Microsoft Office Finally Gets iOS App 139
An anonymous reader writes "After years of rumors and months of bickering with Apple over revenue splits, Microsoft has finally released an official iOS app for Office 365 subscribers, allowing people to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on their iPhones and iPads. According to a hands-on report with the software, the Office app has basic functionality, but is missing some key productivity features. 'These include: font options, text alignment, bulleted lists and, again, more color choices, all of which you can find in, say, the Google Drive app.' They say it's a fairly useful addition for current subscribers, but certainly not enough to make it worth the Office 365 subscription fee on its own. 'We can't tell if Microsoft deliberately handicapped Office Mobile for iPhone, or if it's simply saving some features for a later update. (A company rep declined to comment on what we can expect from future versions.) We're willing to believe Microsoft still has some unfinished items on its to-do list, but even so, it's a shame that iPhone users waited this long for an Office app, only to get something with such a minimal feature set. All told, Office Mobile represents a good enough start for Microsoft, and in some ways it's better than Google Drive, particularly where spreadsheets are concerned. Still, it's miles behind other office apps for iOS, including Apple iWork.'"
No iPad app (Score:1)
Microsoft has finally released an official iOS app for Office 365 subscribers, allowing people to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on their iPhones and iPads.
There's no iPad app so that MS doesn't have to Apple 30% for every purchase for full featured Office.
Also so that they can run ads like these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86JMcy5OqZA#ysav [youtube.com]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UGxKX6IU1U [youtube.com]
Re:No iPad app (Score:5, Informative)
They could easily release an iPad app without paying Apple the 30% - they just make the app require an Office 365 account. Done. Sign up for the account online, go back to the app, done.
They only have to pay Apple the 30% _IF_ users can sign up for the account _IN_ the app. If they do so via a web browser, on their own, it allows the developer to avoid the 30% cut to Apple.
Please do try to understand how the process works before offering your opinion on it.
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I have a mobile App that has our own private "cloud" storage. The user can use the App to their hearts desire. But, if they want our "cloud" they must subscribe via our Web portal.
But, if they don't care about that - they can use the App indefinitely. I don't think there is a steadfast rule to it, all Apple seems to care about is if the App can be used (functional). W
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The question is, can the user use the App at all without paying?
That's up to the App developer isn't it? Here are the ways Apple will take their cut: 1) 30% of price of app and 2) 30% of subscriptions generated within app. If MS charges nothing for the app and if all subscriptions are created externally (through microsoft.com), Apple can't charge.
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The question is, can the user use the App at all without paying?
That's up to the App developer isn't it? Here are the ways Apple will take their cut: 1) 30% of price of app and 2) 30% of subscriptions generated within app. If MS charges nothing for the app and if all subscriptions are created externally (through microsoft.com), Apple can't charge.
But they can reject the app. If you're listing a "free" app that doesn't do anything (without a separate paid subscription) you will be rejected for having a useless app.
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https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/netflix/id363590051?mt=8 [apple.com]
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hulu-plus/id376510438?mt=8 [apple.com]
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But they can reject the app. If you're listing a "free" app that doesn't do anything (without a separate paid subscription) you will be rejected for having a useless app.
They can do anything they want, but that's not one of them.
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So basically, the market penetration on this will be zero, because Office 365
Re:No iPad app (Score:5, Informative)
So basically, the market penetration on this will be zero, because Office 365
Meanwhile, in reality: One million subscriptions in 3.5 months.
Re:No iPad app (Score:4, Insightful)
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But there are a lot of retailers and etailers and there's competition around their margin.. You can buy Office at Staples, Office Depot, Walmart, Fry's, Microcenter or buy it online from a whole ton of places. With Apple, every consumer is chained only to the app store.
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With Apple, every consumer is chained only to the app store.
iOS users overwhelmingly like having a one-stop-shop with all the apps in. That's one of the things they chose that platform for.
It wasn't sprung on them as a change from previous practice. Indeed before the Apple Store, the mobile app market was tiny. Apple's one-stop-shop popularised phone apps.
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With Apple, every consumer is chained only to the app store.
iOS users overwhelmingly like having a one-stop-shop with all the apps in. That's one of the things they chose that platform for.
It wasn't sprung on them as a change from previous practice. Indeed before the Apple Store, the mobile app market was tiny. Apple's one-stop-shop popularised phone apps.
And you're pulling this data from where exactly? Your intuition?
Is that why so millions of people fall over themselves to jailbreak the phones?
