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.
It's faster and easier to use the built in GUI elements for basic apps, but custom interfaces are prevalent and Apple accepts them just fine.
Unfortunately, "Microsoft Office" means getting business work done right. Non-MSOffice applications can only promise a cetrain level of compatibility or exportability with MS Office, but they almost certainly cannot duplicate all the features a full-fledged Office file can have.
On a second front, you have the proliferation of iOS devices in the enterprise. So many iOS devices are out there now that even Cisco abandoned their business-oriented tablet. Let's not forget MS pulled the plug on their own "Courier" tablet. These business customers need solid office compatibility not an exported file with rich MS Office features shaved off.
By releasing an official "Microsoft Office" for iOS, Microsoft is giving these business customers what they want (full Office compatibility) on the dominant platform (iOS).
Perhaps later, tablets running Windows RM with Office will be a superior experience, but until Windows RM ships, Office for iOS fills a huge void that non MS Office apps cannot fill, much like Office for Mac.
Really hope that this is true. Would love to get Outlook, Word and Excel. Not a big fan of the standard Mail app, so even if I could just buy Outlook I'd be thrilled. We'll see if MS comes through though. I don't have terribly high hopes.
Non-MSOffice applications can only promise a cetrain level of compatibility or exportability with MS Office
Close. Try Non-WINDOWS-MSOffice applications can only promise a certain level of compatibility or exportability.
I've had too many problems with even Mac Office and not-quite-full compatibility. When something needs to be exchanged hassle-free, Windows Office is unfortunately the only solution. Thank goodness for Boot Camp.
That said, Office for iPad will be interesting IF AND ONLY IF it delivers full 100% compatibility with Windows documents. If it's "close but not quite 100%", it'll be a non-starter.
It will be native. It will use Metro interface which has already been tested and explored for Windows 8 tablets for a significant amount of time so going native app on the iPad has many problems already solved.
Microsoft is waiting for Windows 8 tablets to have a head start with Office as their killer app. Many, MANY people are interested in this. Microsoft Office documents are still standard exchange formats for most businesses. If someone uses their tablet at work or is thinking about it, they'll want it.
Since Microsoft has almost zero foothold in the mobile and tablet space with Windows and it knows there is a decent chance that Windows 8 will completely fail to change that, Office may be its only hope for a significant revenue stream to come from that space besides the license fees it already collects.
Because this is a long-term survival tactic, I expect Office for iPad to be better than average at worst.
I hope to see MS Office for the iOS be released with a great implementation of the Apple UI. However, I also hope to see Apple doing something between now and November to make iWork have more of a compatibility to .doc and .xls documents. Compatibility cannot be ignored any more then cross-platform utility can. Were Apple to step up iWorks in these two areas, it could blunt Windows 8's launch as well as provide a reasonable alternative to Office. Also, being able to buy Office a la carte from the App Store would mean an enterprise customer could still use a part of Office to which they feel committed.
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.
This annoying crap happened to me when I replaced a storage drive too. My old Mac Mini booted from an external drive. I replaced its internal drive from the stock 320gb HDD to a 120gb SSD. After the upgrade I booted off the same external drive and Office wanted me to re-enter my registration key. Unfortunately the drive was bad, so I pulled it out to RMA it. Office wanted my code again. When I got the replacement, same thing: Office wanted my code. By that point the active registration process determined I had used the code too many times and it no longer worked. Try tracking down the number to call Microsoft to resolve this. All the numbers I found online appeared to be for Office for Windows registration. The automated process failed for me and I was unable to speak to a human. Eventually I finally tracked down the right group and spoke to a very helpful woman who added a couple of additional registrations to my key, but until that point I was without access to my local mail folders for days (fortunately I had OWA for email and iWork for opening documents).
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.
Just curious: why trade gorgeous simplicity for outlook's clusterfuck of interface implementation masquerading as pro features?
In the time it takes to locate any obscure menu in outlook I could have sent the email, sent the next one, scheduled a calender event and made a sandwich.
The way I see it, this is all a play by Microsoft for (ta-da) "The Enterprise" -- that is, big companies where people, for the most part, still wear suits and ties and IT is managed by techs with multiple certifications all beginning with the letters "MS". Individual likes or dislikes about Windows or Office are irrelevant. Of course Office for iPad will come out only after the Windows RT version has had a chance to be introduced to enterprise customers. The idea of tablets in the enterprise was a pet of Bill Gates himself. Tablets were for doctors, scientists, engineers, etc. They never were something for the rest of us. Not in the eyes of Bill Gates and not in the eyes of Steve Ballmer, who is doggedly trying to achieve the success with tablets that his friend and mentor failed to get. But Microsoft is a software company and not as stupid as many would like to think. The success of tablets does not hang on Windows or Office alone. Microsoft knows it has to rely on a large number of hardware partners who have basically botched the first rounds of tablets. Can they yet succeed with a new, unproven tablet OS? Yes they can, but Microsoft is smart enough to hedge its bets, to take the long view. Lots of enterprise companies already have iPads and may even choose to stick with iPads. In the enterprise change comes slowly. So Office for iPad will come out, will be interoperable, and will have the Metro style so that a year or so down the line it will be easy to transition from iPad to WinTab.
