I’m a big fan of Excel. Not just because I use it at work all day–in fact, you’d think that would make me hate it more–but because the degree of neurotic categorization and organization it offers delights my not-so-inner obsessive. Pivot tables? If functions? Bring it on!

Eddie of Practically Efficient, however, thinks they’re on their way out:

The spreadsheet used to be my everything tool. From sophisticated financial modeling to text manipulation to list-keeping to word processing (seriously) to ad hoc arithmetic.

Apps are replacing the need to use spreadsheets for everything.

I’ve sort of talked about this before, but this is really the reason that I haven’t taken to my iPad that much as a productivity tool. I don’t work in standalones. I don’t want to have to go hunt for an app that does what I think I want to do, because that wastes my time. I’m not above spending money for apps, but anytime I buy an app I spend so much time researching it when it could’ve been accomplished with just a spreadsheet or word processing document that it seems to defy the purpose of computers being timesavers. I’ve spent a lot of time researching agenda apps and calendar apps, and now I just use a Moleskine. (Yes, I’m one of those people.)

I’m certainly not alone in being overwhelmed by the need to pick The Best App for any of my intentions. But I didn’t buy an iPad because I wanted to research apps. I want to be able to pick up my iPad with a purpose in mind and just do it.

I love lots of things about the iPad: the games, the videos, the e-books, the browsing. And I have no doubt that artists and musicians love being able to carry powerful tools like that around everywhere. But what about your generically prolific computer user? Sometimes I code and tinker with the back-end on my website, other times I have 20 tabs open while I decide what to write about, and then maybe I’ll want to put together an event for a group. Even when I’m working on a piece of fiction, I’ve got multiple documents open–setting descriptions, character reference sheets, timelines. I don’t want to have to get a new app everytime I decide to do something new, even something as simple and as intuitive as “show two word documents side by side so I can look at the information while writing something else”.

This sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m really not. I’m fine with the purpose that the iPad currently serves in my life. I love my MacBook Pro and feel entirely at home on it, and I’m fine with using the iPad for casual gaming and browsing. I just wish that proponents of the iPad as a legitimate form of computing would acknowledge that there are things that it’s not good at. Eddie, for example, thinks that the reason spreadsheets on the iPad suck is because Microsoft hasn’t made a good app for it.

Are you kidding? I don’t care how beautifully designed your app is, give me a keyboard, mouse, and number pad any day. Have you seen the spreadsheets I work with?