It won't be "Office for iPad" it will be an app that "let's you access Office on the iPad." Which is not even close to the same thing.
For starters, you cannot do suites of apps on iOS. It's impossible.
Secondly, it's taken Apple's designers, (who obviously have a much better knowledge of iOS and it's internals and a long head start), years to get even 90% functionality out of their desktop productivity apps when moving them to iOS. Apple's designers are also arguably far better at their job and obviously more talented that the people that design Office, even Office for Mac.
Finally, most people who aren't business users (i.e. normal consumers), don't actually want "Office for iPad." What they want is Word for iPad, and by that I mean a native, iOS Word app that's simple and easy to use.
This will be some f*cked up Metro looking thing that links to Office on the Web, almost for certain. You will probably have to pay a monthly fee for access.
Big Deal.
The pieces will in all likelihood be offered as separate apps just as Apple has done with iPhoto, Keynote, etc. OneNote is already a separate app. And it is an app, not a web link.
There's no particular reason to believe MS can't and won't develop actual apps - so you're just spewing asterisked bile.
Microsoft doesn't want to Apple to have too much of a market advantage, they'll wait till the Android version is completed. Moreover, just like Office for the Mac I expect Office for iOS to be just as pathetic.
My opinion is that there will be no iOS version of Office. This rumored release will be Windows 8 only. Microsoft will then use it as a marketing sledgehammer to get their tablets into the Enterprise. There will be no iOS or Android versions of Office in my opinion.
It'll be very good for iPad if MS do it properly. If iPad can be used to edit/create .docx and .xlsx files (which alas are universal and everywhere) that would be another big step towards the demise of PCs for lightweight personal computing. (Powerpoint sucks so much I just wish it would die).
The pieces will in all likelihood be offered as separate apps just as Apple has done with iPhoto, Keynote, etc. OneNote is already a separate app. And it is an app, not a web link.
There's no particular reason to believe MS can't and won't develop actual apps - so you're just spewing asterisked bile.
I could easily be wrong, but I don't see anything yet that would indicate you are right either.
The one piece of evidence we have is the icon which says "Office" (I think this argues for my point of view as scant a piece of info as it is).
There are also offerings of Office already in the app store which operate the way I describe.
We shall see soon I guess, the icon could be fake or wrong.
It'll be very good for iPad if MS do it properly. If iPad can be used to edit/create .docx and .xlsx files (which alas are universal and everywhere) that would be another big step towards the demise of PCs for lightweight personal computing. (Powerpoint sucks so much I just wish it would die).
I absolutely agree... but that's a pretty big "if" for the company that constantly f%#ks up first releases.
Office for Mac is generally reviewed as being much easier to use and more stable overall than Office for Windows.
Your pathetic political link in your sig outs you as a contrarian though, so we should probably all believe the reverse of what you say anyway.
Fyi, Office for the Mac, which I use on a daily basis for work, is not better than the Windows version.
I also use Office for WP Metro OS, which will be very similar in the Windows RT version that is aimed at tablets and ultralight computers. This might be over your head I know, but thanks for your offensive comment, it reminded me of why I do not visit crumbling site anymore.
Fyi, Office for the Mac, which I use on a daily basis for work, is not better than the Windows version.
I also use Office for WP Metro OS, which will be very similar in the Windows RT version that is aimed at tablets and ultralight computers. This might be over your head I know, but thanks for your offensive comment, it reminded me of why I do not visit crumbling site anymore. :)
One thing that I found to be very annoying about it is their registration, I suppose one would call it, DRM. I recently upgraded the startup drive in my Mac Pro to a 480GB SSD, and Office thinks it's on a new computer. So it wants me to go through the entire process again, as now none of my codes work anymore. That's a real pain! As I have over 130 programs in my machine, and none of the others have required that, I can only assume that this is a Microsoft thing. That's just being stupid and over zealous.
No need for MS Office for iPad. Two apps for iPhone and iPad (Quickoffice and DocsToGo) allow you to view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. These are mature apps that have been around for quite awhile.