…Unless Windows tablets fail, of course. Then Ballmer's successor will at least inherit the most popular enterprise software on the iPad.
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.
This annoying crap happened to me when I replaced a storage drive too. My old Mac Mini booted from an external drive. I replaced its internal drive from the stock 320gb HDD to a 120gb SSD. After the upgrade I booted off the same external drive and Office wanted me to re-enter my registration key. Unfortunately the drive was bad, so I pulled it out to RMA it. Office wanted my code again. When I got the replacement, same thing: Office wanted my code. By that point the active registration process determined I had used the code too many times and it no longer worked. Try tracking down the number to call Microsoft to resolve this. All the numbers I found online appeared to be for Office for Windows registration. The automated process failed for me and I was unable to speak to a human. Eventually I finally tracked down the right group and spoke to a very helpful woman who added a couple of additional registrations to my key, but until that point I was without access to my local mail folders for days (fortunately I had OWA for email and iWork for opening documents).
I know Lloyd. He's quite a character. He does exaggerate sometimes, as he has his own prejudices.
That may be, but based on my experiences this article was not an exaggeration. It was spot on. Believe me - despite having a paid-for and valid license, I seriously considered pirating a copy after my frustrating experiences with their active activation crap. As always, copy protection does little to dissuade illegitimate use while seriously inconveniencing legitimate users.
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.
You're right of course amidst the chorus of knee-jerkers still caught somewhere in the 1990's MS/Apple wars. Office is MS's most important profit center going forward given how out of the stream they are in the fastest growing areas of mobile/wireless computing.
However, with Android's miniscule tab share and a chance they will overtake their most currently disliked rival, Google, in that arena, I'd expect the iPad version well before giving Android a helping hand there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryanh
Oooh… Antiquated bloatware for iPad.
Really, Microsoft's motto should be "Everything and the kitchen sink."
I can't wait to hitch their manure spreader to Apple's Ferrari.
Like I said, lots of flies caught in amber still on the forums....
Quote:
Originally Posted by sippincider
Close. Try Non-WINDOWS-MSOffice applications can only promise a certain level of compatibility or exportability.
I've had too many problems with even Mac Office and not-quite-full compatibility. When something needs to be exchanged hassle-free, Windows Office is unfortunately the only solution. Thank goodness for Boot Camp.
That said, Office for iPad will be interesting IF AND ONLY IF it delivers full 100% compatibility with Windows documents. If it's "close but not quite 100%", it'll be a non-starter.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homie
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.
It's faster and easier to use the built in GUI elements for basic apps, but custom interfaces are prevalent and Apple accepts them just fine.
Unfortunately, "Microsoft Office" means getting business work done right. Non-MSOffice applications can only promise a cetrain level of compatibility or exportability with MS Office, but they almost certainly cannot duplicate all the features a full-fledged Office file can have.
On a second front, you have the proliferation of iOS devices in the enterprise. So many iOS devices are out there now that even Cisco abandoned their business-oriented tablet. Let's not forget MS pulled the plug on their own "Courier" tablet. These business customers need solid office compatibility not an exported file with rich MS Office features shaved off.
By releasing an official "Microsoft Office" for iOS, Microsoft is giving these business customers what they want (full Office compatibility) on the dominant platform (iOS).
Perhaps later, tablets running Windows RM with Office will be a superior experience, but until Windows RM ships, Office for iOS fills a huge void that non MS Office apps cannot fill, much like Office for Mac.
Oooh… Antiquated bloatware for iPad.
Really, Microsoft's motto should be "Everything and the kitchen sink."
I can't wait to hitch their manure spreader to Apple's Ferrari.
Really hope that this is true. Would love to get Outlook, Word and Excel. Not a big fan of the standard Mail app, so even if I could just buy Outlook I'd be thrilled. We'll see if MS comes through though. I don't have terribly high hopes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vandil
Non-MSOffice applications can only promise a cetrain level of compatibility or exportability with MS Office
Close. Try Non-WINDOWS-MSOffice applications can only promise a certain level of compatibility or exportability.
I've had too many problems with even Mac Office and not-quite-full compatibility. When something needs to be exchanged hassle-free, Windows Office is unfortunately the only solution. Thank goodness for Boot Camp.
That said, Office for iPad will be interesting IF AND ONLY IF it delivers full 100% compatibility with Windows documents. If it's "close but not quite 100%", it'll be a non-starter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsullivan
It will be native. It will use Metro interface which has already been tested and explored for Windows 8 tablets for a significant amount of time so going native app on the iPad has many problems already solved.
Microsoft is waiting for Windows 8 tablets to have a head start with Office as their killer app. Many, MANY people are interested in this. Microsoft Office documents are still standard exchange formats for most businesses. If someone uses their tablet at work or is thinking about it, they'll want it.