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/latest-jailbreak-statistics-jaw-dropping-154024296.html [yahoo.com]
http://www.geek.com/apple/stats-reveal-evasi0n-ios-6-1-jailbreak-1538656/ [geek.com]
Looks like you're falling victim to ex post facto reasoning and attributing Stockholm syndrome to iOS users.
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Well my information about the market before the iPhone comes from the fact I've been a mobile developer since the 1990s. The iOS information comes from the fact that people know there's a one-stop-shop before they buy, and being in the iOS community I have a reasonable grasp on the feelings about that. Are you an iOS user?
There's no post-facto about it. I've been a part of every moment of the smartphone industry. And the Stockholm syndrome meme is just moronic abuse of popular science; a slashdot meme. St
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With Apple, every consumer is chained only to the app store.
iOS users overwhelmingly like having a one-stop-shop with all the apps in. That's one of the things they chose that platform for.
It wasn't sprung on them as a change from previous practice. Indeed before the Apple Store, the mobile app market was tiny. Apple's one-stop-shop popularised phone apps.
That's like saying that because lot of people are buying cactii, they must like getting poked in the ass with cactus thorns.
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Then the original point is like saying people who are buying cactuses are disadvantaged because their plants don't need watering every day.
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I don't get this. When I buy a copy of MS Office at Best Buy, they get a little cut, and so does the supplier that Best Buy purchases from. I'm not sure what the usual split is between Microsoft, the supplier and the retailer, but I'm sure it's not that far off from 30%. I don't see why it should work any different if I set up a software store that only sells licenses and not disks.
because it's 30% that goes to a player that is only relevant in the transaction because they made it so that you couldn't install sw without them?
that's what ms was/is aiming for with metro as well. in low value sw it doesn't matter as much, but buy a photoshop and then have the thought that "hmm, I just paid the price of the machine I'm using this sw on to the machine manufacturer just to run some sw from a 3rd party on this" and you might be a little peeved about it.
really the point is that the only one a
Another nail in the PC coffin (Score:1)
....allowing people to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on their iPhones and iPads.
Now, that's really going to hurt PC sales.
Yeah, there will be some desktops for the cubicle drones who need to crunch the quarterly numbers, type the letters and briefs, etc .... but for the folks who are running the place and the rainmakers, this is great.
Oh! And we're going to see laptops get hit too now.
I have a bunch of entrepreneurs, doctors, and executive types in my family. There was one Macbook Air and the rest were iPads. An iPad does 99% of that they need.
Desktops and laptops for the worker bees
Re:Another nail in the PC coffin (Score:5, Informative)
In case you haven'y noticed, worker bees vastly outnumber "bosses". I rarely take my laptop home these days, but my tablet is also redundant for me personally at work.
Having said that, I bought a couple of tablets for some of our "worker bees" out in the workshop. They use them for an app I wrote that lets them receive new machining tasks, and give live updates on production status from out on the floor. So tablets aren't just useful for PHBs and layabouts.
Battery life (Score:2)
...and the bosses switch back to their PC at lunch while the iPad recharges.
Since it would need to have most of the battery draining options on (like wifi).
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Nobody wants to manipulate long professional Word documents or do heavy Excel work with an iPad.
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No, but they would like to reference those documents without carrying around a massive laptop with a shit battery. That's why this is a complimentary product to the Office that these users already bought.
What? (Score:5, Insightful)
> missing some key productivity features. 'These include: font options, text alignment, bulleted lists
Is it a joke?
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Yeah, sounds like they ported Notepad to iOS :-)
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From the description, it sounds like it's basically a viewer for MSOffice documents with the ability to correct text and highlight things.
PRISM Sept 2007 (Score:1, Insightful)
Microsoft signed up to PRISM in 2007 which gives the military access to stored data. Office 365 is their ONLINE product where your data is kept online on their servers under US jurisdiction. That gives the US military access to your commercial private data.
Go read up on the commercial spying scandals involving Echelon, and you'll see why you cannot permit your companies documents, or even your own private documents into US cloud services.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-d
Irrelevant (Score:1)
There's an Irrelephant in the room.
what a waste of time (Score:2)
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You can barely type on most tablets.
You can connect a bluetooth keyboard to most tablets. I ignored the remainder of your comment because it was therefore irrelevant.
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you should have read the rest - not all of it had to do with the keyboard, and it had some thoughtful points you may have found relevant.
Book, cover, judging, etc.
