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Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-04-02 18:44:31
by dshan
dude wrote:
martin wrote:We currently don't have any plans to release software for the iPad, but we are always evaluating the situation. For those users that are interested in such a thing, what kind of writing would you want to do on the go?
Martin, mainly short one page letters (open standard company letter file, save as new letter file, then type, then email as PDF.

Also to gather thoughts and write a paper. I wouldn't require a great deal of support for all the NWP features. In fact, a very simple text editor would be about it because lets face it, typing on a virtual keyboard isn't the ticket just yet.

Bold font, Italics, stuff like that. Then move to iDisk and copy over into NWP for normal editing.
If that's all they do they might as well not bother, iWork's Pages on the iPad can already do all that and much more, why would I buy Nisus instead? If Nisus want to develop an iPad app (and I think they should seriously consider it) then it needs to include most of the features of Nisus Writer Express, at least, if not Pro. Pages is going to be competition initially, but others are sure to come to the iPad and you won't get anywhere with a slightly fancied-up text editor (unless it's free of course). Not everyone will use the on-screen keyboard, the Apple Bluetooth and iPad dock keyboards are for serious document creation - I expect the first "written on my iPad" novel in short order and many other papers, presentations, books and you name it documents too.

When I get an iPad I'm going to play around with it and see how practical it is for writing and other work away from my desk, I may well not bother buying a new MacBook Pro if an iMac + iPad can do the job. We'll see, but I suspect that many people will buy iPads instead of notebooks and netbooks in the next year or two - cheaper than a MacBook, lighter and more useful than a netbook.

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-04-03 09:50:35
by dude
You raise an excellent point. I do believe in order not to see market share decrease an ipad version will be needed if the ipad takes off and Apple delivers a Pages app.

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-04-04 12:11:26
by Anne Cuneo
dshan wrote:
dude wrote:
martin wrote:We currently don't have any plans to release software for the iPad, but we are always evaluating the situation. For those users that are interested in such a thing, what kind of writing would you want to do on the go?
Martin, mainly short one page letters (open standard company letter file, save as new letter file, then type, then email as PDF.

Also to gather thoughts and write a paper. I wouldn't require a great deal of support for all the NWP features. In fact, a very simple text editor would be about it because lets face it, typing on a virtual keyboard isn't the ticket just yet.

Bold font, Italics, stuff like that. Then move to iDisk and copy over into NWP for normal editing.
If that's all they do they might as well not bother, iWork's Pages on the iPad can already do all that and much more, why would I buy Nisus instead? If Nisus want to develop an iPad app (and I think they should seriously consider it) then it needs to include most of the features of Nisus Writer Express, at least, if not Pro. […] I expect the first "written on my iPad" novel in short order and many other papers, presentations, books and you name it documents too.
The first novel «written on my iPad» is on its way. I am presently starting a novel for which i have to go to London for research quite often, and I can tell you I am going to get the first iPad I come across (we have to wait another three weeks in Switzerland). I've been hoping to get a Nisus Newsletter telling me a Nisus application of the Nisus Express kind was on its way.

I am going to use an iPad while travelling (at least), to write novels or plays, but also letters. I'd rather not be bothered by a new application. I have Pages but hardly ever use it, Nisus is better.

So my answer is: I should use an iPad for everything on the go. I should still need a laptop for lots of other things. For me, the iPad does not replace a laptop, but I suppose for people who only write a little and do games and listen to music or such, it could.

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-09 16:27:14
by scottwhitlock
I too would like to see something along the lines of the feature-set of NWE ported to the iPad, with full export/import from Dropbox, iDisk, and Box.net (which I think would be a killer feature). Secondly, I would like to see Nisus do something different and actually think about how the iPad would be used as a writing tool and incorporate that into the interface. Pages for iPad is indeed beautiful, but some parts were just not that well-thought out (like Bold and Italics going away when in landscape mode, and compatibility with Pages '09 are major drawbacks).

If I could write a novel with my iPad and NWE for iPad, I would be the happiest camper in the world.

