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DaveT9

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 29, 2020
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Hi
I have just got a new 12.9 2020 iPad Pro 3rd generation,

I have been a long time laptop user using Microsoft word to create or amend documents, reports and PDFs etc
Can I use the iPad for the same purposes, do I need to buy extra software, thanks, Dave
 
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Congrats on your new iPad! Yes, you can use it like a laptop for MS Word. Your workflow might be a bit different depending on whether you'll be using a separate keyboard and/or Apple Pencil, or whether you will rely on on-screen touch functions only. You can check the App Store for the iPadOS version of Word and other apps you might need for your work. Also, the 2020 12.9 is the 4th generation.
 
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Congrats on your new iPad! Yes, you can use it like a laptop for MS Word. Your workflow might be a bit different depending on whether you'll be using a separate keyboard and/or Apple Pencil, or whether you will rely on on-screen touch functions only. You can check the App Store for the iPadOS version of Word and other apps you might need for your work. Also, the 2020 12.9 is the 4th generation.
Thank you very much for your helpful reply Namara
 
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Hi
I have just got a new 12.9 2020 iPad Pro 3rd generation,

I have been a long time laptop user using Microsoft word to create or amend documents, reports and PDFs etc
Can I use the iPad for the same purposes, do I need to buy extra software, thanks, Dave
The Microsoft Word experience on iPadOS might not be as pleasurable as it is on Windows or MacOS, but it should at least get the job done.
 
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Hi
I have just got a new 12.9 2020 iPad Pro 3rd generation,

I have been a long time laptop user using Microsoft word to create or amend documents, reports and PDFs etc
Can I use the iPad for the same purposes, do I need to buy extra software, thanks, Dave

Be sure to check out that the Word on iPad fills your needs. The MS Office apps on the iPad are not full implementations of the desktop versions. You can get version details on the MS website.
 
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The Microsoft Word experience on iPadOS might not be as pleasurable as it is on Windows or MacOS, but it should at least get the job done.
Thank you automatic apple
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Be sure to check out that the Word on iPad fills your needs. The MS Office apps on the iPad are not full implementations of the desktop versions. You can get version details on the MS website.
Thank you Sparksd
 
I also highly recommend the Magic Keyboard as the trackpad is a game changer for MS Office apps on the iPad Pro (albeit it’s the “lite” version of the desktop apps).
 
Also you need to consider your Microsoft subscription. I think that if you use Microsoft apps on an iPad that is more than 9.7 inch screen you go into different subscription model and cannot use them for free.
 
Also you need to consider your Microsoft subscription. I think that if you use Microsoft apps on an iPad that is more than 9.7 inch screen you go into different subscription model and cannot use them for free.

I'm curious to know the source of that info. Based on US Microsoft 365 site, the Personal and Family products don't indicate iOS device size as a factor.
 
I'm curious to know the source of that info. Based on US Microsoft 365 site, the Personal and Family products don't indicate iOS device size as a factor.

Here's one place -


Microsoft -

 
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I'm curious to know the source of that info. Based on US Microsoft 365 site, the Personal and Family products don't indicate iOS device size as a factor.

ETA: ignore the post. I saw that someone else already answered you.
 
It might be my misunderstanding. I read this in this forum where the iPad 7 was changed from 9.7 to 10.2 inch and there was some discussion. I could be wrong and I cannot check it because I use my company Microsoft account for my iPad and this account has no restriction.

See my Microsoft link above - it's stated there.

"Some qualifying plans and all non-qualifying plans have a screen size limit of 10.1 inches for editing in the Office mobile apps. For example, if you're using an iPad Pro with a 12.9 inch screen, you must have a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan with access to the desktop apps to edit files."
 
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See my Microsoft link above - it's stated there.

"Some qualifying plans and all non-qualifying plans have a screen size limit of 10.1 inches for editing in the Office mobile apps. For example, if you're using an iPad Pro with a 12.9 inch screen, you must have a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan with access to the desktop apps to edit files."

Yeah. I saw your answer afterwards and edited mine.
 
