An open letter to Steve Jobs
Posted by Kathleen Maher on September 2nd 2010 | Discuss
Categories:
Hardware Review
Tags:
Why I can’t l leave my computer at home.
Dear Mr. Jobs, I love my iPad, really, thank you very much. I am a proud member of the current generation of Apple zombies spawned by the iPhoneOS. I have been doing my best to fall in line and help bring in the new age of computing but I could use a little help here.
The iPad is working out to be pretty much everything I need for entertainment. I read Kindle books and I can switch to reading them on the iPhone when I’m standing in line for 2 hours at the DMV. I watch TV shows that no one else wants to watch. (C’mon who’s up for some Lost re-runs?) But, the sad fact of life is that I work as much as I play, and the iPad doesn’t have much of a work ethic.
I have downloaded iWork for the iPad. That’s working out reasonably well. I’ve adapted to the limited ability to format documents with heading styles, typefaces, etc. And after a while I managed to figure out how to transfer documents from iPad to the PC and back again but there are problems.
In order to have more access to files on my computer I bought Readdle and FTPOnTheGo. I’ve also downloaded DropBox, and GoDocs. I wanted to find a way to easily exchange work in progress on my PC to my iPad. These things sort of do it, I can now manage to get stuff to my iPad in a variety of ways, but for the most part I can only read them. My problem apparently is that I use Word to create documents … just like most of the people who have jobs. Now that I’ve bought a slew of products for transferring content between iThings and computers via direct transfer, WiFi, Google Docs, and other cloud schemes, I can get documents to the iPad but I can’t edit them in their native format and it’s challenging to transfer them to Pages because, generally, Pages isn’t interested in talking to GoDocs, or ReaddleDocs, or FTPOnTheGo. At best I can copy and paste.
It’d be nice if there was a Microsoft Office App for the iPad but I’m thinking hell’s pretty much going to have to freeze over or at least all those promised tablets are going to have to get out there in the market before Microsoft is going to give up and cut loose with an Office program that works well in Apple-land. And, come to think of it, I guess you’re not all that eager to help Microsoft out on the app front, are you Mr. Jobs? Sorry I asked, it was stupid.
Now, let’s talk about multi-tasking. I can’t wait to see how it works out on the iPad, but given what passes for multi-tasking on the iPhone, I think we’re going to have to do a little bit more work, Mr. Jobs.
On the iPhone, the idea is that you double-hit the “everything” button on the iPhone and then you get a task switcher that’s at least similar to the Command-Tab switcher on the Mac (or Alt-Tab on the PC). You can switch between apps, but you can’t see more than one simultaneously. However, what I’d really like is to be able to browse the web and take notes in some sort of text edit app like Notes. I need it to float above everything else and remain available. But, since everything runs full screen, that’s probably not going to happen, I guess. What I’ve resorted to is working on the iPad in Pages with my iPhone by my side to do the web searching and note taking. It’s not ideal.
I don’t doubt that things are going to get better. Applications are getting updated on the iPhone and iPad about as often as Microsoft sends out Windows updates. But, the improvement is inconsistent. By the time you read this though, some kinks may have been worked out and some problems might be due to the aforementioned slow learning issue.
As an aid, here is a list of the Apps I have bought to make my work life easier. While I won’t say they’ve actually made my life easier, I will say they’ve made working on the iPad at least possible. And, I will also say, that I think the iPad is without a tad my favorite tool for writing. It might even be a good thing that there is no multi-tasking.
- iWork, Apple—I bought iWork so I can write articles on my iPad. I figure it’s going to be a cold day in hell before Microsoft offers a version of Word for the iPad and an even colder day when Apple approves it ... but, it would be nice. Apple has introduced iWork online, which works like Google Docs as far as I can tell. I use it, but I’m kind of sure Apple will charge a fee if people start depending on it.
- GoDocs—This app promises access to Google Docs. See, I thought I could use Google Docs as a repository for my work when I travel. Unfortunately, GoDocs and the iPad can download content but can’t upload content to Google Docs. Curses, foiled again. Also, the interface could use some work. You will eventually figure out how to get documents from Google Docs into Pages, but you will also go down frustrating dead ends on the way.
- LogMeIn—With LogMeIn, you can go directly to your PC. The app is slick. If your computer is available you can get in but you won’t have much fun trying to get to your apps and actually working with them via this medium. An iPad is just not a PC and you just can’t download or upload content from one device to another. Ignition offers a professional version that promises to enable document exchange but don’t go for it. A trial version revealed that there are still too many issues around trying to make an iPad behave like a computer with an accessible file structure, etc.
- Dropbox—Okay, here’s another nice little app. It’s another cloud based app that puts a little blue box on your computer desktop and on the iPad. Sure, it works. You can see your content and if all you want to do is read a PDF file, you’re fine. Also, you can send it pictures. But again, you can’t easily and interactively work with content.
- iAnnotate—At JPR and also at other magazines I work for, we look over proofs of articles using PDF. So I bought iAnnotate so I could read and edit PDF files. This one works. Document exchange is the same old rigamarole—store it in the cloud or exchange it via iTunes when tethered. Content is stored in a dedicated place on the iPad that’s inaccessible to other apps even though they too might read PDF.
So, finally, if you’re still reading, Mr. Jobs, I also do a bunch of spreadsheet work with pretty charts and lots and lots of numbers. I really can’t trust this stuff to iWorks Numbers for real, but I keep reference data there just in case someone asks me a question. I’m afraid to send any really important spreadsheet across for fear my work will get munged. By the way, forget about cutting and pasting charts from Numbers to Pages. When I tried, it crashed the Pages app. Actually, it didn’t matter so much because the chart looked terrible in the Numbers app anyway.
There’s more, but I won’t go on. With time, and more complaints like mine, Apple or the Apps makers will find a way to fix these problems and more people will use the iPad for working. The biggest problems are that it’s almost impossible to figure out where things are in the iPad so organization becomes a challenge as documents get sent all around the webosphere via Google Docs, iWork, e-mail, and shared locally via the cable. It’s an organizational nightmare.
The iPad is just the coolest machine for travel. It’s lightweight and it’s an entertainment powerhouse (I haven’t even mentioned all the cool doodling, drawing, and mindless gaming apps that are available). But, I can’t really get my work done without lugging around another computer. The best I can do is carry a little netbook as well as the iPad but the world really, really wants a small convenient device that can work and play.
You know what Mr. Jobs? If HP, Dell, Qualcomm, AT&T, and god knows who all manage to come out with slates/tablets that can easily work with Office apps as well play media, I think your iPad might be in trouble.
Where is my stuff inside the iPad?
There’s no Finder for iPad. There’s no way to go to a file menu and see where all the content you create on your iPad might be. If you’re really lucky, the application you use might have an accessible file system for files created in that application. But in general, it’s not always easy to figure out where stuff is. And then there’s the stupid factor. The Apps tab actually provides access for many iPad applications, you just have to find out where they are. Hint, just scroll down. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize this. So, for all the other slow learners who are having trouble figuring out how to use iTunes to transfer files:
On the iPad of course, you can elect to email files to yourself, send them to iWork, or export them. But slow learner that you are, you might not find it so easy to find the files you’ve exported. Do this: when you have your iDevice plugged into the computer go to iTunes/your device/Apps. Scroll down past the list of apps and you’ll find all the applications you have loaded on your device that support file transfer. I have FTPOnTheGo, iAnnotate PDF, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, ReaddleDocs, SketchBook, and Stanza. When you click on those apps, you’ll get a list of content that can be sent to the PC—the content you’ve exported, for instance. It took me the longest time for find this capability because there was no indication to scroll down to find more functionality.