Scott

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-10 04:56:35
by Groucho
It is my opinion that Nisus should leave the iPad on the back burner. Wait and see. Mostly if a NW for iPad should drain juices from NWP.

Greetings, Henry.

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-10 05:06:09
by dude
Groucho wrote:It is my opinion that Nisus should leave the iPad on the back burner. Wait and see. Mostly if a NW for iPad should drain juices from NWP.

Greetings, Henry.
If we knew the "features" in the works for NWP, then we could make a better choice for our vote for iPad or NWP. :)

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-24 10:33:03
by jeffnailen
Elbrecht wrote:Well -

I know about "Calibre, Sigil, iStudio, etc" - but would like to do the job within Nisus Writer, as with Save As/Export to ".pdf/.doc/.odt/etc". That would make Nisus Writer a powerful publisher for iPad generation...

HE
Yes, I totally agree. I'm looking for a Nisus or a Mellel or a Pages for authoring and publishing ebooks to at least the ePub and mobi formats...a Cocoa app for creating ebooks.

dshan wrote:

"No they're not. Most ebooks go through a very similar editing and publication cycle as a normal printed book. Author submits ms to publisher, publisher's editor works on it with author and when it's done it's page set in a page layout app and from there it usually ends up as a PDF file that goes to a printer and/or one or more ebook format files (of which epub is only one). Only self-published ebooks would go straight from the author's wordprocessor to become a "finished" epub ebook. I can't see Nisus making lots of money out of self-published ebooks, the market is simply not there. While having the ability to import and export epub might be useful in some cases I can't see NWP ever being used for producing real finished ebooks anymore than it would (or should) be used to produce printed books. Wordprocessors are not page layout programs (despite the efforts of MS, and more recently Apple, to merge the two application categories) and it's the page layout app that really needs to be able to handle epub."

You make some great points about the current situation...however, it's not written in the stars that word processing and page layout functionalities have to remain split into separate apps forever. Witness the evolution of CMS and CRM apps which have both consolidated functionality in their respective spaces to provide broader one-stop solutions. Whichever company can drive convergence most effectively will clean up as they provide value to authors by making their jobs easier. I'll be surprised if Apple does not introduce ePub output in the desktop version of Pages 2010 which they'll probably announce in a couple of weeks at WWDC.

"Interestingly, the ebooks that outnumber games in the app store currently are mostly standalone applications with embedded readers as well as text and pictures, they're far from plain epub files. This may change once iBooks is released and the iPad becomes the biggest thing since Gutenberg,"

This is quite possible...

"or it may be that the head of Penguin was on the money recently when he said the future of ebooks isn't simple epub at all but interactive applications that combine text with sound and video, etc."

I agree, this is the future...and something InDesign can already do with the PDF format. The ePub, mobi, and other ebook formats will no doubt evolve to handle more media types...

"Not at all the sort of thing a simple wordprocessor would excel at creating. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but in the meantime rushing into epub might not be a wise investment of Nisus's time and money."

On the contrary, I respectfully suggest that the companies who do not embrace these new formats may be left behind, creating an opening for iStudio, calibre, eCub, Sigil, Legend Maker, etc. to be the new wave of word processor/page layout apps for the ebook era...

I would love to see Nisus Writer Pro or Pages evolve into the ideal ebook app.

Cheers,
Jeff

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-27 13:49:36
by Elbrecht
FYI -

"Calling all authors: How to sell your books in the iBook store"

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/27/calling- ... oks-store/

HE

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-27 15:40:59
by jeffnailen
Elbrecht wrote:FYI -

"Calling all authors: How to sell your books in the iBook store"

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/27/calling- ... oks-store/

HE
Thanks for sharing the link...and check out the recent explosion of ePub-related searches in this attachment

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-05-27 23:52:33
by Elbrecht
Hi -

Apple's requirements:
Image

HE

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-06-10 17:26:08
by SteveW928
dude wrote:You raise an excellent point. I do believe in order not to see market share decrease an ipad version will be needed if the ipad takes off and Apple delivers a Pages app.
I agree.

