What I just submitted to the App store.
It is what it is…and nothing more.
I think the majority of people giving this app very low ratings are not realizing what Numbers (and other iWork apps, for that matter) is: a mobile application. Given the limitations of the hardware and interface, it simply cannot be a stand-alone solution for all of a person’s spreadsheet needs.
That said, Numbers has a few serious shortcomings. The inability to read/write Excel files is certainly one of them. If you need this feature, you should not buy this version of Numbers. (Wait until that feature is added, if it ever is, and stop giving low ratings just because it’s not here yet.) The inability to exclude certain worksheets from PDFs is another. There are also limitations on formatting, etc.
But what is Numbers supposed to be? I think it’s a way to use existing worksheets on your iPad. To that end, I’ve taken an extremely complex 3-tabbed worksheet with references between all three sheets and a pair of charts and successfully brought it from Excel to Numbers on my Mac to Numbers on my iPad. This worksheet, which calculates weight and balance for a helicopter load, is instrumental to my charter business needs. With Numbers for iPad, I don’t need to have my laptop with me or spend a lot of time with a calculator. I can perform these calculations in minutes on my iPad — and even send the final worksheets and charts to my base of operations for reference and filing.
But if you expect Numbers to meet all your spreadsheet application needs, your expectations are far too high. Sure, it’s good for the simple stuff. And yes, it can help you present and modify existing Numbers worksheets when you’re on the go. But you’ll be sorely disappointed if you expect to quickly and easily create professional-looking spreadsheet documents with this app on your iPad. I don’t think that’s a reasonable expectation at all.
The great majority who use Excel, including me, find that iPad should have let Excel be as Excel on the iPad. You get use to Excel and wish to manage Excel the way you are use to !
But this isn’t Microsofe Excel that I’m talking about. It’s Apple Numbers, a completely different application. To my knowledge, Microsoft has not released an iPad version of Excel. Apple cannot develop an iPad version of a Microsoft product.
I hate calculators, and love spreadsheets. I’ve always thought that somebody should develop a simple spreadsheet-style calculator that can cope with doing the sort of calculations that are usually done on a calculator with the advantage of a correctable memory and a useful display. The iPad should be perfect for that sort of thing. I’ve only just acquired one (well, my wife has). I must investigate…
I do not use Calculators a lot !
Microsoft Excel is quite powerful. I use a lot of Textiles Maths. So, I use Microsoft Excel as it helps me to save time in long formulae.
I find Numbers on my iPad not as easy as Microsoft Excel. Maybe it is simply a question of getting use to something !
Cheers, Mates.
Judex.