iPad Pro ipad pro and PowerPoint

[Kenzo Kabuto]

Currently I own a mac mini in office and use a iPhone 6s Plus on the go
In office I mostly use word excel and PowerPoint plus a couple of company software via parallels
Now I need some more comfortable than the iPhone for my on the go work especially for PowerPoint
Extremely portability is a must
MacBook retina seems the best choice but it's too expensive so I'm considering air 13" vs iPad Pro 12.9
iPad downside is the lack of parallel I know but I'm wondering if is still a viable option for PowerPoint
I must admit I'm a little dubious about the lack of a file manager: how am I supposed to copy and past things?
Could you please share your experience?

 

[Mobileadam]

The problem I have will PP on an iPad isn't the lack of traditional file storage but the idea of having 2 different PP files open at the same time. Most of my slide packs are put together from existing ones and it rare I create something completely new and therefore I can struggle using the iPad. I do quite like the interface though, I find it quick to work with and image manipulation is easy.

 

[Booji]

Copy and paste among flies is a hassle - you have to open one, and close another, and open again.

If you use a cloud service like Dropbox or iCloud, then it's almost like having a hard drive...as long as you are online all the time. It's problematic when you have to go offline - requires that you keep another copy of the file as you work on it.

 

[M. Gustave]

Copy and paste among flies is a hassle - you have to open one, and close another, and open again.

That's only true if OP is asking about copy/paste from one PowerPoint file to another. He didn't specifically say that.

But it looks like he abandoned this thread anyway. Maybe the point was just to get the words "lack of a file manager" out there yet again.

 

[Kenzo Kabuto]

Actually since I don't have one there's few things that I can add as contribution to discussion

My needs are exactly the same of mobileadam: merge and divide already existing presentations, with integration of contents (pictures, media, graphs...) taken from other places... which I think is the most common way to make presentations
AFAICS there is a point in my perplexity about the "lack of a FM" since booji suggest to use a cloud service (that I read as "use a cloud based file manager"!!!)

I'd love to keep collecting thought instead ending this thread simply writing "maybe an air is a better (but bulkier) answer to my needs"

 

[bensisko]

I work with PowerPoint a lot more than I care to in my job. I'll tell you this: while it's possible for the iPad to be a great solution for you (especially if you're keeping the Mac Mini), you're probably better off with a MacBook.

For me, I do the majority of my PowerPoint work on the iPad.
Advantages:

• It adds an element of "fun" to be working on it with a touch display - it's a different feeling of interacting with elements on a slide.
• If I need a picture in my PowerPoint, it has direct access to the camera and my photo library (where I store all my assets).
• Aligning and working with graphics is a lot easier
• With the iPad Pro, it's SO MUCH easier to draw on the slide. I don't need to go into another application to illustrate a concept. Sure you can do this with the mouse, but it's not even close to as convienant (and I've gotten pretty good at drawing in PP with a mouse)
• Writing and highlighting on the screen is also GREAT for reviewing!
• On the iPad, it's extremely portable.
• The 'lack of a traditional file manager' for me is a plus. I know exactly where to go for the elements I need. Most elements come from my Photo Library - I don't have to remember what folder it's in or where I put it - simple. If I want to open another PowerPoint, I don't have to go searching for it or remember where I put it - it's right there in the list. For me, it's as simple and convienant as you can get!

Disadvantages

• Working with videos inserted in PP is tricky. All my videos are in, or converted to, MP4. The problem is, compatibility on Windows is... Complicated. MP4 doesn't always work on Windows. For a while I was bringing it back to my desktop and converting the videos to Windows Media and re-inserting. Now, I upload the videos to an internal streaming server and insert a link.
• You can't work with plugins. On the desktop, I have a plugin that allows me to build interactions compatible with the "clickers" (polling devices).

As far as merging PowerPoint files, I have no issues. It's not the same as doing it on the desktop, but for me it's not an issue and I've become quite adept at it.

Bottom Line: There are defiantly advantages to working on the iPad, but you have to allow yourself to work differently on the iPad than you would on the desktop (especially if you're a "power user"). If you're not going to allow your workflow to be modified or take the time to adapt, you're better off with the desktop version you know and love.

 

[Booji]

yes

Actually since I don't have one there's few things that I can add as contribution to discussion

My needs are exactly the same of mobileadam: merge and divide already existing presentations, with integration of contents (pictures, media, graphs...) taken from other places... which I think is the most common way to make presentations
AFAICS there is a point in my perplexity about the "lack of a FM" since booji suggest to use a cloud service (that I read as "use a cloud based file manager"!!!)

I'd love to keep collecting thought instead ending this thread simply writing "maybe an air is a better (but bulkier) answer to my needs"

People that work a lot with PowerPoint - especially consultants - "reuse" is an important skill. If you use iOS as your main device, you can do it, its just not very easy.

 

[xraydoc]

The iPad is a great PowerPoint presentation tool. Very light and portable, battery that lasts 2x what most laptops do, PP for iOS supports a presenter view (as does Keynote) and can be used with an iPhone or Apple Watch as a remote control. It's also very nice for editing and refining a presentation on-the-go like on a plane or in a hotel room.

