Pages for iPad Review

Before I get into the review, I just want to let you know that I tried this out on the iPad 2. It probably works just as well on the first generation, but some of the things I go over in the review were made possible due to the 2g's design.
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Pages is an application for all of the newer iDevices. It is a 9.99$ download, so you might only want to get this if you are sure you need it. This review will explain how I tried to get my moneys-worth out of it.

I might be alone on this thought but I can not stand reading content on my computer monitor. I am fine with viewing forums but proofreading word documents and reading large articles can be a stressful experience for me. While printing out the desired content fixes my problem, I do not like using lot of paper. My parents taught me to be frugal with printer ink. When I saw pages in the top ten paid applications in the app store, I thought I would give it a go. It was obviously a popular download and the ratings were decent. I was just nervous if it would be a waste of 10$ or not.

The day I got the application, I tried it out on my English homework. Instead of sitting at my desk, I was able to write my paper on a couch. The lightness of the iPad 2 made it a very comfortable process. I am a fan of the virtual keyboard, though a Bluetooth one would be better. Once I was done writing up my assignment, reading it over was a breeze. I was now ready to print.

This is where I started to find some drawbacks with the application. The printing options were very limited. There are very few printers that work with Apple's air print, and my printer was not compatible. I could send it to iTunes, but I could not see myself doing this all the time. I felt the same about sending it to iWork and my E-mail. This discovery was disappointing for me because I am used to pressing the print button on Microsoft Word.

One thing I really applaud in Pages is that it is able to do outlines. I take Advanced Placement United States History, which required me to type up outlines multiple times during the week. I would hate having to look down at my text book and then up at the monitor to type what I put into my head. Now, I can have my iPad sit directly on the page of the textbook I am not looking at. The flat back of the iPad made this an easy task. An application that makes me hate outlining less can quickly become my best friend. One problem with outlining though was I had to import the template from my computer to do it correctly. You can not do outlining with Pages out of the box.

Overall, this is a great application if you have to type up many assignments during the school week. Typing away at a computer for long periods of time can be annoying. With Pages, the iPad was able to make homework a better experience for me. However, if you barely get any homework (Lucky you..), you probably will not need this and it is not worth the 10$.

I am not going to bother rating it because everyone does the process differently.

Awesome review. Keep it up!

Brennan wrote:

Great review Brian! For future reference though try adding stuff like Bold Headers or pictures, or anything that makes it more pleasing to the eye so it doesn't just look like a big wall of text. Anyway thanks for the tips! I'm certainly considering getting it.

Just wanted to give it a story structure because it kind of impacted me in that way. It is hard to explain, but thank you for the feedback.

Mike wrote:

Awesome review. Keep it up!

Thanks. I do not know if I will do anymore reviews. Just thought Pages will be cool because it's something different and I know a lot of the users here are now in High School.