MS Office files?

[DaveHamilton]

I have tried emailing docx, ppts and xls files to myself; making them into google docs (kinda works with lots of extra effort). iWork just does a poor job and I can't edit any of them. Most the time the iPad just chokes. I'm a college teacher and get a constant stream of ms office formated files to open, change resend .. for this the iPad is very frustrating. If this is going to be a real working device it needs to handle standard file types .. my android phone can.

Can anyone enlighten me in what they have found?

 

[LadyHoneyBabe]

I don't think Pages reads .docx, try saving your Word document as .doc

 

[aristobrat]

I don't have any problems editing emailed .docx files in Pages on my iPad. I didn't buy Keynote or Numbers, so don't know about editing in those.

It's all probably going to boil down to how big the files are, and if the iPad version of what you're using to edit supports all of the features embedded in the documents.

Is Apple's iWork the only choice for editing on the iPad? I know the free GoodReader embeds itself such on the iPod that when you have an email attachment and click "Open in..." it's list there, along side iWork. I'm sure other Office editors will be coming along, if they're not there now.

 

[smoked]

Yup it was pretty disappointing trying to do anything in iWork. Too many things it has to convert to even open the files, so what you end up with is similar but fundamentally changed. Not a viable method to work with files, unfortunately. Maybe someday Microsoft will put out an office suite for iPad.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I would use Ipad as a secondary source. If you can use your laptop, i would recommend that. You can use pages by emailing documents to yourself but that is so annoying not efficient.

Until there is a good solution using maybe a way to connect to your home computer to sync with your documents. The Ipad will be rather gimped. The best solution on the Ipad is edit a document and when you feel it is complete then carry over, but I wouldn't keep alot of documents on it.

I think as the iPad evolves, this will evolve into something we like. As of right now, its more of a multimedia device than a work horse.

 

[e²Studios]

I don't have any problems editing emailed .docx files in Pages on my iPad. I didn't buy Keynote or Numbers, so don't know about editing in those.

It's all probably going to boil down to how big the files are, and if the iPad version of what you're using to edit supports all of the features embedded in the documents.

Is Apple's iWork the only choice for editing on the iPad? I know the free GoodReader embeds itself such on the iPod that when you have an email attachment and click "Open in..." it's list there, along side iWork. I'm sure other Office editors will be coming along, if they're not there now.

How is the formatting of the docx files when pages on the iPad converts them? Can you save it as docx, or will it save as doc? I want to pull the trigger with pages, but I also want to make sure I can open doc/docx as well as save in doc and/or docx without the document getting disformed by a document converter.

 

[8CoreWhore]

If you can, tell your students to save as and send .doc .rtf. I'm sure I read somewhere that the Pages default file was really .rtf so you can just change the extension not convert.

 

[aristobrat]

How is the formatting of the docx files when pages on the iPad converts them? Can you save it as docx, or will it save as doc? I want to pull the trigger with pages, but I also want to make sure I can open doc/docx as well as save in doc and/or docx without the document getting disformed by a document converter.

I have no problems with it messing with the formatting of either .DOC or .DOCX, but the files I'm working with have simple formatting. When you save it on the iPad, it's always saved in its native type. When you go to email/export it off of the iPad, the three export formats are Pages, PDF, or Doc.

I agree w/ Dammit Cubs. The iPad, as shipped, seems multi-media focused. Now that there are tons of people trying to make it into more of a productivity device, someone will come along and fill the "I can't very well edit some Office files" gap, esp. since there's money to be made filling that gap.

 

[Global2]

It looks like the iPad version of Documents to Go Premium, when it is released, will fill this gap.