Who's doing real work on the iPad?

[markosb]

Surprisingly, I am. I use gusto, to do some web site editing, not to create one from scratch, but to edit. I used Pages recently to create a page of coupons for a website I am working on. I use Numbers for a log I keep, and Mariner Calc for all other spreadsheet work mostly excel stuff. I use Pages again to re create a document I have, its a Model Release, I fill in the information using pages, then export it and open it in iAnnotate for the client to sign. The other things I use it for are note taking... mostly editing PDF files, its been a work horse for me the past weeks. I guess it just depends on how far someone is looking to go to make it work. I never for a minute thought the iPad would be a "waste" of money, I might have thought that if it was the HP device. It can't do serious photography stuff, but I guess that's why I have the desktop computer. Photoshop and Lightroom are not replaceable. InDesign either, but I still use Pages to type the text for InDesign, so I guess its a perfect in between device, the one I have been wanting for a number of years.

 

[markosb]

I'm evaluating evernote. I used it on my iPad today in place of hard-copy notes.

I am using evernote as well, I am still having trouble converting my OneNote over to it. I have to wait for Evernote to support OneNote 2010 I guess.

 

[jo0]

I've got some specific ideas about getting work done on the iPad. I don't have one yet. Who else has thought about the iPad for their work?

i actually use it for programming on the road. gusto is great and it connects to my servers via ftp. ipad 3g of course..

 

[markosb]

i actually use it for programming on the road. gusto is great and it connects to my servers via ftp. ipad 3g of course..

Gusto is pretty nice... I was debating over it and markup. Its pretty useful for those basic things. It fills a gap I guess.

 

[amps]

Using it to access network devices remotely via cisco VPN... works great for telnet, ssh and remote desktop in order to manage routers, switches and servers.

 

[aperry]

... tons of email that I have to deal with, and I Haney had zero problems!

Hahaha....tell me that was intentional.

I can't use the iPad for more than light emailing. It's not a productivity device IMO and definitely not something I could rely on for any work that's time-critical.

 

[JayMysterio]

I used mine to put together my copyright submission. I start it in Pages on the Mini, then while I am out at the library I would edit & polish it on the IPad. When I could, I'd add more to the document, save it, and email it to myself. I to wish they would improve Dropbox for the Ipad, so I could avoid this step. I actually enjoyed working this way. For my second proposal, I think I'll be doing it the same way.

Pages & Sketchbook, make for a great portable office for an artist.

 

[Manatee]

I just got my iPad. I have high hopes of using it for "real work" -- eventually. Right now, it's nearly useless... mostly a media player and game machine.

I'm hoping to use it for document creation, editing, management, and distribution. That shouldn't be too hard for a device with this amount of power. But the apps just aren't there yet. The Apple "office" apps look very nice, but their capabilities are basic, and they don't even respect the formatting that's been done in a document on another platform. I need to be able to use these apps to share documents with people working on Macs and PCs.

For the kinds of work I do, the following capabilities need to be added to the iPad. Some of this is coming in OS 4.0.

1. Multi-tasking. I don't miss it on the iPhone, but with all the real estate on the iPad screen, I'd like to be able to have more than one thing going on at a time. My feeling about the effect on battery life is: Let me make the choice. If I want more battery life, I'll only run one app at a time. If I want more utility, let me have the option of running additional apps. If it costs me half my battery life, that's my problem.

2. File management. I need to be able to copy files on and off the iPad independently of apps. I need at least one folder where I can store files, and the SDK needs to allow app developers to access that folder. That's a well-established model for document management. It allows multiple apps to share the same documents. The way the iPad OS is now, I feel like I'm working with my hands are tied behind my back. Where's the ease-of-use in that?

3. Printing. Come on, Apple. We need a way to print from the iPad. This is not a phone. This is an information management device. I realize they don't want to load it up with gigabytes of print drivers. No problem... put a couple of common drivers on it, and have a mechanism where users can get drivers either from Apple or from printer manufacturers, if they support the iPad OS. Yes, this works better for a tech-savvy user, but some of us have that ability. We shouldn't be locked out from benefitting from our skill.

4. More work-oriented apps. This isn't Apple's problem. If there is demand from users to do work with the iPad, then developers will fill the void. Some apps will be better than others. Apple should not tie their hands any more than necessary. (This is my general philosophy on just about everything in the world: Don't make things any more restrictive than they need to be.)

If Apple could find a way to implement something closer to OS X on a device in the form factor of the iPad, I think it would be much easier for developers to create work-oriented apps for it. Think of a MacBook Air without the keyboard, where the OS supports touch control.

