Just another sign of MSFT becoming complacent and passing up opportunities to improve their revenue.

THANK-YA JUH-EEEEEEZ-US!  Office 2011 for Mac already has enough useless, fat.  We don't need further bloat. 

MS can bite me!

I could care less about Office to tell you the truth but, but, I actually use Word to write scripts(screen plays).

Besides, the average person doesn't even know how to use the Office suite to the fullest of its power. 

Apple,IMHO, has held back making Pages look and feel dynamic just to stay nice with MS. But if the gloves are coming off I would expect Apple to bring the pain and do up Pages like a beast!

On my Mac, iPhone and iPad Numbers is awesome but on the iPad it is crazy sick and so damn easy to bust open a spread sheet, put down your data and go baby! It is freaking heaven on earth.

 

 

iWorks has several kinks including the interface, which isn't consistent with the OS. For instance, in Pages the full screen icon is towards the left hand side of the application Window instead of the right where it is for the rest of the OS Windows. The icon is also in reverse. Moreover, the OS isn't consistent within iWorks apps. For example, Keynote doesn't have a full screen icon at all. There is other examples I can't remember right off the top of my head. 

 

 

That is crazy talk. Do an internet search. Microsoft  makes hundreds of million of dollars a year selling Office for the Mac. It is highly profitable. More profitable then some of its other endeavors like Bing and the sale of its phone OS. Microsoft's real mistake is not unifying the code base and simultaneously releasing both a Mac and Windows version with the same features. 

 

 

 

iWorks has several kinks including the interface, which isn't consistent with the OS. For instance, in Pages the full screen icon is towards the left hand side of the application Window instead of the right where it is for the rest of the OS Windows. The icon is also in reverse. Moreover, the OS isn't consistent within iWorks apps. For example, Keynote doesn't have a full screen icon at all. There is other examples I can't remember right off the top of my head. 

 

Back in 2008 the Mac Business Unit took in $350 million dollars. I recall that it's closer to half a billion now, but can't find the source. Microsoft continues to be the largest developer of OSX software outside of Apple itself.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Business_Unit 

 

I agree, Apple needs to step up their word processing and spreadsheet software. However, Apple also needs to have the iPad and Mac versions unified too. I suspect this also means Apple's products may never reach the level of "bells and whistles" of Word and Excel. How, necessary is that? I'm not sure. In some ways Word and Excel seem to be overly complicated while still not reaching the capability of a desktop publishing program. There must be some level of capability of the two programs where is satisfies all but a few needs. This is likely necessary to keep the program size down to where it fits on mobile devices such as tablets. 

 

The alternate may be for a highly complete word processing and spreadsheet software exists with the major features live on the iDevice and the rest of the "bells and whistles" live in a cloud. However, Apple needs to offer full feature software in some manner or other because enterprise users want Apple products and iWorks, right now, is too anemic for the long haul.

I've experienced the same thing you have. Your fear of Microsoft intentionally breaking stuff to increase the FUD in enterprise customer's minds is well founded in Microsoft's past history.

The ultimate solution may be for Apple to improve Numbers while customers begin to set limitations on what feature sets their company will limit Word and Excel users to, so the company can operate in a mixed iPad, iPhone, and Mac/PC environment without problems. 

 

I don't think you're a urmudgeonly dinosaur for hating the ribbon-based UI. It is just terrible in too many ways to say. I/m personally happy to stay with Office 2008 if it were more stable. I'd even upgrade to a newer version for more stability. I don't want any more "bells and whistles" I want stability from Office that I don't now have.

 

 

I totally agree. It's for Microsoft's own good to be on Apple's iPads. The "Surface" is a dead whale and has no future in enterprise who will stick with Windows 7 for the next few years. I'm not convinced Windows 8 will find a home in the general market. 

Just as Apple's iTunes has been the most often installed non-Microsoft software on PCs. 

 

Microsoft might get into FTC hot water if they tried to hurt Apple by not continuing to develop Office for Macs... or even not make an Office version for the iPad once they do so for the touch-based Windows devices. Europe, especially, is watching Microsoft like a hawk.

I'm pretty sure Microsoft scrambled to re-write Office for Windows 8 which is a completely new version of Windows. I think they will slightly update Office for Mac one more time and call it quits. If Apple doesn't re-write a version of iTunes for Windows 8 they will lose out on all the Windows customers than own an iPad or iPhone. It's all a game.

 

I've used Windows 8. It sucks. I think we are back in the Windows 3.1-Windows 95 era, except Apple now has the best operating system.  Windows 8 still has a desktop hidden away, but you can't use Mail, Messenger and other Windows 8 apps on the desktop. Multitasking is critical in a business environment.

 

I liked AppleInsider's confusing and contradictory version better. Google News regularly features these AI articles on their main Technology page, guaranteeing oodles of page views, so who needs to proofread anything?

