Apple needs to implement a "Project Center" in Tiger?!?

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Ok, do not shoot the messenger. Many of us have to use MS Word & Excel. But I would prefer to use Apple Mail, iCal and Address book, rather than Entourage. But having just upgraded to Office 2004, I have to admit that I LOVE the new "Project Center" feature within Entourage and throughout the app. Project Center is extremely useful. I just wish that all the info from within Entourage would utilize iSync better!



Apple needs to make something like this and make the 3 Apple PIM apps more seemless and intergrated.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    If the previews of Tiger are any indication, Apple intends to leave Project Center in the dust.



    There are better and more seamless approaches to integration than MS' monoliths, and Apple's working on them. Oh, and synching will become pervasive as well.

  • Reply 2 of 10
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Apple does seem to be doing some nice things with Tiger. I hope they get agressive and give us a taste of what can be done. Appleworks 7 would be a nice start. It could leverage all the nifty core technologies here and really become a showpiece for what can be done with Apple technology.



    Project Center is a step in the right direction. 3rd parties like http://www.crm4mac.com/ are getting close to the concept. Apple adding systemwide sync is going to help keep data synced and organized immensely. I'm looking forwared to basing my whole schedule around Apple's tools. There's just something about Outlook that I can't get into.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Tiger will blow Project Center away.



    I'm in Marketing and I try to use Project Center. It requires too much manual configuration and conformity by your business partners etc.



    I have a team working on a new product release. I've assigned it as a project and the team members as contacts therein. The problem is that I can't control the SUBJECT lines they decide to use for project related e-mails, so I have to assign all e-mails from them to be sorted in the Project despite the fact that they send a variety of messages on other topics as well.



    In addition, I keep a neatly organized folder for my job-related items, with 30+ subfolders related to specific tasks/people etc. Project Center's watch folder doesn't marry with this organization well. I like to keep PRICING for all products in one place, but Project Center will need it in the created Project or Watch folder in order to separate it from the rest.



    I gave up using it because it just didn't conform and took too much effort.



    Spotlight, by comparison, will let me enter the product's name in a simple field, and see EVERYTHING related to it no matter where it is kept and without any pre-planning. I can then save that search and have a PROJECT CENTER that obliterates MS's solution without ever having to lift a finger in preparation. AWESOME. I truly believe this will be an amazing aide in productivity on the Mac. Can't wait!
  • Reply 4 of 10
    tiggertigger Posts: 3member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sport73

    Tiger will blow Project Center away.



    I'm in Marketing and I try to use Project Center. It requires too much manual configuration and conformity by your business partners etc.



    I have a team working on a new product release. I've assigned it as a project and the team members as contacts therein. The problem is that I can't control the SUBJECT lines they decide to use for project related e-mails, so I have to assign all e-mails from them to be sorted in the Project despite the fact that they send a variety of messages on other topics as well.



    In addition, I keep a neatly organized folder for my job-related items, with 30+ subfolders related to specific tasks/people etc. Project Center's watch folder doesn't marry with this organization well. I like to keep PRICING for all products in one place, but Project Center will need it in the created Project or Watch folder in order to separate it from the rest.



    I gave up using it because it just didn't conform and took too much effort.



    Spotlight, by comparison, will let me enter the product's name in a simple field, and see EVERYTHING related to it no matter where it is kept and without any pre-planning. I can then save that search and have a PROJECT CENTER that obliterates MS's solution without ever having to lift a finger in preparation. AWESOME. I truly believe this will be an amazing aide in productivity on the Mac. Can't wait!




    So, it sounds like within TIGER, "Spotlight and Smart Folders (like iTunes will allow you to do the same thing. Do you have 1 central place for this Smart Folder or do you need 1 within iCal, 1 within Address book, 1 within Mail and 1 within the finder for files? OR can you combine all the samrt folders in one place?
  • Reply 5 of 10
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    They're combined if you want it. Not if you don't.



    Nice, eh?



    And it works with *any* files, for *any* application, not just Microsoft's 'blessed' applications.



    Apple did it right, Project Center is a total kludge.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    It is, but I would bet that the MS MacBU will incorporate this post Office 2004 feature into the next verison of Office. I mean, they didn't have the means to do anything better, did they? (I suppose they sort of did, but I can understand their incination to keep it in the family and limit the scope of developing such a feature.)
  • Reply 7 of 10
    sal 9000sal 9000 Posts: 10member
    Apple should integrate Ink and voice to allow people to "group" files easily, simply by saying or writing "Simpson Project," "book idea," "hawaii," etc. Then a pop-up menu creates a virtual "folder" containing everything marked with that project name.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    haraldharald Posts: 2,152member
    Hmm.



    CRM on the Mac under Tiger.



    CLI on any phone call presented to the computer is parsed by Address Book (as works now, for example with Bluetooth / Address Book linking).



    Name and company of caller is passed on to Spotlight; returns all customer details, order history and any related documents in a flash. Presented in a Dashboard customer widget, or via Automator into a Filemaker record.



    Person sitting in front of computer can say:



    "Hello Mr. Jade! How're the kids (Brad and Locash, am I right?). Do you want another 1000 widgets like in June ... actually, what with it being your birthday, I'll give you 10% off. Oh, one other thing ... this is a tiny bit delicate, but my colleague wanted me to tell you that we may not be able to ship everything until your May balance is cleared. You've paid it? OK ... I'll send a quick note to accounts and put you through. No, don't worry, he'll see the mail before he picks up the phone. Say hi to Chicago for me!".
  • Reply 9 of 10
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Harald

    Hmm.



    CRM on the Mac under Tiger.



    CLI on any phone call presented to the computer is parsed by Address Book (as works now, for example with Bluetooth / Address Book linking).



    Name and company of caller is passed on to Spotlight; returns all customer details, order history and any related documents in a flash. Presented in a Dashboard customer widget, or via Automator into a Filemaker record.



    Person sitting in front of computer can say:



    "Hello Mr. Jade! How're the kids (Brad and Locash, am I right?). Do you want another 1000 widgets like in June ... actually, what with it being your birthday, I'll give you 10% off. Oh, one other thing ... this is a tiny bit delicate, but my colleague wanted me to tell you that we may not be able to ship everything until your May balance is cleared. You've paid it? OK ... I'll send a quick note to accounts and put you through. No, don't worry, he'll see the mail before he picks up the phone. Say hi to Chicago for me!".




    GREAT POINT. Let's hope others (businesses with customer service) see this opportunity.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Indeed.



    Now you guys are getting it... Ubiquitous metadata and rapid searching of massive data stores will radically chance how we interact with our systems and our data.
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