Numbers on the iPad (or on the Mac for that matter) will never be as powerful as Excel, if for no other reason than 99% of users don't use 99% of features.
The parent poster mentioned users that just 'browse the net or read/write documents and spreadsheets', and those types of people generally don't use most of what Excel offers. What they do use (formulas, charts, sheets, styles, etc.) Numbers does offer, and it does quite well.
The parent poster mentioned users that just 'browse the net or read/write documents and spreadsheets', and those types of people generally don't use most of what Excel offers. What they do use (formulas, charts, sheets, styles, etc.) Numbers does offer, and it does quite well.