Apple's Cook touts Microsoft Office for iPad, says it could have come sooner
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday said that Microsoft's Office for iPad is a "key franchise" in enterprise, an area where Apple is pushing for tablet dominance, but admitted the software could have come a bit sooner.
While Cook offered a good deal of praise for Office, saying Microsoft's productivity suite is a good fit for iPad, the Apple chief tempered his enthusiasm by pointing out how long the Redmond, Wash.-based company took to bring the software over
"Office is still a very key franchise in the enterprise, in particular, and I think having it on the iPad is good," Cook said. "If it had been done earlier, it would have been better for Microsoft frankly."
The long-awaited productivity suite was an instant hit, topping the iOS App Store charts within hours of release and raking in more than 12 million downloads after one week of availability.
Microsoft launched Office for iPad a little over one week ago as a standalone extension of its Office 365 program. Users can download the apps -- Word, Excel and PowerPoint -- and view documents for free, but editing and saving requires a supported Office 365 subscription.
While Cook offered a good deal of praise for Office, saying Microsoft's productivity suite is a good fit for iPad, the Apple chief tempered his enthusiasm by pointing out how long the Redmond, Wash.-based company took to bring the software over
"Office is still a very key franchise in the enterprise, in particular, and I think having it on the iPad is good," Cook said. "If it had been done earlier, it would have been better for Microsoft frankly."
The long-awaited productivity suite was an instant hit, topping the iOS App Store charts within hours of release and raking in more than 12 million downloads after one week of availability.
Microsoft launched Office for iPad a little over one week ago as a standalone extension of its Office 365 program. Users can download the apps -- Word, Excel and PowerPoint -- and view documents for free, but editing and saving requires a supported Office 365 subscription.
Comments
Ohh! How can he say that while he is having iWork in action!
Is this to show enterprises that Apple is going in good terms with Microsoft?
Enterprise doesn't use iWork- only people on AI?
“If it had been done earlier, it would have been better for Microsoft frankly. Because while they were sitting on their thumbs, we made iWork good enough that no one cares about their garbage anymore.”
Ohh! How can he say that while he is having iWork in action!
Is this to show enterprises that Apple is going in good terms with Microsoft?
Enterprise doesn't use iWork- only people on AI?
I meant he can push iWork to Enterprise. But nothing can beat Excel. But still...
What stuff, iWork? ‘Course it is.
Cook noted that while MSFT delayed, a variety of productivity apps have been adopted by business, including Apple's own.
If MSFT wasn't threatened by the prospect of being left behind on iPad as other office apps took over, it would have continued to keep Office exclusive to Windows tablets. It's not like it's making tons of revenue from subscription plans that enterprise users are likely to pay for whether or not they have an iPad.
The problem with all this stuff is that it is not fully compatible con Mac. That is why a truly portable and pocketable Mac is needed. Great for Keynote and PowerPoint presentations MADE on a Mac desktop computer
I see your point, but that starts to sound like an Apple "surface" and MSFT version didn't work out to well in that regard.
It's definitely a good thing that Office is on iPad - as great as iWork is, it doesn't have even the slightest foothold in the enterprise market, and it won't anytime soon.
Plus, honestly, Office 365 is amazing. I love it so much that I put Windows 8 virtualisation on my iMac just so that I can run it there in its full glory. From my perspective it's the best product Microsoft has made for a long time. A perfect fit for Apple hardware (so, MS, please release a native version of Office 365 for OS X as soon as you can...it would be an ideal fit for OS X as well...)
Ohh! How can he say that while he is having iWork in action!
Is this to show enterprises that Apple is going in good terms with Microsoft?
just think about how much money Apple will not make on iWork.. oh no!!!! wait....
They could always offer an Enterprise in-app purchase for Numbers that will net them a decent profit but I am not sure that's the way to go. If you want Enterprise customers and your profits come from selling devices, not SW, then selling an Enterprise IAP isn't likely to work out well.
just think about how much money Apple will not make on iWork.. oh no!!!! wait....
and think how much they make if microsoft sells a 365 subscription through the App Store...
"...but admitted the software could have come a bit sooner."
Um, how exactly is that an "admission"? He was not referring to his own or his company's failure. He was remarking on a gaffe by another company. How about, "He took a subtle swipe at Microsoft, saying, 'If it had been done earlier, it would have been better for Microsoft frankly.'"
"...but admitted the software could have come a bit sooner."
Um, how exactly is that an "admission"? He was not referring to his own or his company's failure. He was remarking on a gaffe by another company. How about, "He took a subtle swipe at Microsoft, saying, 'If it had been done earlier, it would have been better for Microsoft frankly.'"
I was thinking the same thing. Since it was such a poor piece of writing, I assumed it was done deliberately to encourage people to comment on it.
Journalism isn't what it used to be ...
I like pages
Me too.
I wouldn't write a thesis with it, but for 95% of the stuff I do, it's just the ticket.
Both Microsoft and Apple need to have these Office (or iWorks) apps work with something other than their own basic cloud service. Neither solution is appropriate for medical HIPPA-compliant storage. Our entire mobile practice for all providers runs on iPhones, iPads and MacBooks -- nothing else. We are able to work effectively on a modest 3G cellular connection.
3G cellular for medical use?