Microsoft debuts Visio Viewer for iPad, updates look & feel of Cortana iOS app

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPad
Microsoft on Thursday brought another productivity app to iOS, its diagramming tool Visio, while promising an enhanced iPhone version of its voice assistant, Cortana.




Visio's first presence on iOS is actually in the guise of Visio Viewer, a browsing-only app for the iPad. For now editing is still reserved for Visio Pro on desktops.

Viewer can load files from email, OneDrive, or SharePoint, and share them as links or attachments. Using "Layer," people can see alternate visualizations of the same diagram, while text search enables finding items in shapes.

Visio Viewer is a free download, and runs on any iPad with iOS 9 or later. iPhone support is due in the next few months.

A Cortana update will rollout to iPhone owners over the next several weeks, and should feature a simplified design with "quick action" buttons that accomplish tasks like setting reminders or checking the weather. Likewise, answers to questions will appear in a cleaner fullscreen layout.

Microsoft is also promising to improve speed. The current iPhone version of Cortana is a free download, and requires iOS 8.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,404member
    I wish someone would create a good simulation app for the iPad... heck, even for MacOS...
  • Reply 2 of 15
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    Who needs Visio Viewer?  If I can't edit the darn thing, just send me a PDF.
    mattinoz
  • Reply 3 of 15
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    Who needs Visio Viewer?  If I can't edit the darn thing, just send me a PDF.
    The viewer allows you to view information and embedded data of objects and shapes, which are hidden by default and could contain detailed information and instructions associated with the drawing, that would not be accessible in a PDF. In the viewer you would click on the object to expose the details.

    This could be very useful for engineers to design an implementation and have technicians in the field execute that plan using their mobile device.
    edited December 2016 randominternetperson
  • Reply 4 of 15
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    anantksundaram said:
    I wish someone would create a good simulation app for the iPad... heck, even for MacOS...
    What kind of simulation do you want to do?

  • Reply 5 of 15
    perkedelperkedel Posts: 10member
    randominternetperson said:
    Who needs Visio Viewer?  If I can't edit the darn thing, just send me a PDF.

    In Windows, I have full Visio. It would be useful to see my engineering/networking diagram on my iPad Pro, you know, for some professionals who do these things?

    No, I do not want a damn PDF for complex diagrams.
    randominternetperson
  • Reply 6 of 15
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    perkedel said:
    Who needs Visio Viewer?  If I can't edit the darn thing, just send me a PDF.

    In Windows, I have full Visio. It would be useful to see my engineering/networking diagram on my iPad Pro, you know, for some professionals who do these things?

    No, I do not want a damn PDF for complex diagrams.
    Ok, fair enough.  I don't work for an engineering company so I've only seen Visio used for things like flow charts and simple software design stuff.  Rock on, engineers!
    edited December 2016
  • Reply 7 of 15
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,727member
    anantksundaram said:
    I wish someone would create a good simulation app for the iPad... heck, even for MacOS...
    As I am 99% a macOS user and iOS is used almost exclusively for Netflix and Amazon Prime on my iPad, I still admit there are a few iOS apps i'd love on my Mac (like weather apps for example) and since the developer kit can emulate an iPad on a Mac I see no reason there isn't a Mac utility that allows all iOS apps you own to run on a Mac in a window albeit using a mouse.  I am staggered no one has made such a thing yet.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    digitalclips said
    As I am 99% a macOS user and iOS is used almost exclusively for Netflix and Amazon Prime on my iPad, I still admit there are a few iOS apps i'd love on my Mac (like weather apps for example) and since the developer kit can emulate an iPad on a Mac I see no reason there isn't a Mac utility that allows all iOS apps you own to run on a Mac in a window albeit using a mouse.  I am staggered no one has made such a thing yet.
    Well for starters why does Apple not even provide the basic iPhone default apps on iPad? Where is my Compass app on my cellular iPad? Where is my Calculator app? You get the idea, there are others that are default on iPhone but not on iPad. Why?
  • Reply 9 of 15
    mpschaefermpschaefer Posts: 51member
    Thanks Microsoft.

