If you've been missing Microsoft's Office suite on the iPad, you don't have to worry any more because the company has released Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for the iPad.
Instead of a quick port of the iPhone version, Office for iPad are a trio of apps designed specifically for use on the iPad.
It's important to know that to create and edit documents, an Office 365 subscription is required. The free versions can only view or present Office documents.
Touch controls actually transfer really well
With Excel, the range of uses for the app are wide. You can make really simple spreadsheets or advanced databases of information interconnected with different equations.
While Microsoft Word for iPad has a small problem adjusting to the iPad, Excel for iPad works almost better than the desktop app. Containing a lot of different templates to use, Excel has the same core function only utilizing touch controls to complete tasks.
Moving from column or rows takes a simple tap, and combining columns to create equations is pretty simple. For basic functions like making a spreadsheet for banking would be very easy. A more advanced Excel dealing with multiple equations over multiple sheets may prove a little more challenging.
Like Word for iPad, Excel for iPad isn't catered to creating a spreadsheet from scratch. It's better used as an editing tool for adding new information. With the Office 365 subscription, Excel for iPad is a great tool to get some quick work done, but probably isn't the best to start a quarterly breakdown for business.
Easy to use, but will take time to master
Since Excel for iPad is designed for the bigger screen size, Microsoft was smart to keep all the important functions at the top of the app. Excel is also designed to be used specifically in landscape mode. Using it in portrait hides too much information.
Adding information is easy, just tap the space where you want to input and the keyboard will pop up. Excel even supports freezing panes which is actually easier than in the desktop version.
Overall, the app is somewhat simplified compared to the desktop version, but supports all the main features including a massive amount of formulas for you to use.
If you are a power user of Excel with the Office 365 subscription, it's one of the best tools for iPad.
What's new in Excel for iPad
Aside from some bug fixes, printing is finally available for Excel. You can print Excel spreadsheets or selected ranges to a printer. Multiple columns and rows can be autofitted at the same time. Finally, hyperlinks to locations in the same workbook now work.
Needs the Office 365 subscription to work
Like the other Office for iPad apps, the free download only lets you view files. You can't edit or create any spreadsheets. This makes Excel one of the apps that absolutely needs the Office 365 subscription. OneDrive support is a strong feature in Office for iPad and really useful if Office is your main productivity suite.
It contains all the tools you need to manipulate data and the touch controls work really well. For the casual user, Excel might not be an app that's necessary, but the advanced user who has to constantly use Excel will find the app very useful.
Download Microsoft Excel for iPad 1.1.3 in
