Working with Excel on iPad

Since you are reading this blog, it is likely that you are a Technophile and also own (or are thinking about owning) an iPad. The iPad can coexist nicely with you other computing equipment, and can provide an Alternative for working on Excel rather than being tied to a full-blown desktop or laptop computer.

There is no doubt that not all Excel’s features are available when working on an iPad. For a great many common tasks, however, it is more than sufficient, and there is something very positive about being Flopped on a Sofa and still having access to your favorite software. Not only that, but as the software makers further refine and create new applications that can handle spreadsheets, the possibilities continue to grow.

Applications

There are a growing number of applications that the Excel Enthusiast / iPad Owner can use. My favorites are Quickoffice’s Quicksheet and Apple’s Numbers. Although DocsToGo is a worthy contender, most users (in my humble opinion) will find the features and user interface more pleasing with the other two apps. I have been using all three applications since shortly after the iPad’s debut and I find I seldom use DocsToGo for anything other than PowerPoint.

Compatibility

While either Quicksheet or Numbers can handle a great variety of formulas, creating Charts in Apple’s Numbers is a real treat. Both of these applications can import and export in Excel format. This is of keen importance, of course, as what good is a spreadsheet if you can’t export it back to Excel.

Navigating/Viewing
Although it may be a bit foreign at first, tapping to select cells and using the convenient selection handles to choose a range becomes second-nature quite quickly. The now commonly-known Pinching Gestures zoom you in or out on your data and charts, and it is easy to get hooked on these new ways of getting around a spreadsheet.

Sharing
Once you have created your spreadsheet masterpiece on your iPad tool, you can easily email it in its original Apple format, a PDF or, of course, as an Excel document.

Although some proclaim distain for this new way of interfacing with your data, I firmly believe that if you give it a chance, you will find that it makes a Pleasant and Productive alternative way of working with your Excel creations.

Cheers!