Google bolsters iOS productivity suite with Slides, updates to Docs and Sheets

Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2014
Google on Monday released presentation app Slides alongside updates to existing iOS apps Docs and Sheets, offering a free Web-connected alternative to similar productivity suites from Microsoft and Apple.




Google Slides joins word processor Google Docs and spreadsheet solution Google Sheets to complete the usual trifecta of productivity apps seen in suites like Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork.

As noted by Google, Slides allows users to create, edit and collaborate on presentations directly from any compatible iOS device. In addition to on-device content creation, the free app connects to Google's cloud for Web-based editing and sharing across multiple platforms.

Like Google Docs and Google Sheets, Slides supports real-time collaboration and persistent document saving. An offline work mode also comes built-in, while Microsoft PowerPoint files can be opened, edited and saved. Finished projects can be presented directly from an iOS device, much like Apple's Keynote.

In addition to Slides, Google rolled out updates to Docs and Sheets, both expanding support for files originating from Microsoft's Office suite of apps. The latest version of Docs lets users open, edit, and save Microsoft Word files, while Sheets can now do the same with Microsoft Excel files. Users of Google's spreadsheet creation app can also view charts, insert formulas and use find/replace tools.

Google Slides is a free 61.5MB download from the iOS App Store. Google Docs and Google Sheets are also free and come in at 50.4MB and 82.3MB, respectively.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member

    “With your permission you give us more information about you, your friends, and we can improve the quality of our searches. We don't need you to type at all. We know where you are. We know where you've been. We can more or less guess what you're thinking about.” 

     

    - Eric Schmidt

  • Reply 2 of 17
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member

    Yeah, no thanks.

  • Reply 3 of 17
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    gtr wrote: »
    “With your permission you give us more information about you, your friends, and we can improve the quality of our searches. We don't need you to type at all. We know where you are. We know where you've been. We can more or less guess what you're thinking about.” 

    <span style="line-height:1.4em;">- Eric Schmidt</span>

    Plus,

    "If You Have Something That You Don't Want Anyone To Know, Maybe You Shouldn't Be Doing It In The First Place."

    -Eric Schmidt
    (being full of Schmidt, as usual)
  • Reply 4 of 17
    macapfelmacapfel Posts: 575member
    Independent what you think about Google: Free iWorks and a similar product from Google will make it increasingly difficult for MS and their paid solutions to play in this field.
  • Reply 5 of 17
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    Plus,



    "If You Have Something That You Don't Want Anyone To Know, Maybe You Shouldn't Be Doing It In The First Place."



    -Eric Schmidt

    (being full of Schmidt, as usual)

     

    God he's such an asshole.  What an absolutely stupid, uninformed, unintelligent thing to say.

  • Reply 6 of 17
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacApfel View Post



    Independent what you think about Google: Free iWorks and a similar product from Google will make it increasingly difficult for MS and their paid solutions to play in this field.

     

    Actually Office 365 isn't too expensive for what it offers. I am against subscription software in general, but if companies that deal mostly with software are moving in that direction, then that is how it is.

     

    There was a time when amateur photographers/ videographers could buy a licence for Adobe's Creative Suite and use it. The subscription plans now are high enough to separate the men from the boys, so guys like me have to look for alternatives like Pixelmator.

     

    However, Office 365 isn't as expensive.

     

    As for Google, I think it has the advantage of supporting forms which directly update a spreadsheet, so it is pretty useful for home business Users who like to get data from Clients. It would be nice if Apple gets something like that done.

  • Reply 7 of 17
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,255member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacApfel View Post



    Independent what you think about Google: Free iWorks and a similar product from Google will make it increasingly difficult for MS and their paid solutions to play in this field.

    Google's software isn't necessarily free -- you pay for it with the content of every scrap of information that passes through Google's servers. If your information has no value, then sure -- it's free. 

     

    iWorks has zero marginal cost for people who already bought Apple hardware. So it's sort of free in that sense. But the limitation is that there are a lot of people in the world who (sad for them) do not use Apple hardware. And yet I must deal with those people. 

