is ripe for distraction. Maybe using a separate keyboard seems to get away from the purity of the Ipad alone, but I think that using the Ipad itself is what is important - it keeps me more on task than any other device I own.

That said, if I were involved in typical office-work, data-entry, yes, i could see your point. Maybe that's not a good way to use the Ipad. And I would never recommend the Ipad for that. To me, the Ipad is meant strictly for enjoyment, for things you like doing, and a computer is meant for work, for the things you have to do.
 
I use my ipad mainly as a media consumption device and I also believe that it isn't a great device to create advanced documents or big excel sheets. Of course the ipad has other strong points. I use it as a note taker, both professionally and privately. I can also see others using it creatively working on other things, so I partly disagree with the OP.
 
I don't mind doing some work on my iPad. I've got a lot of PDFs on here for like chemistry revision and stuff. I make a few mind maps on here and I also do my write ups for computing on here as it's a lot easier as they're generally no more than 3 pages.
 
Yeah, I fall into the camp of folks that do a lot of content creation on the iPad.

The iPad makes is really easy to capture rough ideas, sketch things, outline stuff, polish and fine-tune text. I do a lot of my mock-ups, and most of my drafts on my iPad. My iMac is reserved for coding and very detail oriented image work.

I use Numbers more on the iPad now than on the iMac. @_@ I didn't expect that. It's just that the iPad is so much more convenient and accessible than my MacBook or iMac. I store all of my work in the cloud, so I can grab and update stuff from my desktop, phone, laptop, or iPad.

I had some trouble with Wiki's (I use them a lot) because Mobile Safari doesn't like web text editing forms much. But I fixed that problem.

So yeah, I can see how some folks might use the iPad mostly for consumption. That's okay. But for folks that like making stuff -- the iPad works pretty well.
 
In the months i've owned my iPad, I doubt i've even used my Mac for an hour in total. And my work is almost completely creative.

I honestly believe creative areas like Music, Video editing, Art, Photo editing, Visual FX, and Visual design work in general are all better suited to multi-touchscreen computers like the iPad; a million times better than using a keyboard and mouse. (Even though a lot of Apps may not be up to standard yet, this is where i see it headed.) The only area I think suffers a bit on this kind of computer is writing. Writing is something you don't do in a visual, hands-on approach, it's something that needs to be translated into words and typing.

Although, to overcome that you can always buy a physical keyboard.
 
Thank you all very much for your input to this discussion.

Let me be more specific of my perspective. I am a structural engineer. I deal with a lot of drawings and a ton of calculations. Up to a few days ago if I wanted to show to someone some drawings on my iPad I had to print them as PDFs. Now I cad use Autocad WS. But again I can only view and do some very minor editing. Thus pretty much only viewing. Not that I am complaining or have any expectations of making complicated drawings on a 9.7" touch device.

My biggest problem is with documents. I know you can write pages after pages of text without a hitch but try to put some equations. Not possible.

I can see how you can use some truly awesome apps for photo editing but come on, don't tell me you complete put Photoshop aside. I've altered some portraits of my gf on SketchMee HD and the result was amazing but I consider this a recreational activity not professional. On the other hand, present some pictures you've worked on with the iPad and with a computer. iPad is so much better no doubt!

And that's what I'm pointing out; viewing and presenting vs. actually creating.
 
Oh I definitely do a lot of content creating on my iPad. I actually typed a whole Paper on my iPhone 3g on the team bus for one of my away football games, then edited it once i got to the hotel. My laptop had died. This was before the iPad. When the iPad came out, I was already an iOS content creation expert. :D
 
its very limited for content creation. anyone doing image editing on an ipad is an idealogue. i hope apple improves stylus response and that the ipad can become a true sketch device. in the future the tablet will evolve a bookcover like keyboard that can flip all the way around for tablet use or sit perpendicular like a laptop. your iphone will be able to be used as a mouse when one is required. but content creation is only half the game, and the ipad is already an excellent reader and media viewer.

compare the 2000 imac to the current imac--things change, and improve
 
I agree with OP. Love the ipad for websurfing and games, but i dont like typing on it at all. I really miss the arrow keys and the delete key when editing text.
 
Hi All, I strongly agree that ipad is not easy for data entry .

In order to make the data entry easy .

I found ipad numbers have a good spread sheet allow me to enter very fast. the template name is call " Auto Log " , which is very easy for data entry .

I have already created a excel file , need to convert to number in order for me to use ipad for update data.

Hope some one who are number expert , can help me , as i am windows user.

http://www.box.net/shared/k8rzrsqjam

Above is the link which you can download my excel doc
 
GadgetAddict said:
I can see how you can use some truly awesome apps for photo editing but come on, don't tell me you complete put Photoshop aside.
Click to expand...

Actually, I opened Photoshop for the first time in six months last night. Frankly, even when I was shooting professionally, I spent more time in Lightroom than Photoshop. LOL If they'd port Lightroom to the iPad, I'd be in Heaven!

I use Filterstorm for the majority of my photo editing on the iPad, and I can honestly say there's nothing I've missed so far on that score. I've done some pretty complex edits in that app and had outstanding results. The one thing I can't do is work with RAW files, hence the need for LR & PS the other night. But a lot of times, if you have a well exposed JPEG, the RAW isn't really necessary for non paid shooting/editing.

What I could see doing, were I still doing weddings and portraits, is uploading first to the iPad, culling 10-15 shots for quick edits of the JPEGs, typing up a blog entry to go with them, and posting directly from the iPad. That would've made my life a whole lot easier, and my clients would've been ecstatic to have such a quick preview of their event.

I can see why it wouldn't be as useful in your line of work...yet. Hopefully one day it will be!
 
It seems to be an app problem or rather the lack of decent apps at this point in time. I've only had my iOad about a month and I've spent a lot of that time trying to find apps that will do what I need to do and that I can open and edit on my laptop PC. I've found one or two but need two or three more to cover moat of my needs. I think that as time goes by and more business users become iPad users, more productivity apps will appear and more work will be done on the iPad. Till then I'll just make do, cause the iPad is much easier to carry around and use than my laptop.
 
Th Ipad is a great tool for text work, not full layout advertising sort of thing yet (no apps that I know of) and basic spreadsheet work.

I use a wireless BT Mac keyboard when I type and it is a great combination. Now throw in music (with 4.2 Beta) while I type in Pages and browse the internet on Atomic Browser, watch a recorded video or two and finally settle in for a good story, and there you have it a fantastic device for work and relaxation.

Face it all of you really want this device!
 
As a photographer I wouldn't dream of editing pix on my iPad. It's not just the scaled-down apps, it's the size of the screen. I edit pix (Aperture, Photoshop), on my24in iMac, where I can really see what I'm doing.

BUT... my iPad is great for showing pictures to people. This can be one-to-one: I hand the iPad to someone, who can scroll through a selection of pix at his own pace. Or, as happened at the weekend, I can show pix on a big screen to 150 people in a small theatre, with the iPad plugged into the projection system. Just me, a lecturn and the iPad: a hassle-free way to present pix. And the quality was excellent, even when blown up to a size of about 3x5metres.
 
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