 

AGREED. Mac users dodged a bullet.

So, microsoft is up to old tricks. It has been said here that we knew that office 14 was the next version planned for release, I cannot comment on that but perhaps ms is a little worried about market share slipping.

I use Excel over Numbers for one purpose, parsing data - Excel does this really well, Numbers really badly. Numbers could be a really useful application with some work. Graphing data too is better in Excel and mysterious at times in Numbers. If you need Excel's features however, you're stuck - I use Mathematica though.

I use Pages with EndNote and a LaTeX for scientific documents quite happily (well - mostly).  Keynote only for presentations.

give libreoffice a try!

we use it in our office everyday (Windows and Macs), and for 99% of the cases it's absolutely enough. For home use I would guess libreoffice is suitable for 99.9% of the users.

Don't say I tried OpenOffice two or more years ago... - they really improved.

For about 20 people we have one MS Office running on a windows machine - just in case if a macro isn't running or so.

I don't get it why people care so much for MS Office (if not for Outlook which we do not use in the Office, we have Lotus :-( )

What is needed is Office for iOS (at least PowerPoint for iOS) and Office 2014 for Mac.

I think iWork is much more productive to use than Office. If Apple made it more precise when importing office documents this "Office update outage" could be an opportunity.

Apple is probably working with marrying the iOS and Desktop version via iCloud, (using the same file format perhaps?).

You can't really be "representing the normal user" if you're assuming people understand what SQLite and Python are. Heck, my Mom can't even understand that her Apple Mail software (hooked up to GMail servers) and Safari with gmail.com open, are actually pointing to the same email account... things like RS232 or Ethernet are power-user linguo to her.

 

 

 

Yes, not only that buy also make it cheap so those non power users will forego MS office and then see the revenue of MS drops to a point where it makes no sense to buy MS shares.

 

MS is shooting themselves in the foot/feet on every front.

 

They are mainly a software company making most of their money selling software to third parties and when they stop selling it their revenue suffers.

 

Can they afford to give away their updates free for smartphone and tablets?

 

I don't think so and one more thing their partners which buy the software from them need to sell hardwares so they wouldn't be upgrading the software otherwise no one will buy the new hardware which they will be producing.

 

With their business plan I can see the revenue of the mac division of Apple beats the revenue of the whole of MS.

 

One more thing the Surface is an open question which may just break MS who knows.

Edited by AdamC - 7/19/12 at 1:06am

 

This. Really, whoever wrote this article didn't know that? Or just writing a lazy article they know will get lots of people to write "Microsoft Sucks" and "I stopped using Office 400 years ago" comments in?

Damn. This could be enough for me to switch back to Windows full time.

A more urgent problem is getting them to fix Mac Office 2011 so that it doesn't look crappy on retina displays.

I use OpenOffice and OWA, navicat when I need to access MSSQL, safari for browsing. No issues. Barely an MS tool needed to navigate our enterprise. I won't be waiting for MSOffice for Anything.

MS are crazy to hold back their PR machine in the face of the growing markets of iOS, OSX, Android.

Unless I'm missing something, this quote from Microsoft:

cannot logically lead to these conclusions by AI:

is this just more shoddy, link-bait reporting by AI, or is there another quote we're missing? Never mind, the answer is obvious.

I'd choose them over any Microsoft product in a heartbeat.

I don't find this much of a surprise...since 2007 Microsoft has been on a three year cycle regarding Office.

You have Office 2007, 2010 and now 2013 for Windows.

And you have Office 2008 and 2011 for Mac. The next Office of the Mac release will most likely be 2014!

Oh and even before that Office for Mac usually came out one year later than Office for Mac. Examples, Office 2001 for Mac after Office 2000 for Windows, Office 2004 for Mac after Office 2003 for Windows.

 

So just chill until 2014 :)

Oh, so I get another year between '11 and the next version, which will inevitably break compatibility with our third party 'exchange' mail server, and possibly add another new PITA file format to support? Great!

 

Please Apple, add support for password protected .doc files so I don't have to use OpenOffice for those when I'm working at home.

I would love to see your source for that claim, with non-microsoft app like adobe flash player been completely ubiquitous (then claiming about a 97% installation base), I am a bit doubtful about that bloated POS that is -according to me- iTunes.

Open/LibreOffice are usually more than enough for most people office needs, but when serious work requires powerful functions like Excel macros, etc, then there is simply no viable alternative to some of Microsoft tools.

Once Windows 7 is forgotten about and Windows 8 and surface flops, MS will be back sniffing around for more profits, just like they did last time. May not be 2013, but the software will be back on the Mac platform. Interesting thing is that I use a Windows based laptop for work and my iMac at home, and the Mac versions of Office have always looked better and worked more efficiently on my Mac. Stupid but true.

