Somewhat disappointed with Pages and KeyNote - any suggestions/workarounds?
I bought the 64G iPad today, and I am a little bit disappointed with the device for my purposes. I am a college professor and I currently lug my Macbook for teaching and research presentations. My primary intended use was presentation in the classroom or in conferences, and the ability to edit (what I consider simple) documents when I travel. Currently, I take my Macbook to the classroom or to conferences and attach it via VGA to the podium and to the projector. I wanted to replace the Macbook with the iPad, but it looks like this won't be as easy as I had thought. Let me explain my primary issues below.
1. I had originally thought that there would be some way (using some dongle, etc.) to connect the iPad wirelessly to the projector, so that I could stand anywhere in the classroom with the iPad in hand and control my presentation, move the pointer, etc. using the iPad's touch surface wirelessly. I realized prior to buying that this ability is currently not there in the iPad, but went ahead with the product anyway. Yes, I am aware of apps such as AirMouse and Apple Remote, etc. that convert your iPhone to a presentation remote, but I was hoping that the iPad will not require an iPhone (with AirMouse or a similar app) to achieve this functionality. As I mentioned, I was prepared for this drawback before the purchase. I was less prepared for the next one.
2. The part that comes as a huge and surprising disappointment - TO ME - is that my Keynote and Pages documents are altered when they are converted to the iPad version. Grouped objects are ungrouped (this for me is a big issue given my complex presentations), endnotes and footnotes are not imported in Pages, Table of Content changes to regular text, some fonts cannot be used on the iPad, etc.
This means, for instance, that I won't be able to do the following: Transfer a Pages document (with footnotes, etc.) to iPad, edit it while on the road, then sync that file back to my Macbook when I reach home. The moment I move the file to the iPad, it loses a whole bunch of things that are standard on most documents that I create (e.g., footnotes and endnotes).
Similarly, I cannot create a Keynote presentation on my Macbook (with grouped objects, for example) and expect it to transfer intact to the iPad. To use the iPad's Keynote I will need to change all my existing KeyNote classnotes (hundreds of pages) to remove the fonts that the iPad does not like, to remove grouped objects and other formatting that the iPad does not like, and so on. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the inclination to dumb down my years of carefully-prepared presentations in this manner
I had thought that the iPad will give me the ability to make presentations more easily and to edit documents while on the road, without having to lug around a laptop. Looks like I am not the target audience for this device yet.
I understand that it is a new device so perhaps things will become smoother over time. In the meanwhile, I am looking for helpful suggestions/tips from other users that may be in a similar bind.
Other than that, it is a great piece of technology but, alas, not for what I had in mind.
1. I had originally thought that there would be some way (using some dongle, etc.) to connect the iPad wirelessly to the projector, so that I could stand anywhere in the classroom with the iPad in hand and control my presentation, move the pointer, etc. using the iPad's touch surface wirelessly. I realized prior to buying that this ability is currently not there in the iPad, but went ahead with the product anyway. Yes, I am aware of apps such as AirMouse and Apple Remote, etc. that convert your iPhone to a presentation remote, but I was hoping that the iPad will not require an iPhone (with AirMouse or a similar app) to achieve this functionality. As I mentioned, I was prepared for this drawback before the purchase. I was less prepared for the next one.
2. The part that comes as a huge and surprising disappointment - TO ME - is that my Keynote and Pages documents are altered when they are converted to the iPad version. Grouped objects are ungrouped (this for me is a big issue given my complex presentations), endnotes and footnotes are not imported in Pages, Table of Content changes to regular text, some fonts cannot be used on the iPad, etc.
This means, for instance, that I won't be able to do the following: Transfer a Pages document (with footnotes, etc.) to iPad, edit it while on the road, then sync that file back to my Macbook when I reach home. The moment I move the file to the iPad, it loses a whole bunch of things that are standard on most documents that I create (e.g., footnotes and endnotes).
Similarly, I cannot create a Keynote presentation on my Macbook (with grouped objects, for example) and expect it to transfer intact to the iPad. To use the iPad's Keynote I will need to change all my existing KeyNote classnotes (hundreds of pages) to remove the fonts that the iPad does not like, to remove grouped objects and other formatting that the iPad does not like, and so on. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the inclination to dumb down my years of carefully-prepared presentations in this manner
I had thought that the iPad will give me the ability to make presentations more easily and to edit documents while on the road, without having to lug around a laptop. Looks like I am not the target audience for this device yet.
I understand that it is a new device so perhaps things will become smoother over time. In the meanwhile, I am looking for helpful suggestions/tips from other users that may be in a similar bind.
Other than that, it is a great piece of technology but, alas, not for what I had in mind.
iPad, MBP 2.5Ghz, PB G4 12" 1.5Ghz, iMaciSight2Ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.6), 2G RAM
