# iPhone- can it edit word/Excel files?



## RyanB (Jul 13, 2004)

or how about iWork files?

I know it can open ones for viewing that have been emailed, but haven't heard about editing files...
thanks
ryan


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

No.

And you wouldn't want to.

It can VIEW Word/Excel/iWork, but to edit them you need a real computer.


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## RyanB (Jul 13, 2004)

chas_m said:


> No.
> 
> And you wouldn't want to.
> 
> It can VIEW Word/Excel/iWork, but to edit them you need a real computer.


am i missing something... Why wouldn't i want to? i did when i had a windows PDA/phone- it was very handy for keeping expense sheets and stuff in excel docs. And if it can write notes and emails why wouldn't i want to edit word files? 
thanks-


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

I'd like to as well. I could've sworn they mentioned adding the ability.. along with saving email attachments.... guess I imagined these things.


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## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

Hopefully google docs will add this for the iPhone soon.


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

chas_m said:


> And you wouldn't want to.
> 
> It can VIEW Word/Excel/iWork, but to edit them you need a real computer.


This is the most ridiculous comments I have ever read! OF COURSE YOU WANT TO!!!!!

The ability to edit Word and Excel docs is one of the few things that other SmartPhones (and my experience is with Windows based models) have over the iPhone... I am eagerly awaiting iWorks Mobile, Office Mobile, Open Office Mobile or something along those lines to hit the App Store!!


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

The reason I said "and you wouldn't want to" is that both Word and Excel have extensive command structures and features that would be exceptionally difficult to implement on the iPhone, not to mention that the screen is too small to adequately display large amounts of text.

Clearly people who've been conditioned to overcome these obstacles want to do it, but I just can't imagine this as anything resembling a pleasant experience (compared to working with such documents on a real computer with a larger screen).


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## RyanB (Jul 13, 2004)

chas_m said:


> The reason I said "and you wouldn't want to" is that both Word and Excel have extensive command structures and features that would be exceptionally difficult to implement on the iPhone, not to mention that the screen is too small to adequately display large amounts of text.
> 
> Clearly people who've been conditioned to overcome these obstacles want to do it, but I just can't imagine this as anything resembling a pleasant experience (compared to working with such documents on a real computer with a larger screen).


I understand you point, but what i am looking for and i assume the others here is to have simple excel/word files that can be edited we arent expecting to write or edit a novel on it or do/create big accounting spread sheets.

perhaps the things i am looking for can be done with other applications and notebook? i will have to check...


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## miniphone (Jul 24, 2008)

I don't understand why google docs are read-only. iPHone comes with a large screen, larger than any other smart phone.


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## uPhone (Jun 29, 2008)

chas_m said:


> The reason I said "and you wouldn't want to" is that both Word and Excel have extensive command structures and features that would be exceptionally difficult to implement on the iPhone, not to mention that the screen is too small to adequately display large amounts of text.



So what does the fact that it's "hard to code" have anything to do with us, the end user?

Having WiMo phones before that could edit attatchments I can tell you that there is no other device I would rather have that feature on (if I needed that feature, which I don't) than the iPhone. The iPhone's user interface is perfect, IMO, for tasks like that which would otherwise be rendered tedious on any other smart phone. The ability to pan alone, with your finger, without a hardware button, is a 500% increase in productivity alone, IMO.

I don't see this feature coming just yet, as _first_ we need to be able to save these files locally which is currently not possible.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

uPhone said:


> So what does the fact that it's "hard to code" have anything to do with us, the end user?


I don't know, I didn't say anything of the kind.

What *I* said was that the extensive and elaborate feature set would be HARD TO IMPLEMENT on the iPhone. This has nothing to do with coding, and everything to do with the touch-based interface of the iPhone.



> The ability to pan alone, with your finger, without a hardware button, is a 500% increase in productivity alone, IMO.


Concurred.



> I don't see this feature coming just yet, as _first_ we need to be able to save these files locally which is currently not possible.


We don't even have cut and paste yet!


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

chas_m said:


> We don't even have cut and paste yet!


Ugghhh.. don't even get me started on that one....  

It would be so frickin easy to implement this, I don't get why Apple is being so stubborn when just about EVERYONE wants it. Touch, hold, drag to highlight. DONE. Select copy and/or paste, VOILA!

Instead we have that meager magnifying glass that likes to point the cursor on the wrong side of the letter.. even though the 'preview' of where it's going is bang on.

Oh, and holding down delete for 30 seconds to change a paragraph.... that's productive.

Note to self: Stop trying to write screenplays on my iPhone..... :lmao:


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## nick24 (Jul 11, 2006)

From memory (per macbreak weekly or twit) the reason why we don't yet have cut and paste is that this would require apps to share data stored in memory, which could cause leakage and problems associated with it. Until Apple relents or works something out, it may be a while.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

I don't see why they couldn't just contain it in the app that you're using.. there's no need to have to allow copy and pasting among multiple apps.


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## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

kloan said:


> I don't see why they couldn't just contain it in the app that you're using.. there's no need to have to allow copy and pasting among multiple apps.


Thats probably possible.

I still don't see the issue with sharing across different apps though. Doesn't mail share with safari when you click a link? And safari / text / mail with the phone app when you press a phone number you want to call? Can't they just set it up that when you start an app, whatever is in the clipboard is passed to it immediately? And upon exit of that app its dumped back to some void on the springboard?


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