It is, however, limited if you need to create big media-heavy presentations from scratch. Lack of a file browser isn't really the issue if you've got your assets available on cloud storage like OneDrive or Dropbox, but the lack of multiple windows precludes drag & drop or copying slide stacks from one presentation to another is tougher on something like the iPad (or Android as well). It's simply a limit of the OS's mobile background versus a laptop's desktop OS.

I've created plenty of text and image-rich presentations on my iPad in Keynote without the file ever being opened or edited on a conventional Mac, but I keep my assets on cloud-based storage and fortunately don't need to keep multiple files open simultaneously. But if you do, the iPad will be limiting and probably frustrating. So for more complex usage, the better tool is a traditional laptop (or desktop, of course).

I did spend a solid 9 months with a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 in an attempt to cover both bases - mobile/tablet and general-purpose desktop OS. Turns out, IMHO, the SP3 makes a poor tablet and a cumbersome laptop. I don't believe there's yet a device paradigm that can fill both niches.

 

[Kenzo Kabuto]

I did spend a solid 9 months with a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 in an attempt to cover both bases - mobile/tablet and general-purpose desktop OS. Turns out, IMHO, the SP3 makes a poor tablet and a cumbersome laptop. I don't believe there's yet a device paradigm that can fill both niches.

As a former user of SP3 I can confirm the tablet part is IMHO a joke, mainly for the lack of a good gestures paradigm

back to topic, how do you manage adding multimedia contents? "add" button? copy&past?

 

[bensisko]

As a former user of SP3 I can confirm the tablet part is IMHO a joke, mainly for the lack of a good gestures paradigm

back to topic, how do you manage adding multimedia contents? "add" button? copy&past?

You can copy/paste, or go to the Insert tab, then choose the element you want to add.

 

[sracer]

I work with PowerPoint a lot more than I care to in my job. I'll tell you this: while it's possible for the iPad to be a great solution for you (especially if you're keeping the Mac Mini), you're probably better off with a MacBook.

For me, I do the majority of my PowerPoint work on the iPad.
Advantages:

• It adds an element of "fun" to be working on it with a touch display - it's a different feeling of interacting with elements on a slide.
• If I need a picture in my PowerPoint, it has direct access to the camera and my photo library (where I store all my assets).
• Aligning and working with graphics is a lot easier
• With the iPad Pro, it's SO MUCH easier to draw on the slide. I don't need to go into another application to illustrate a concept. Sure you can do this with the mouse, but it's not even close to as convienant (and I've gotten pretty good at drawing in PP with a mouse)
• Writing and highlighting on the screen is also GREAT for reviewing!
• On the iPad, it's extremely portable.
• The 'lack of a traditional file manager' for me is a plus. I know exactly where to go for the elements I need. Most elements come from my Photo Library - I don't have to remember what folder it's in or where I put it - simple. If I want to open another PowerPoint, I don't have to go searching for it or remember where I put it - it's right there in the list. For me, it's as simple and convienant as you can get!

Disadvantages

• Working with videos inserted in PP is tricky. All my videos are in, or converted to, MP4. The problem is, compatibility on Windows is... Complicated. MP4 doesn't always work on Windows. For a while I was bringing it back to my desktop and converting the videos to Windows Media and re-inserting. Now, I upload the videos to an internal streaming server and insert a link.
• You can't work with plugins. On the desktop, I have a plugin that allows me to build interactions compatible with the "clickers" (polling devices).

As far as merging PowerPoint files, I have no issues. It's not the same as doing it on the desktop, but for me it's not an issue and I've become quite adept at it.

Bottom Line: There are defiantly advantages to working on the iPad, but you have to allow yourself to work differently on the iPad than you would on the desktop (especially if you're a "power user"). If you're not going to allow your workflow to be modified or take the time to adapt, you're better off with the desktop version you know and love.

Great advice here. The OP would be wise to heed it.

I'd like to add an additional disadvantage to using the iPad Pro for PowerPoint... or any presentation software... especially in using the device for actually presenting.

• Lack of support for presentation remotes. Apple's "official" solution is to use an iPhone, iPod Touch, or Apple watch as a remote. That is a VERY poor solution... so poor that Apple execs themselves don't do that when they present. I use a little Targus presentation remote with my 11" Macbook Air. Terrific little remote with an ultrathin USB receiver (that stores inside the remote itself when not in use)
  
  There are some bluetooth remotes that claim to work with iPads but requires activating some accessibility option and even with that it isn't very reliable.

 

[bensisko]

• Lack of support for presentation remotes. Apple's "official" solution is to use an iPhone, iPod Touch, or Apple watch as a remote. That is a VERY poor solution... so poor that Apple execs themselves don't do that when they present.

I was disappointed the watch only worked with the iPhone and not any device on the same account and wifi network. Not sure if it's an MS problem or Apple problem. If I could use WiFi instead of BT, I"D like that better.

 

[Booji]

I'd say in summary that it's great for editing and light work on the go, but as an only device it would be very limiting and risky.

 

[bensisko]

I'd say in summary that it's great for editing and light work on the go, but as an only device it would be very limiting and risky.

I wouldn't go THAT far... I'd say if you're a power user who's UI is more PowerPoint than anything else, then there's a certain subset of tasks which be more difficult than on a macOS or Windows device. Each user has to decide how often they perform those tasks and if the advantages outweigh the annoyance.

For a LOT of PowerPoint work, the iPad is a perfectly capable device.