Numbers Review

As you probably know, there has been an ongoing debate about the iPad’s suitability as a business and productivity tool. When Apple released iPad versions of its popular iWork suite apps, it aimed to address these concerns. Numbers for iPad was introduced as a powerful spreadsheet utility (much like Numbers ’09 in the iWork suite) allowing for quick editing on the go, but its major limitations aren't going to sway the debate in the iPad's favor.

For those of you accustomed to using Pages, you will find that Numbers has a similar interface. There are 16 customizable templates to choose from, and a simple toolbar in the upper right-hand corner of the screen containing info, insert, tools, and full-screen buttons. The info tool allows the user to change the text or object properties. The insert key allows for insertion of photos, tables, charts, and shapes. The tools key allows for a user to search within a document, view help and support, enable edge guides, and check spelling. Spreadsheets render well in both landscape and portrait views.

Importing a spreadsheet is a simple matter of clicking on the “My Spreadsheets” button in the upper left hand corner of the app. Numbers for iPad can import files from Microsoft Excel, CSV (Comma Separated Values), and, of course, Numbers itself.

When a spreadsheet is open for editing, a simple tap on a tab inserts a sheet within it. A single-tap within a table cell allows you to select that cell and its neighboring cells simply by dragging the selection to cover the cells you would like to include. These cells can be moved, copied, and pasted using basic gestures. Rows and columns are easy to insert and remove by simply tapping row or column handles. A double-tap within a table cell allows you to access the three keyboard layouts, as well as the equal sign (=) for functions, text, date and time, and Boolean entries.

The elegance of Numbers lies in its simplicity of use. The smart keyboard switches between three layouts based on the format of your data. The layouts allow for quick entry of: numbers, ratings, and checkboxes (in the 1st layout), dates and times (in the 2nd layout), and over 250 functions (in the 3rd layout). Forms can be linked with tables to allow for speedy data entry on the go.

This all sounds fabulous, but there are major problems that limit Numbers’ functionality. Unfortunately, Apple has yet again complicated file sharing between platforms. Although Microsoft Excel files can be imported, Numbers for iPad does not allow them to be exported. Instead, they must be saved as a Numbers file or as PDF. This might be OK for those having access to Numbers on Mac OS X, but for many, this is a deal killer.

In addition to lacking full compatibility with Excel, Numbers even lacks compatibility with its sister application for Mac OS X. Fonts not included in its set of forty fonts are replaced which can be frustrating but even more frustrating is the fact that elements such as hyperlinks, comments, and headers and footers are simply stripped out of the spreadsheet upon import in Numbers for iPad. Also, imported 3D charts are rendered in 2D and remain that way for future revisions.

Like Numbers ‘09, this app lacks the complexity of Microsoft Excel. For those looking for a mobile app to export and edit Excel files which contain complex calculations beyond the 250 included functions, this app simply does not suffice. Some business users will also miss pivot table support.

To summarize, Numbers can produce a nice-looking spreadsheet and handle the basics for less advanced users, but I would not recommend it to anyone looking for functionality similar to MS Excel, or even Numbers for Mac OS X. Hopefully, future releases will add more features and fix the vexing compatibility issues, but for now, I would only recommend it to those willing to sacrifice functionality for mobility.