Here's the thing.... Apple seriously botched the initial release of Pages on the iPad. However, I'm guessing they are going to get there at some point. There is kind of a time-window opportunity here. People who seriously use the iPad for travel, business, or school are going to want to exchange word processing files between their iPad and their home/office machine. While I LOVE NWP, if I go the iPad route for travel and school, and it can't exchange well into my new workflow, I'll use it less and less over time. Nothing against NWP, it just isn't going to fit my workflow as well anymore. It will be replaced with whatever DOES accomplish that ability.

Advantages of creating an iPad Nisus Writer:
1) Retain non-power-users of NWE and NWP who add iPads to their workflow. (I say non-power-users because I wouldn't expect a full blown NWP on iPad, at least not initially, and I don't know the hardware limitations that might face).
2) Add new users who see a descent word processor on the iPad and then likely add the Desktop version.

Here is the kind of thing I would need on the iPad.
1) I wouldn't care so much if it could do all the things NWP can do feature wise.
2) But, it should be able to open / edit / save documents, without losing things already present from NWP. (even if it can't, then, edit every aspect, be able to fully read/display a NWP document).
3) about the only thing other than basic editing, at least for me, would be that the footnotes kind of thing still work (as a student), but even that
I could work around if #1 and #2 could be accomplished.

If the iPad and iOS platform becomes what Apple is hoping it to be, I can't see how Nisus would not want to be there. iOS folks are going to need a descent word processor.

-Steve

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-06-10 18:25:08
by jeffnailen
Hi Steve,

As someone who doesn't (yet) have an iPad, how did Apple botch the first release of Pages for the iPad? Just curious since I can't try it myself yet...

Jeff

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-06-11 09:44:26
by haver
I totally agree with you Steve. Even if Apple didn't hit a homerun with Pages, the fact that they are alone now to offer such an app is enough to give them a real advantage.

Someone needs to come up with an alternative. I'm pretty sure many developers are working hard on that right now. I would love to see an iPad version of Nisus Writer and I would buy it right away.

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-06-11 19:43:08
by SteveW928
jeffnailen wrote:Hi Steve,

As someone who doesn't (yet) have an iPad, how did Apple botch the first release of Pages for the iPad? Just curious since I can't try it myself yet...

Jeff
My wording was maybe a bit strong... I'm sure for some people, it works fine. However, they stripped out some features they really should have included in this initial offering, such as footnotes. I guess that is only going to effect some users, especially students (and lots of students are quite interested in the iPad).

The bigger thing which many people are going to be upset over though, is that the actual file gets modified to the limited feature-set. So, you can exchange files between the OSX and iOS versions, but some things from OSX version aren't going to come through to the iPad... and then if you edit it and sync it back, you'll have lost those things back in the OSX version as well. In other words, if you're going to share files between OSX and iOS Pages, you will have to know what you are doing and be REALLY careful or you will lose information. To me, that is kind of a botch. And... the worst part is that Apple hasn't been very clear about this, so I'd guess many users are surprised when they try.

You can read more about it:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4065

(Also, I'm going to guess some of the limitations will stay for quite some time. So, if I were Apple, I would have included an 'iOS mode' in an update to the Desktop version, so while working in that version, one could be sure not to do things which would get stripped out when exporting to the iPad.)

-Steve

Re: What about: "Export/Save as ePub"

Posted: 2010-06-12 01:50:54
by greenmorpher
I initially thought iPad was not a way to go -- but then, I'm working on the back of the curve, I've only just (a couple of years ago) substituted a laptop for a bulky desktop and given myself the mobility I have long needed.

I'm looking at Anne's posts and a number of the other posts, and I'm thinking: Yep! you have a point! I can see how I could use an iPad with the little keyboard. I'm not about to race out and buy one tomorrow but maybe in six months or a year...

And I'll be looking for a NisusWriter to run on it.

I'm also looking at the fact that the iPad, on its introduction, is a hit already. It has outsold the iPhone on its introduction.

My thought is that Nisus should jump on the iPad as quick as it can.

Cheers, Geoff

Geoffrey Heard
Publisher, Editor, Business Writer
The Worsley Press

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