Erm… Scrivener’s killer feature is obviously the forum!
It’s a feature I never use and never have used. I cannot recall a single Scrivenering session where fullscreen compose would be useful to me. Other features—Scratchpad, Collections, Split Screen, Keywords, Status, Porject Auto-Complete, Annotations, Synopsis, Project/Document notes—have taken a long time (I’ve been using Scrivener since at least 2008 and version 1.4) to become essential and I use it every day but full screen doesn’t appeal at all probably because I use a 27" monitor. Even on my other Mac with its 17" I never used full screen similarly my 15" MBP never saw me use full screen mode. If I ever needed to be undistracted by other applications I would put Scrivener on a different Mac Desktop.
I rarely use the Outliner. The few occasions I have it has been to determine the dates on when I created documents. For me Binder is my outliner.
Equally I have no need at all for the Corkboard! Yes I’m a heretic but I never use the Corkboard. Scrivening mode on the other hand I use all the time. What others use the Corkboard for I do in the Binder. The only time I use a Corkboard scheme is in the iOS app Index Card but that is because it has no other mode.
It will be very interesting and revealing to see the promised screenshots of the iOS version and how it is presentationally different from (or similar to) the current Mac version.
I should say up front that the iOS version doesn’t have a scrivenings mode, then, sorry! (It has a corkboard and outliner, but those you don’t use. 
) Now scrivenings mode I agree is a fundamental feature of Scrivener on the desktop, but it would be harder to use (and implement - although changes to iOS over the past year or so have meant that it might be possible for an iOS version update, iOS devices are still slower when it comes to the text system, and scrivenings mode requires quite a bit of power).
Scrivener on iOS is not intended to be the full Scrivener experience. It’s designed to be a standalone app, so that those who don’t own the desktop app can use it, bringing work in and getting work out, but it’s going to be much, much more useful when used as a companion app to the desktop version. Opening up your project while you’re out and about, rearranging the sections, editing sections, adding comments about what needs changing, making notes, taking photos on your iOS camera and then importing them into the project, that sort of thing. Then coming back to your desktop, hitting “Sync”, and having all of those changes appear in your desktop project.
What no Scrivenings mode … how will I use the iOS app then. 
My iPad (and iPhone) are really only useful on my daily commute so not having a Scrivenings mode won’t be an issue. When I’ve written on the commute it has been limited to the document level (currently with apps like Pages and Textilus) and then only for a few paragraphs or sentences. Desktop is definitive and all documents/fragments added to it when I return home.
(I can’t write when at work because of the manual nature of the job and touching my iOS devices would have no linguistic value.)
I guess my interest in waning, what with no scrivening mode, and no full screen mode Keith.
But I guess I could live with what you’ve described. My decision to buy an ipad or ipod hinges on your app so my fingers are crossed. 
The current iPod touch is getting really old (Sept 2012 with an A5 processor)…will Apple ever update the model?
Doesn’t a MBA running fully fledged Scrivener sound more appealing?
Well, I’m not using the iPad+keyboard for refining/formatting my documents. I’m using it as a modern typewriter. A pure word-processor. So, all I need is choosing documents, typing, using some shortcuts, syncing.
Maybe I already said this, but I think the iPad+keyboard ergonomically more comfortable than a MacBook. I like the freedom of having the keyboard and display freely placed on my desk. And i like being able to just grab the display, and use it for reading or editing what I just wrote.
Paolo
Even when just typing, I often go back to tweak lines / correct typos / add some formatting. Touching the iPad screen to do that is a hassle (for me). Let alone when it is propped up and I have to reach over to it to deal with incoming emails and messages. Fiddly and slow compared to a laptop.
I happy with the ergonomics of a laptop. Appreciate that different people have different preferences.
I do love my iPad as a consumer device and for writing quick messages / emails, but I find it slow and cumbersome when producing work.
I’m more than a little surprised by some posts that appear to more or less say, an iOS version is not up to it, or a waste of time, and complaints that it doesn’t have this, or that feature.
For those of you who don’t want a touch screen, prefer a MBA, fine, however, let me say that I have found being able to just pull out the iPad and hammer away or add plot points, and notes while travelling to be a massive boost to productivity. I’ve not had any of the issues suggested by some posters. I’ve used a mix of the on screen keyboard, Apple wireless keyboard, and a Touchfire keyboard overlay - believe it or not, the Touchfire works well.
I’m using Storyist Beta 3 on the iPad for a current project, and my productivity has gone through the roof, given my formal, at home or at a desk writing time is severely constrained at present. This is with a program that isn’t a patch on Scrivener IMHO.