It is interesting that MS is (again) in a cannibalization/divisional battle situation. Office is now a bigger revenue and profit maker than Windows per last couple of quarters. For the Office unit, it wants to maximize revenue/profit so put it on the obvious tablet market leader. Also, the free Office on WinRT must really chap their asses - they get bugger all revenue off the new platform and it will be hard for them to ever do so. Even if it was a $15-25 license fee it would be far less than on any other platform. Any more than that and it would add an unreasonable price hike to RT tabs. Win RT has few advantages over an iPad without free Office and the Windows boys and girls must be pushing hard for this to give them even a sniff of a chance. With no meaningful Metro apps, WinRT and its tablet adventures are dead.
I see this as war between Office and Windows units... hence the delay - give WinRT a little breathing room?
It is interesting that MS is (again) in a cannibalization/divisional battle situation. Office is now a bigger revenue and profit maker than Windows per last couple of quarters. For the Office unit, it wants to maximize revenue/profit so put it on the obvious tablet market leader. Also, the free Office on WinRT must really chap their asses - they get bugger all revenue off the new platform and it will be hard for them to ever do so. Even if it was a $15-25 license fee it would be far less than on any other platform. Any more than that and it would add an unreasonable price hike to RT tabs. Win RT has few advantages over an iPad without free Office and the Windows boys and girls must be pushing hard for this to give them even a sniff of a chance. With no meaningful Metro apps, WinRT and its tablet adventures are dead.
I see this as war between Office and Windows units... hence the delay - give WinRT a little breathing room?
Internal turf battles at MS have long been part of its corp culture. I do believe you're onto part of what's going on here....
Fyi, Office for the Mac, which I use on a daily basis for work, is not better than the Windows version.
I also use Office for WP Metro OS, which will be very similar in the Windows RT version that is aimed at tablets and ultralight computers. This might be over your head I know, but thanks for your offensive comment, it reminded me of why I do not visit crumbling site anymore.
Apologies for the (unintentional) "offensive comment," but it was made in response to what I felt was an "offensive link."
Also, it's bad netiquette to put political links (or any links) in a sig, and pound for pound I think you seriously "out offensived" me by a long shot.
In terms of the facts of our "debate," I stated some (admittedly unsourced) facts, you retorted with opinion. Nuff said.
Yes there are apps already available that allow viewing/editing of Office files. However, there isn't one among them that can handle Tracked Changes (i.e., Markup), and Comments. Without this ability in the Office knock-offs or Pages, I cannot use the iPad as I had intended for collaboration on documents. While I'm no fan of Microsoft's software, if they are doing this I really hope their app fills this painful void on the iPad.
They're going to release a version for Atari and Amiga at the same time, as well as a Red Hat Linux build that users will be able to compile themselves.
It will be free to anyone who has purchased or used any Microsoft product in the last 20 years.
Look guys, whether one likes Office or not, it does have a 95% marketshare. None of the other options are viable, particularly open software, which people seem to especially hate.
So like it or not, if a useful version does appear on iOS and Android, that will help to sanctify their use in business. That's in addition to the wide business use the iPad has now. But it will allow more workers to dispense with their notebooks in favor of an iPad, possibly with some external keyboard for those times when they have to type a lot.
It's easy to dismiss Microsoft and Office, but we shouldn't.
The question I have is about the Metro interface. I thought developers had some UI guidelines they had to follow on iOS apps if they wanted Apple to accept them. Wouldn't putting you right into a Microsoft Metro interface on your iPad/iPhone break the rules of the App Store? Wouldn't Apple reject something that clearly introduces a new UI?
I'm not a developer so what do I know? Just asking...
Seriously, aside from Excel which is just unbeatable, Office is awful to use. Functionality is great, but using it is painful. Don't get me started on tables in word! I couldn't imagine using it on the iPad, using 2010 on the Thinkpad or 2011 (since deleted) on the iMac have been frustrating to say the least.
The question I have is about the Metro interface. I thought developers had some UI guidelines they had to follow on iOS apps if they wanted Apple to accept them. Wouldn't putting you right into a Microsoft Metro interface on your iPad/iPhone break the rules of the App Store? Wouldn't Apple reject something that clearly introduces a new UI?