    I'd rather like to Edit my Visio diagrams on both my Mac and iPad as well.

    I guess I continue to learn how to use Omnigraffle in the mean time.......


  • Reply 10 of 15
    smiffy31smiffy31 Posts: 202member
    digitalclips said:
    anantksundaram said:
    I wish someone would create a good simulation app for the iPad... heck, even for MacOS...
    As I am 99% a macOS user and iOS is used almost exclusively for Netflix and Amazon Prime on my iPad, I still admit there are a few iOS apps i'd love on my Mac (like weather apps for example) and since the developer kit can emulate an iPad on a Mac I see no reason there isn't a Mac utility that allows all iOS apps you own to run on a Mac in a window albeit using a mouse.  I am staggered no one has made such a thing yet.
    FYI The developer kit does not emulate an iPad exactly the source code is compiled for the X86 and run just like any other Mac application.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    mpschaefer said:
    Thanks Microsoft.

    I'd rather like to Edit my Visio diagrams on both my Mac and iPad as well.

    I guess I continue to learn how to use Omnigraffle in the mean time.......



    I love OmniGraffle for what I need in a diagramming tool.  My only complaint with it is the price, which keeps me from getting the iOS version and from jumping on every new version when it come out.  I do wonder if they are well served by their strategy, but they must like being a (presumably successful) niche software company.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    smiffy31 said:
    digitalclips said:
    anantksundaram said:
    I wish someone would create a good simulation app for the iPad... heck, even for MacOS...
    As I am 99% a macOS user and iOS is used almost exclusively for Netflix and Amazon Prime on my iPad, I still admit there are a few iOS apps i'd love on my Mac (like weather apps for example) and since the developer kit can emulate an iPad on a Mac I see no reason there isn't a Mac utility that allows all iOS apps you own to run on a Mac in a window albeit using a mouse.  I am staggered no one has made such a thing yet.
    FYI The developer kit does not emulate an iPad exactly the source code is compiled for the X86 and run just like any other Mac application.
    And, you are limited to running 1 app (window open) at a time.

  • Reply 13 of 15
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,727member
    volcan said:
    digitalclips said
    As I am 99% a macOS user and iOS is used almost exclusively for Netflix and Amazon Prime on my iPad, I still admit there are a few iOS apps i'd love on my Mac (like weather apps for example) and since the developer kit can emulate an iPad on a Mac I see no reason there isn't a Mac utility that allows all iOS apps you own to run on a Mac in a window albeit using a mouse.  I am staggered no one has made such a thing yet.
    Well for starters why does Apple not even provide the basic iPhone default apps on iPad? Where is my Compass app on my cellular iPad? Where is my Calculator app? You get the idea, there are others that are default on iPhone but not on iPad. Why?
    Well I honestly didn't know that, as I said I don't use iOS much (nor 'social media') but I did think any iPhone app could run on an iPad even if not optimized, has that changed?
  • Reply 14 of 15
    mpschaefermpschaefer Posts: 51member
    randominternetperson said:
    mpschaefer said:
    Thanks Microsoft.

    I'd rather like to Edit my Visio diagrams on both my Mac and iPad as well.

    I guess I continue to learn how to use Omnigraffle in the mean time.......



    I love OmniGraffle for what I need in a diagramming tool.  My only complaint with it is the price, which keeps me from getting the iOS version and from jumping on every new version when it come out.  I do wonder if they are well served by their strategy, but they must like being a (presumably successful) niche software company.
    I agree. It's a little more capable then I probably need, but it's also missing the timeline functions which work really well in my line of work when detailing items to clients.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    airmanchairmanairmanchairman Posts: 358member
    Crashed when trying to open 3 simple Visio schematics that opened just fine in Microsoft Edge browser for Windows 10.

    Failed to open on 2, and crashed on the 3rd, both on my iPad 3rd generation running iOS 9.3.2, and my iPad Pro 9.7" running 10.1.1.

    Needs more work...
Sign In or Register to comment.