This would not limit the existing capabilities of the iPad at all. It would just make it more useful to more people. I hope it evolves.

 

[jeffg819]

Replaced my moleskin system at work. Also meeting notes, reference material, email waiting for said meetings to start, wiki searches during meetings, soon to have citrix access (still working out the bugs at the office), etc.

 

[shakenmartini]

The problem is that you cannot work on the file on the iPad and then send it from Pages etc back to iwork. This makes it hard to keep documents in sync

Sadly, email is the best way to do this.

What I do, is that every time I edit a document I date it and then daily versions are lettered.

I.e. 2010-05-01a_file_name.pages

I just email it back and forth from my mac to my ipad. The only nice thing about this system is that my mail server always hold a copy of important documents that I can access from anywhere. However a mobile disk-sync would be far superior.

I suspect there is going to be mobile me sync coming soon-ish, since pages and keynote (and others) seem to be designed around this concept, but it just appears to not be implemented yet.

 

[kultschar]

Sadly, email is the best way to do this.

What I do, is that every time I edit a document I date it and then daily versions are lettered.

I.e. 2010-05-01a_file_name.pages

I just email it back and forth from my mac to my ipad. The only nice thing about this system is that my mail server always hold a copy of important documents that I can access from anywhere. However a mobile disk-sync would be far superior.

I suspect there is going to be mobile me sync coming soon-ish, since pages and keynote (and others) seem to be designed around this concept, but it just appears to not be implemented yet.

Really hope pages, numbers and MobileMe get updated within the next month for some iDisk support. Such a basic feature to incorporate as other apps do it well

 

[Lwyd]

I've been using this for work and have found it's portability absolutely fantastic.

I'm using keynote with the VGA adapter to connect to projectors and completely bypass the unreliable network connection and login issues we have.

The calendar is an incredible app to have with you instead of having to wait until you get back to your desk. Just being able to have those reminders around is a constant lifesaver for me.

I also use Bento for to help track things. I can add records before I even leave an office. Again this eliminates the need for waiting to get back to my desk.

I even find myself making notes and drafting memos between offices, especially on the elevator. You should see the looks I get for that!

 

[flyingturtle]

I've been using it for work, including doing some coding and development.

It's been convenient for me to fix some web pages or do some application programming on a server while I"m the road or out of the office. With the iSSH iPadd app I connect via SSH to my or a client's server and I can use the command-line to do whatever, like use VIM and do some programming, text editing, compile some programs, restart web servers, etc. I bought the Apple bluetooth wireless keyboard, so I've been set. Not quite as nice as a laptop, since there is some lag over wifi and 3G doing command-line programming, but it's been good enough to let me work.

 

[barefeats]

Interesting to see what each of you has found ways to adapt the iPad to enhance your work flow.

I'm still in the process of learning what works best on it versus the MBP or iPhone. I'll report back on what "real work" I get done on the iPad.

For now let me report I find it useful for taking notes, keeping a diary, recording test data, visiting forums, and doing online research -- all of which are part of my job. And on the road, it's more convenient and efficient than the iPhone for reading and answering email, looking up directions, checking the weather, and consulting or updating my calendar.

 

[Thalesian]

I'm currently working on my NSF proposal (archaeology) via the iPad. I think pages is adequate for most of the work. For syncing, I set up iTunes to sync to my iDisk, which then helps me keep everything in order.

The typing was not as large of a jump as I thought it would be, I find portrait mode much more useful. I type with just one hand (cue jokes), but it is much less challenging than I feared.

 

[xraydoc]

I'm able to do a reasonable amount of work on my iPad.

Fortunately, a lot of what I do is via email and a couple of web-based services that work quite well on the iPad.

Gmail's iPad-specific website makes using and organizing email quite easy, so I'm good there.

GoodReader makes it very easy to store, view and send attachments, especially combined with Google Docs and MobileMe iDisk for exporting off the iPad.

Pages works well-enough for simple text documents (which I can then send out to others as PDFs or Word files). I am hoping that Documents To Go for the iPad comes out with better support for complex Word files than Pages can handle, and I'm also hoping that a more full-featured word processor like Nisus Writer comes out for the iPad. But I'm doing ok for now with Pages.

So, I'm actually able to do a reasonable amount of work, say about 70-75% of what I need from a laptop, on my iPad.

Oh, and here's how much I've been using my iPad - I picked up my 13" unibody MacBook for the first time in about a week yesterday. It felt like it weighed a ton!!