I know, from Keith’s description of what’s in the iOS Scrivener, I’m going to be even more productive as soon as I get my hands on it. No, it will not replace my MBPro Scrivener for heavy duty writing, but it will give me a serious boost.
Keith has said the iOS version contains what he wants from an iOS app (amongst other stuff). Scrivener Mac/Win is designed around what he wants as a writer and it slays any competing product. Instead of complaining it doesn’t have this or that, or should have it added at this late stage, (or that an iPad is no good for serious writing - let me tell you it is!). Let’s wait for the goods and see how it works in each of our writing environments.
I for one am certain it’s going to be a huge boost to productivity. IMHO
For me it was a race to see which was going to come out first–the new MBA or this app–and it seems the app is a front runner, which is good, especially as I found a way to trust my old MBPro, and have a way to comfortably use regular Scrivener again.
I have been writing a big long novel using the Notability iPad app, which is about as good an app as I could find for iOS, but whose Mac version is painfully basic, not even able to do as much as the iOS one.
Although I only use a fraction of Scrivener’s capabilities and power, what I do use is wonderful, and anything that can fairly seamlessly and safely sync with Scrivener and give me access to the binder on iOS is going to be entirely what I need. Anything else will be gravy. I don’t suppose I’ve ever looked forward to an app’s release as much as this one (although a Scapple app might come level with it).
The portability of the iPad trumps even its versatility, in my mind, and it wouldn’t surprise me if, in the minds of a lot of other writers, Scrivener for iOS becomes a ‘killer app’ that is enough to justify buying or upgrading the device.
Thanks for all the work, and all the care.
My guts telling me that the iPod touch might become vapour-ware, much like the ‘classic’ iPods of yore…
But I could be wrong. Still, three years without an update is an eerily long wait…
As long as scrivener ios runs properly with all the bells and whistles on an ipod, that will validate myself buying a new one (as my old one won’t run it, as it’s really old)…
I wouldn’t worry about it, yet. It took them over twice as along to update the Mac Pro.
Then again, that ended up being not what anyone really wanted. 
FTR, if aimed at me, I didn’t say that an iPad isn’t good for serious writing, I said that it is cumbersome and slow when compared to a laptop (for me). Even writing this reply on an iPad takes (me) far longer than it would if I was using a laptop. Yes, it is possible to type a lot on an iPad, but when it comes to working with that document (formatting, editing, moving text, etc) the iPad cannot come close to the ease of a laptop. I do a fair amount of writing for clients using MMD…possible on an iPad, but far easier on a laptop. Let alone website publishing, working with images, storing project files, etc.
I bought my iPad a few years ago in the expectation of using it with Scrivener for iOS. After a few years of using it with other writing apps, I’ve come to the conclusion that despite its conveniences and functionality, my next purchase will be an Air (or rMBP.) All too often when I am travelling, I find I need to carry my old MBP to do all the things that the iPad cannot do. In the future, rather than carrying two “large” devices, I’d rather just carry one.
I will buy Scrivener for iOS and use it on short trips with the iPad until I buy an Air. After that, I’ll pair the Air with an iPhone and pass the iPad on. And I am sure that L&L will do a good job with Scrivener for iOS. I’ve never suggested otherwise.
But given the iPad’s limitations and Scrivener for iOS’s reported functionality, I can appreciate why some people will choose to carry an Air with full functionality rather than a hamstrung iPad. That’s not a personal opinion, it’s a fact based on the hardware, OS, and the functionality of iOS apps.
I agree with…
…including the YMMV comment at the end. 
You think the touch will be updated? Doesn’t Apple want us to all use iPhones? Didn’t Tim say the iPod is a shrinking sector? Or do you have an insight as a dev that mortals don’t have? Intrigued. Very.
My post was in reply to a number of people.
I have yet to find the iPad ‘cumbersome’ in working with Storyist, FadeIn and other apps. I have an iPad 3 which is universally considered low on processing power for the retina screen.
It has a number of advantages over an MBA. The iPad Air2 when I upgrade will be even better, with more grunt and less weight. I have compared directly, as my wife has a 13" MBA. I have the current MBPro15", so I’ve experience on all three platforms with Scrivener, Storyist (and FadeIn and Final Draft)The iPad is easier to whip out and do some quick work with Storyist and FadeIn, though the Final Draft app is an exercise in how NOT to do an iPad app. I expect the Scriver app to be the go-to app.