 

Here here! This is such a 'no sh1t sherlock' article. Clearly written by a newbie within the AppleInsider staff. They've always had a tick tock approach to this. If they'd said no Office for Mac 2014, then they would have gotten my attention. The next version of Office for Mac was always going to be at least 2014.

What's Office for Mac???

Is that a M$ product?

Did someone here waste money on Office for Mac??

Are you throwing money at the enemy and a dying company?

With so many alternatives, some of them free, as in free beer???

It's not likely to cause them any problems unless they break compatibility and/or stop selling Office 2011 for Mac. They have a great deal of freedom in whether to release new products - and which versions to release. if they actively interfere with competitors (such as releasing a new, incompatible .docz format), it might create problems for them - but even that would be a gray area.

However, the entire premise is silly. Microsoft didn't drop Office in 1997 when it wasn't clear that Apple would even survive as an independent company and their market share was 2-3% and their mind share was even lower. Why would they do so now when market share has increased dramatically and Macs (and other Apple products) have finally made their way into the executive suite? Fifteen years ago, few execs would have cared one bit. Today, there would be significant backlash. Furthermore, with signs that some of Microsoft's other revenue streams are leveling off, they can't afford to drop a major, profitable product line.

I have to laugh. 'We're back in the Win3.1-Win95 era excerpt that Apple now has the best OS?' I think you're confused. In the 1990s, there was absolutely no question - Apple's OS was vastly superior in almost every respect (especially compared to Win3.1) except possibly buzzword compliance. Win3.1 was a hopeless POS and Win95 was only slightly better. Today, while Windows is still significantly inferior to OS X in many regards, it's a lot closer than it's ever been.

Or, how about AI does some homework for once, and looks at the history of Office releases for Apple's OS. 

 

Traditionally, the Apple version of the OS lags 1 year behind the Windows release, but often has some of the innovations that make it in to the next windows version. The ribbon, for example, showed its first signs in the Office for Mac release before Office 2007 for windows. It's likely, considering the recent update (and therefore faith in sales) that there will be an Office 2014 for Mac.

 

But no, AI has to be a dick and be all anti-everyone-that's-not-Apple, as usual. 

 

Exactly.  Dan Knight at Low End Mac has a great article showing the history of Office releases (and the release of its precursors) on the Mac here:

http://lowendmac.com/musings/12mm/office-2013-panic.html

 

 

'Staying nice with Microsoft' might be on the table now, but was thrown across the room a few years back. WWDC posters reading, "Redmond, start your photocopiers," and a keynote blasting Longhorn/Vista for being "DLL hell," etc.

Also: I like the way you rap about spreadsheet experiences.

 

They tried that when introducing the .x formats (docx, pptx) and related controversy.

Care-O-Meter: [|||--------------------------]

 

Seriously, what else is new? Since when has Office for Mac ever been released in sync with Windows? Windows is their flagship product; I'm surprised there's an Office for Mac at all.

 

It's not like we NEEEEEEED all these new features anyway.
 

I've been a loyal fan of iWork for years, but recently had need to use an equation editor, which Pages doesn't offer, except via a third-party app that cost $100. For that price, I figured, I could just get Office for Mac 2011. So that's what I did. Office has come a long way since I left it behind a few years ago. I'd still prefer Apple to flesh out iWork a bit more (not give it ALL of Office's unneeded features, but grow it up a bit).

Agreed. I tried to switch from Excel to Numbers last year when I upgraded to Lion; but the inability to simply do a "right click" in Numbers for cutting and pasting rows or columns made it very cumbersome.

 

Also, when I upgraded from the 2004 version of MS Word for Mac; I was horrified to find that MS had completely complicated the drawing functions. I used to use Word to take screen shots of my web page or my products and then paste them into text boxes in Word. Which could then easily mark up with additional text boxes or draw simple shapes to illustrate the design changes I need. Now it takes 3-4 times as long to do the same tasks. I also hate that the default for a line or shape is to have a shadow & the inability to change the default in preferences.

 

Apple would do the world a huge favor by copying the drawing functionality that Word 2004 had. Here's an image of one drawing I made in the old version, which would be almost impossible to do in the current version on Word 2011:

 

1) There is indeed plenty of money to be made in enterprise software, and in productivity software in particular.

2) The problem with iWork, OpenOffice, and even older version of Office for Mac, is that business users need bulletproof compatibility. I have to have the latest version of Office for Mac, because if formatting is off, I look like an idiot. So M$ gets $75 or so from me every couple of years. I don't like it, but Office remains the de facto standard.

I totally agree.  I'm surprised there isn't more of an outcry about it.  Maybe all the retina MBP's went to photoshop/video editing types who don't use Office??

 

 

 

There, I fixed the article title.