Since Microsoft has almost zero foothold in the mobile and tablet space with Windows and it knows there is a decent chance that Windows 8 will completely fail to change that, Office may be its only hope for a significant revenue stream to come from that space besides the license fees it already collects.
Because this is a long-term survival tactic, I expect Office for iPad to be better than average at worst.
I hope to see MS Office for the iOS be released with a great implementation of the Apple UI. However, I also hope to see Apple doing something between now and November to make iWork have more of a compatibility to .doc and .xls documents. Compatibility cannot be ignored any more then cross-platform utility can. Were Apple to step up iWorks in these two areas, it could blunt Windows 8's launch as well as provide a reasonable alternative to Office. Also, being able to buy Office a la carte from the App Store would mean an enterprise customer could still use a part of Office to which they feel committed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross
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.
This annoying crap happened to me when I replaced a storage drive too. My old Mac Mini booted from an external drive. I replaced its internal drive from the stock 320gb HDD to a 120gb SSD. After the upgrade I booted off the same external drive and Office wanted me to re-enter my registration key. Unfortunately the drive was bad, so I pulled it out to RMA it. Office wanted my code again. When I got the replacement, same thing: Office wanted my code. By that point the active registration process determined I had used the code too many times and it no longer worked. Try tracking down the number to call Microsoft to resolve this. All the numbers I found online appeared to be for Office for Windows registration. The automated process failed for me and I was unable to speak to a human. Eventually I finally tracked down the right group and spoke to a very helpful woman who added a couple of additional registrations to my key, but until that point I was without access to my local mail folders for days (fortunately I had OWA for email and iWork for opening documents).
Just curious: why trade gorgeous simplicity for outlook's clusterfuck of interface implementation masquerading as pro features?
In the time it takes to locate any obscure menu in outlook I could have sent the email, sent the next one, scheduled a calender event and made a sandwich.
The way I see it, this is all a play by Microsoft for (ta-da) "The Enterprise" -- that is, big companies where people, for the most part, still wear suits and ties and IT is managed by techs with multiple certifications all beginning with the letters "MS". Individual likes or dislikes about Windows or Office are irrelevant. Of course Office for iPad will come out only after the Windows RT version has had a chance to be introduced to enterprise customers. The idea of tablets in the enterprise was a pet of Bill Gates himself. Tablets were for doctors, scientists, engineers, etc. They never were something for the rest of us. Not in the eyes of Bill Gates and not in the eyes of Steve Ballmer, who is doggedly trying to achieve the success with tablets that his friend and mentor failed to get. But Microsoft is a software company and not as stupid as many would like to think. The success of tablets does not hang on Windows or Office alone. Microsoft knows it has to rely on a large number of hardware partners who have basically botched the first rounds of tablets. Can they yet succeed with a new, unproven tablet OS? Yes they can, but Microsoft is smart enough to hedge its bets, to take the long view. Lots of enterprise companies already have iPads and may even choose to stick with iPads. In the enterprise change comes slowly. So Office for iPad will come out, will be interoperable, and will have the Metro style so that a year or so down the line it will be easy to transition from iPad to WinTab.
…Unless Windows tablets fail, of course. Then Ballmer's successor will at least inherit the most popular enterprise software on the iPad.
You aren't alone in this view: check out what DigLloyd has to say about it. He understands why some people simply download a cracked version or use a 'reg key found online'
http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2012/20120511_3-MicrosoftOffice-Key.html
I know Lloyd. He's quite a character. He does exaggerate sometimes, as he has his own prejudices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross
I know Lloyd. He's quite a character. He does exaggerate sometimes, as he has his own prejudices.
That may be, but based on my experiences this article was not an exaggeration. It was spot on. Believe me - despite having a paid-for and valid license, I seriously considered pirating a copy after my frustrating experiences with their active activation crap. As always, copy protection does little to dissuade illegitimate use while seriously inconveniencing legitimate users.
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross
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.
You're right of course amidst the chorus of knee-jerkers still caught somewhere in the 1990's MS/Apple wars. Office is MS's most important profit center going forward given how out of the stream they are in the fastest growing areas of mobile/wireless computing.
However, with Android's miniscule tab share and a chance they will overtake their most currently disliked rival, Google, in that arena, I'd expect the iPad version well before giving Android a helping hand there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryanh
Oooh… Antiquated bloatware for iPad.
Really, Microsoft's motto should be "Everything and the kitchen sink."
I can't wait to hitch their manure spreader to Apple's Ferrari.
Like I said, lots of flies caught in amber still on the forums....
Quote:
Originally Posted by sippincider
Close. Try Non-WINDOWS-MSOffice applications can only promise a certain level of compatibility or exportability.
I've had too many problems with even Mac Office and not-quite-full compatibility. When something needs to be exchanged hassle-free, Windows Office is unfortunately the only solution. Thank goodness for Boot Camp.
That said, Office for iPad will be interesting IF AND ONLY IF it delivers full 100% compatibility with Windows documents. If it's "close but not quite 100%", it'll be a non-starter.
And there is that......