I'm not a developer so what do I know? Just asking...
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While I imagine we'd expect an actual Metro UI for Microsoft's own OS based devices, I suspect the description when referring to software available for iOS and Android is just a way of saying that this is tablet based software rather than desktop based software.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
I just flat out do not believe this.
It won't be "Office for iPad" it will be an app that "let's you access Office on the iPad." Which is not even close to the same thing.
For starters, you cannot do suites of apps on iOS. It's impossible.
Secondly, it's taken Apple's designers, (who obviously have a much better knowledge of iOS and it's internals and a long head start), years to get even 90% functionality out of their desktop productivity apps when moving them to iOS. Apple's designers are also arguably far better at their job and obviously more talented that the people that design Office, even Office for Mac.
Finally, most people who aren't business users (i.e. normal consumers), don't actually want "Office for iPad." What they want is Word for iPad, and by that I mean a native, iOS Word app that's simple and easy to use.
This will be some f*cked up Metro looking thing that links to Office on the Web, almost for certain. You will probably have to pay a monthly fee for access.
Big Deal.
The pieces will in all likelihood be offered as separate apps just as Apple has done with iPhoto, Keynote, etc. OneNote is already a separate app. And it is an app, not a web link.
There's no particular reason to believe MS can't and won't develop actual apps - so you're just spewing asterisked bile.
My opinion is that there will be no iOS version of Office. This rumored release will be Windows 8 only. Microsoft will then use it as a marketing sledgehammer to get their tablets into the Enterprise. There will be no iOS or Android versions of Office in my opinion.
It'll be very good for iPad if MS do it properly. If iPad can be used to edit/create .docx and .xlsx files (which alas are universal and everywhere) that would be another big step towards the demise of PCs for lightweight personal computing. (Powerpoint sucks so much I just wish it would die).
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigpics
The pieces will in all likelihood be offered as separate apps just as Apple has done with iPhoto, Keynote, etc. OneNote is already a separate app. And it is an app, not a web link.
There's no particular reason to believe MS can't and won't develop actual apps - so you're just spewing asterisked bile.
I could easily be wrong, but I don't see anything yet that would indicate you are right either.
The one piece of evidence we have is the icon which says "Office" (I think this argues for my point of view as scant a piece of info as it is).
There are also offerings of Office already in the app store which operate the way I describe.
We shall see soon I guess, the icon could be fake or wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross
Let's wait until it comes out before complaining about what it is and isn't, shall we?
Yes sir.
Quote:
Originally Posted by enzos
It'll be very good for iPad if MS do it properly. If iPad can be used to edit/create .docx and .xlsx files (which alas are universal and everywhere) that would be another big step towards the demise of PCs for lightweight personal computing. (Powerpoint sucks so much I just wish it would die).
I absolutely agree... but that's a pretty big "if" for the company that constantly f%#ks up first releases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
Office for Mac is generally reviewed as being much easier to use and more stable overall than Office for Windows.
Your pathetic political link in your sig outs you as a contrarian though, so we should probably all believe the reverse of what you say anyway.
Fyi, Office for the Mac, which I use on a daily basis for work, is not better than the Windows version.
I also use Office for WP Metro OS, which will be very similar in the Windows RT version that is aimed at tablets and ultralight computers. This might be over your head I know, but thanks for your offensive comment, it reminded me of why I do not visit crumbling site anymore.
One thing that I found to be very annoying about it is their registration, I suppose one would call it, DRM. I recently upgraded the startup drive in my Mac Pro to a 480GB SSD, and Office thinks it's on a new computer. So it wants me to go through the entire process again, as now none of my codes work anymore. That's a real pain! As I have over 130 programs in my machine, and none of the others have required that, I can only assume that this is a Microsoft thing. That's just being stupid and over zealous.
It is interesting that MS is (again) in a cannibalization/divisional battle situation. Office is now a bigger revenue and profit maker than Windows per last couple of quarters. For the Office unit, it wants to maximize revenue/profit so put it on the obvious tablet market leader. Also, the free Office on WinRT must really chap their asses - they get bugger all revenue off the new platform and it will be hard for them to ever do so. Even if it was a $15-25 license fee it would be far less than on any other platform. Any more than that and it would add an unreasonable price hike to RT tabs. Win RT has few advantages over an iPad without free Office and the Windows boys and girls must be pushing hard for this to give them even a sniff of a chance. With no meaningful Metro apps, WinRT and its tablet adventures are dead.