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I use my 2018 IPad Pro 11 as a laptop everyday. As a matter of fact I do all of my work reports on Office 365 and on Microsoft Teams and I don’t miss a beat. My work laptop is basically collecting dust. The Magic Keyboard combined is making it even more easier. The iPad Pro shouldn’t be an issue in my opinion, but of course it depends on what you’ll use it for.
 
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Monthly software subscriptions can become costly over time. How good as alternatives (to use Excel) is Numbers? Google Docs only seems not too shabby as well.
 
Monthly software subscriptions can become costly over time. How good as alternatives (to use Excel) is Numbers? Google Docs only seems not too shabby as well.

Good point. I use Excel because we use Excel at work. But then again I also have the account available so I don't need to pay to use it on my iPad. My company pays for it. If this was not the case Numbers is not that bad and it can export to Excel if needed.

That being said there are some Excel specific features (like say macros) that people might want to use but honestly if people want to use those features they can't go by an iPad. They would need Windows PC. I am not sure even how much macOS supports those features.
 
Monthly software subscriptions can become costly over time. How good as alternatives (to use Excel) is Numbers? Google Docs only seems not too shabby as well.

Depends on what you are doing. If you needs are not overly complicated, those work fine. But there are a lot of compatibility issues and missing features as you do more complex things. Of course, as was pointed out above, the mobile versions are a subset of the full apps.

I have a home subscription for Office 365 for my family and if you watch somewhere like Amazon you can catch the subscription on sale - but it is an ongoing expense.
 
I use my 2018 IPad Pro 11 as a laptop everyday. As a matter of fact I do all of my work reports on Office 365 and on Microsoft Teams and I don’t miss a beat. My work laptop is basically collecting dust. The Magic Keyboard combined is making it even more easier. The iPad Pro shouldn’t be an issue in my opinion, but of course it depends on what you’ll use it for.


i have a question.. im a teacher and im planing to buy ipad pro 2020 as replacement for my laptop.. is word and excel working good with ipad pro? i mean can i do the same things that i do in my laptop? if i will use hard drive can i edit my excel file from my laptop?
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I use my 2018 IPad Pro 11 as a laptop everyday. As a matter of fact I do all of my work reports on Office 365 and on Microsoft Teams and I don’t miss a beat. My work laptop is basically collecting dust. The Magic Keyboard combined is making it even more easier. The iPad Pro shouldn’t be an issue in my opinion, but of course it depends on what you’ll use it for.


sorry if i have too much questions im just confused now before getting one
 
i have a question.. im a teacher and im planing to buy ipad pro 2020 as replacement for my laptop.. is word and excel working good with ipad pro? i mean can i do the same things that i do in my laptop? if i will use hard drive can i edit my excel file from my laptop?
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If you only do basic things on Word/Excel, it should be fine. But to give you perspective, I cannot do Word/Excel to the degree I need to because the iOS version is too gimped. The software is the issue, not the hardware on iPad.

You may be able to get by but I couldn’t. I really hope Microsoft brings the full version onto iOS soon. Then I could ditch the laptop.[/QUOTE]
 
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If you only do basic things on Word/Excel, it should be fine. But to give you perspective, I cannot do Word/Excel to the degree I need to because the iOS version is too gimped. The software is the issue, not the hardware on iPad.

You may be able to get by but I couldn’t. I really hope Microsoft brings the full version onto iOS soon. Then I could ditch the laptop.
[/QUOTE]

but how big is the difference.. i will excel for encoding only because templates are already provided by the school... while in ms word lesson plann is the only thing that is important.. basic typing..
 
I use my 2018 IPad Pro 11 as a laptop everyday. As a matter of fact I do all of my work reports on Office 365 and on Microsoft Teams and I don’t miss a beat. My work laptop is basically collecting dust. The Magic Keyboard combined is making it even more easier. The iPad Pro shouldn’t be an issue in my opinion, but of course it depends on what you’ll use it for.
I have the 11 too. Do you ever wish you would’ve gotten the 12.9? Especially since the magic keyboard came out I’ve been flirting with the idea but just kind of backing down because it feels way too big
 
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