So I downloaded and installed WordPress for the new iPad. This is sort of a test post since I’m evaluating a couple of things. I’m curious about how easy this is to use with the iPad’s bigger virtual keyboard, and I’m curious about how good this app is on the iPad. The phone version gave me mixed results, and since the iPad is an experiment in laptop replacement this app could see some heavy use in the next year.

First off, typing is a pain in the ass. It’s doable, but slow. This isn’t WordPresses fault, it is the iPad virtual keypad. It’s just big enough that typing fast is not easy to do, so I think this means I’ll be buying a bluetooth keyboard to go with the iPad. iOS’s auto-correct type feature and realtime spell check is actually a real plus on this device, and helps with the somewhat awkward virtual keyboard.

The WordPress app seems solid, and the larger screen of the iPad helps in composing and seeing what you are doing. The app is a stripped down version of what you get on your desktop, in a browser, but that seems OK. I probably won’t use this as a daily blog editor, but it will work just fine when I am traveling, or away from my iMac.

Working with images is a pain. There is no WYSIWYG going on here. You select your photos and WordPress will insert them at the bottom of the post. Even in preview mode you don’t get to see them. And there is no way to resize, insert inline, position them, or dynamically resize them once they have been chosen. (the images below are test inserts, and have no relation to this post, except to point out how sucky image handling is)

One other thing that is rather limiting, is the lack of styles. You can’t select a piece of type and change the color, or style. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it would be a nice thing for WordPress to add in the future. I don’t use this in every post, but it comes in handy when you want to highlight a quote, or divide your posts into sections.