I see this as war between Office and Windows units... hence the delay - give WinRT a little breathing room?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capnbob
It is interesting that MS is (again) in a cannibalization/divisional battle situation. Office is now a bigger revenue and profit maker than Windows per last couple of quarters. For the Office unit, it wants to maximize revenue/profit so put it on the obvious tablet market leader. Also, the free Office on WinRT must really chap their asses - they get bugger all revenue off the new platform and it will be hard for them to ever do so. Even if it was a $15-25 license fee it would be far less than on any other platform. Any more than that and it would add an unreasonable price hike to RT tabs. Win RT has few advantages over an iPad without free Office and the Windows boys and girls must be pushing hard for this to give them even a sniff of a chance. With no meaningful Metro apps, WinRT and its tablet adventures are dead.
I see this as war between Office and Windows units... hence the delay - give WinRT a little breathing room?
Internal turf battles at MS have long been part of its corp culture. I do believe you're onto part of what's going on here....
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloggerblog
Fyi, Office for the Mac, which I use on a daily basis for work, is not better than the Windows version.
I also use Office for WP Metro OS, which will be very similar in the Windows RT version that is aimed at tablets and ultralight computers. This might be over your head I know, but thanks for your offensive comment, it reminded me of why I do not visit crumbling site anymore.
Apologies for the (unintentional) "offensive comment," but it was made in response to what I felt was an "offensive link."
Also, it's bad netiquette to put political links (or any links) in a sig, and pound for pound I think you seriously "out offensived" me by a long shot.
In terms of the facts of our "debate," I stated some (admittedly unsourced) facts, you retorted with opinion. Nuff said.
Have a nice day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiles77
...allowed group editing and emailing (completely absent in iOS afaik)...
It may be absent in iOS 5, but iOS is just around the corner. Let's see what it brings.
Yes there are apps already available that allow viewing/editing of Office files. However, there isn't one among them that can handle Tracked Changes (i.e., Markup), and Comments. Without this ability in the Office knock-offs or Pages, I cannot use the iPad as I had intended for collaboration on documents. While I'm no fan of Microsoft's software, if they are doing this I really hope their app fills this painful void on the iPad.
ccp
They're going to release a version for Atari and Amiga at the same time, as well as a Red Hat Linux build that users will be able to compile themselves.
It will be free to anyone who has purchased or used any Microsoft product in the last 20 years.
Did I hear April fools?
So like it or not, if a useful version does appear on iOS and Android, that will help to sanctify their use in business. That's in addition to the wide business use the iPad has now. But it will allow more workers to dispense with their notebooks in favor of an iPad, possibly with some external keyboard for those times when they have to type a lot.
It's easy to dismiss Microsoft and Office, but we shouldn't.
The question I have is about the Metro interface. I thought developers had some UI guidelines they had to follow on iOS apps if they wanted Apple to accept them. Wouldn't putting you right into a Microsoft Metro interface on your iPad/iPhone break the rules of the App Store? Wouldn't Apple reject something that clearly introduces a new UI?
I'm not a developer so what do I know? Just asking...
Metro MDI for the iPad!
Seriously, aside from Excel which is just unbeatable, Office is awful to use. Functionality is great, but using it is painful. Don't get me started on tables in word! I couldn't imagine using it on the iPad, using 2010 on the Thinkpad or 2011 (since deleted) on the iMac have been frustrating to say the least.
While I imagine we'd expect an actual Metro UI for Microsoft's own OS based devices, I suspect the description when referring to software available for iOS and Android is just a way of saying that this is tablet based software rather than desktop based software.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostface147
I am wondering if the outlook client would be enough to entice me to drop Apple's mail program on my phone. The mail app works fine for me.
It works ok but I really wish they would add a scheduling feature for it so you could automatically turn work emails off.