     

    So I'm willing to pay for a quality office suite from Microsoft. I trust Microsoft more than Google to respect my privacy (that's not saying much, but it's still an advantage for Microsoft). My biggest gripe about Microsoft has been the artificial constraints they have placed on Office in the past in order to prop up Windows. There are now signs that they are going to do that a lot less than in the past. Fingers crossed. 

  • Reply 8 of 17
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post

     

    Google's software isn't necessarily free -- you pay for it with the content of every scrap of information that passes through Google's servers. 


     

    This is very true. Google does a good job of providing value from their use of my data though. For a given user, it's just deciding if that deal is worth it or not. (well, for many users, they mindlessly go into it breathing through their mouth, but you know what I mean)

  • Reply 9 of 17
    pfisherpfisher Posts: 758member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacApfel View Post



    Independent what you think about Google: Free iWorks and a similar product from Google will make it increasingly difficult for MS and their paid solutions to play in this field.



    iCloud and Google docs work good for most people.

  • Reply 10 of 17
    Google Apple and MS all fighting... on iOS platforms only of course.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    jpellinojpellino Posts: 697member

    A spreadsheet that can't graph data - you're GOOGLE for pity's sake.  

  • Reply 12 of 17
    Has anyone tried this app?

    I just downloaded it and was astonished to see that it can only edit text. It's looks like a glorified text editor that can only edit on rectangular (3x4) white pages and allows the user to presents those blank white pages full-screen .... no pictures (tried inserting and copy/paste), no animations, no transitions. I've tried clicking and swiping every which way, I'm up to clicking with all ten fingers but still no luck, nothing lets me do anything but edit text in a text box ... and those text boxes can't even be moved around. Am I missing something? Not sure how this can be called a presentation app, I guess it does let you edit the text on docs that were created elsewhere....
  • Reply 13 of 17
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BestKeptSecret View Post

     

     

    Actually Office 365 isn't too expensive for what it offers. I am against subscription software in general, but if companies that deal mostly with software are moving in that direction, then that is how it is.

     

    There was a time when amateur photographers/ videographers could buy a licence for Adobe's Creative Suite and use it. The subscription plans now are high enough to separate the men from the boys, so guys like me have to look for alternatives like Pixelmator.

     

    However, Office 365 isn't as expensive.

     

    As for Google, I think it has the advantage of supporting forms which directly update a spreadsheet, so it is pretty useful for home business Users who like to get data from Clients. It would be nice if Apple gets something like that done.


    Guys from the boys, it costs 30 bucks a month for the full Monty, the entire Adobe catalog, sorry but if you're upset about the pricing you're either only upgrading your licenses once every 6 to 7 years or your pirating the software. Office 365 costs the same the same if you broke down the individual Adobe packages.

  • Reply 14 of 17
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post

     

    A spreadsheet that can't graph data - you're GOOGLE for pity's sake.  


    Google Docs supports graphs, where did you hear otherwise?

    image

  • Reply 15 of 17
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gavxyz View Post



    Has anyone tried this app?



    I just downloaded it and was astonished to see that it can only edit text. It's looks like a glorified text editor that can only edit on rectangular (3x4) white pages and allows the user to presents those blank white pages full-screen .... no pictures (tried inserting and copy/paste), no animations, no transitions. I've tried clicking and swiping every which way, I'm up to clicking with all ten fingers but still no luck, nothing lets me do anything but edit text in a text box ... and those text boxes can't even be moved around. Am I missing something? Not sure how this can be called a presentation app, I guess it does let you edit the text on docs that were created elsewhere....

    The app is their to view and to do quick changes, you have to use the online app to get full capabilities. 

  • Reply 16 of 17
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacApfel View Post



    Independent what you think about Google: Free iWorks and a similar product from Google will make it increasingly difficult for MS and their paid solutions to play in this field.

    MS Office online is free to use, just like iWorks and Google Docs, Office 365 is a different offering. http://office.com

  • Reply 17 of 17
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronJ View Post

     

     

    God he's such an asshole.  What an absolutely stupid, uninformed, unintelligent thing to say.


    Actually what he should have said, you shouldn't be doing it online, which is sound advice.

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