People who own both a laptop and an iPad can transfer a Microsoft Word file between the two devices easily, according to The New York Times technology writer J. D. Biersdorfer.
I use Word on my MacBook Pro and I have an iPad with the Pages app.
Can I download or transfer my Word files onto the iPad so I can work on either device without e-mailing the files back and forth?
Using a cloud storage service is one way to share files between the Mac and the iPad.
Since Apple has a hand in all the components in play, the company's iCloud service might be the easiest option (but it is not the only one).
To use iCloud, you need to set it up on your computer and iPad; instructions are on the service's setup page.
What do I do once I set up an iCloud account?
Save the files you have edited in the iPad's Pages app to iCloud. You can then download the files as Word documents on the MacBook Pro using a Web browser, as explained on the Apple support website.
To upload a Word file from the computer when you are logged into iCloud, drag the file into the browser window or use the Upload Document option in the Settings menu.
Are there alternatives to iCloud?
The Pages app can export files as Word documents and save them to other cloud services that have iPad apps, including Dropbox, Evernote and Microsoft SkyDrive.
Tap the Tools menu icon in Pages, choose "Share and Print" and then "Open in Another App".
Select Word Document as the export format and save the file by choosing a cloud-service app that you have installed. Then you get the file later through the cloud service by using your computer's browser or a shared folder.
Any problems to take note of if I use Apple's Pages app for the iPad to import and export Word documents?
Special fonts and formatting may get lost in the conversion. Apps like Documents To Go or Quickoffice Pro HD may preserve the files better and synchronise with online services.
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