As I said, for those that the Air suits best, fine, though I can be more productive in the short periods I get with the iPad, this from personal experience. It has nothing to do with processing power, or any of the other technical specs that in the end have bugger-all to do with productivity in my mobile experience.
As for the new Mac Pro not being what people wanted, it’s pretty damned powerful, and fits the bill if an iMac isnt grunty enough.
Context…
Most folks that bought iPods for kids are now graduating those kids to smart phones and handing down that iPod. That’s what I’ve seen in the data.
But then, what’s the real price difference between the iPod and the iPhone given that you’re getting last model “free” when a service contract?
Of course, we all have different preferences. Always interesting to hear other people’s experiences.
For me, the iPad is cumbersome and slow when it comes to creating (rather than consuming) work. When writing, I often want simultaneous access to Safari, dictionaries, reference material, Marked 2, etc. With a computer, I can have all / many of those apps available / visible at the same time. If I want to quickly and accurately move the cursor or to select a body of text, I (and most people on the planet) can do so with a trackpad far easier than with a touchscreen. For me, a laptop is a far more efficient tool than an iPad.
I, with respect, disagree entirely with: “It has nothing to do with processing power, or any of the other technical specs that in the end have bugger-all to do with productivity…”
Technical specs have a huge impact on what the hardware and software can do; and those two things in turn impact directly on productivity. For example, as Scrivener developer Keith says:
“iOS devices are still slower when it comes to the text system, and scrivenings mode requires quite a bit of power.”
I invariably use scrivenings nearly all of the time, especially when works are broken up into lots of separate small text documents. Having to flick from one doc to another will be another cumbersome and slow task.
I am not complaining about Scrivener for iOS as I have not seen or used it (of course), but I am just illustrating the point made by the dev that iOS devices don’t have the power of OS X devices and that the tech specs and lack of power do clearly impact on functionality and productivity. That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact.
In the end, we’re not talking about Scrivener for iOS as such, but about the merits of iPads and MacBooks. They both have merits. But whenever fellow writers ask if they should choose an iPad or a MacBook, I always advise them to opt for the MacBook.
Writing on your lap, in bed, on a train, at a desk, perched on the side of a mountain, etc is (IMO) far easier with a screen that stands up by itself, a separate keyboard that doesn’t cover a third or more of the screen, a separate input device where your hand doesn’t cover part of the screen, and with an OS that has the ability to show multiple apps at the same time. At best, the iPad has (for me, of course) 10% of the efficiency and productivity value of a MacBook.
So you think the touch is nearing the end of its commercial life cycle?
Practically impossible to use a laptop, even an Air, on London-bound cattle trucks otherwise known as the London Underground system in rush hour. An iPad is about the largest device we get away with in that situation. Of course I wouldn’t want to work on an iPad all day—although the signalling failures and stalled trains this morning nearly turned that into a reality—because I much prefer a full blown desktop with 27" screen for doing the hard graft writing. Also an iPad (and/or iPhone) are physically lighter than even an Air and when one has to move around from client office to office or client site to client site then carrying the former is much to be preferred.
Just for the record, I doubt I’ll ever use Scrivener for iPad myself. I just don’t get along with writing on an iPad. However, I think I will use Scrivener on my iPhone - a lot. My iPhone is always in my pocket, and what I do now, when I have an idea, is write my thoughts down in Mail and email myself. I then copy the notes across to Scrivener when I’m back at my Mac (I would love to be able to email Scrivener directly, and have looked into the possibilities, but it’s a no-go sadly). Once the iOS version is ready - and I should be testing this out properly in about two weeks, although I doubt I’ll trust it with my most important projects until at least a month of thorough testing - I’ll just fire up my iPhone, open my project, make some notes, sync, and then I’ll have them available in my desktop project when I return to my Mac (once it’s synced, of course).
The iPad version has more flexibility in that it allows you to have the binder open alongside the text (or the outliner, or the corkboard), view different text or research documents alongside one another, and so on, but the single column of the iPhone version is most likely all I’ll ever need for the notes I take on the go. Of course, I’m fortunate enough not to have to commute in London any more. If I were still spending three hours each day on the Piccadilly Line, maybe I would use an iPad more, I don’t know.
Anyway, to keep those following this thread up to date: although we were hoping to have an internal beta ready today, Tammy is taking an extra week to finish off some bug squishing with the sync code. My plan is, once we we have the internal beta ready, after I’ve spent some time - between two weeks and a month - hammering away at it and making sure the features are working as I want - I’ll post some more solid information on the blog, with screenshots and some explanations of the features and how they work.