In the tablet market, there is one dominant player – the Apple iPad. It’s no wonder we run into clients trying to work with spreadsheets on an iPad. Sadly, it’s not obvious as to the best way to do this. As a Google Apps certified consultant, I’m always going to recommend a Google “app” to get the job done. In this case I would recommend using Google Drive or Quickoffice for Google Apps. Both apps are available on iTunes for free so take a minute to check them out. Here are the pros and cons of Google Drive and Quickoffice for Google Apps:
Pros:
- Create and edit native Google spreadsheets right in the app. (If you have an Excel file, convert it to a native Google spreadsheet when you upload it to Google Drive on a desktop.)
- Realtime collaboration – files reside in the cloud and are edited in the cloud. This allows for the ideal environment for collaboration.
- You and several colleagues can be editing the file or commenting on the file at the same time.
- Data entry, cell formatting, row & column editing and multiple sheets are all supported.
- Files can be flagged to be viewable offline.
Cons:
- Editing is only available while online.
- Charts & images aren’t supported.
Pros:
- Offline editing of Excel files (files reside on iPad)
- Files can be dragged from iPad to Google Drive and vice-versa
- Data entry, cell formatting, row & column editing and multiple sheets are all supported.
Cons:
- No realtime collaboration on spreadsheets like with Google spreadsheets.
Perpetual West is a Google Apps consultant and a Google Apps Authorized Reseller.
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