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you should have read the rest - not all of it had to do with the keyboard, and it had some thoughtful points you may have found relevant.
What are the odds that someone who is so anti-tablet that they blocked out the fact that you can connect a bluetooth keyboard to one will have anything thoughtful or relevant to say about them? Absolutely nil.
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You doth protest too much, methinks. You refuse to read another post because the author jumped to a conclusion with weak evidence, and then jump to your own conclusions?
I jumped to the conclusion that they would have nothing of value to say because they didn't know what they were talking about. I have since gone back and read the comment just to make you happy and learned that it gave no information not available from TFA. IOW, I was correct; OP had nothing of value to say, which I was able to ascertain from their initial ignorant statement.
Thanks for causing me to go back and re-examine my prejudices. I discovered that they were correct. Along the way, my prejudice agains
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and thanks for confirming that there are still people out there hell-bent on dismissing other people's beliefs and opinions simply because the beliefs don't line up with what they think the beliefs ought to be. And here I was, thinking humanity was about to step up a notch. Silly me.
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And thanks for confirming that you're just a troll, because nobody sensible would confuse what happened with whatever the fuck you're talking about.
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If you connect a keyboard to it, its a shitty PC. Why not use a real PC?
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If you connect a keyboard to it, its a shitty PC. Why not use a real PC?
No, it is a tablet with a keyboard. There are lots of reasons why not to use a "real" PC (as if a tablet weren't a personal computer... they are turing-complete, HTH, HAND) notably including power consumption and footprint. If the user rarely uses a keyboard, it is reasonable to omit it.
I don't get it... (Score:5, Insightful)
People are going to compose documents, spreadsheets, etc. on a tablet??
Maybe I need more coffee, can someone explain why anyone would want this?
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People are going to compose documents, spreadsheets, etc. on a tablet??
No, not really.
Maybe I need more coffee, can someone explain why anyone would want this?
People want to be able to *edit* them on a tablet (last minute crap, corrections, etc). I'm hoping it's only minor edits. Of course, with the lack of proper font, alignment, bullet point and color support it may do more damage to an existing document than help it ;-)
Tablets are generally a consumption device. Some users can use them to create content, especially when used with a keyboard, but they are by far the exceptio
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People are going to compose documents, spreadsheets, etc. on a tablet??
No, not really.
Maybe I need more coffee, can someone explain why anyone would want this?
People want to be able to *edit* them on a tablet (last minute crap, corrections, etc). I'm hoping it's only minor edits. Of course, with the lack of proper font, alignment, bullet point and color support it may do more damage to an existing document than help it ;-)
Tablets are generally a consumption device. Some users can use them to create content, especially when used with a keyboard, but they are by far the exceptions.
I think my tablet + keyboard is great for generating content while traveling. The tablet goes on the tray table, the keyboard on my lap and all of the sudden I have room. I'm kind of a tall person, so its very hard for me to use a laptop on an airplane. I've reviewed, created, and edited documents while traveling. I've also used it to even write out some code. It just depends on what I need to do and how long I'll be traveling for.
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Tablets and phones are a docking station away from being full fledged computers to do work on. My Galaxy Note II is more powerful that the computer I had 10 years ago for gaming, less the video card. With something like Ubuntu for Andriod, or if MS didn't F up Windows 8 so bad, I could just drop it into a docking station at home or pick it up and take it to work and have a fully usable computer with a keyboard, mouse, LAN connection and multiple monitors, with the added bonus tha
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Or, as gets pointed out every time this comes up ... a $20 Bluetooth keyboard, and the case you already probably have which props it up. Pretty much every major tablet will support Bluetooth keyboards
I've actually found with my case which props it to a decent angle, I can type fairly ok -- I wouldn't want to do my primary work on it, but it's not nearly as defective of a platform as some people seem to think. Onc
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LOL ... and this is why I like to stay on dry land, despite growing up near the ocean.
Too much spilling of 'yer drinks (or lunch).
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Came here to say this. I have a folding iGo stowaway bluetooth keyboard for my phone, and I was honestly surprised and just how useful that thing is! I still have a laptop for my primary "work station" but when I'm on the go, it's surprising how much my bluetooth keyboard and Android 4.1 phone gets used instead.
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Because I don't want to carry a laptop to have a shopping list that syncs between multiple people.
I use google docs for that sort of thing all the time, when I am out and about. Instructions for tasks are another kind I frequently do.
Re:I don't get it... (Score:5, Informative)
Compose, no. Edit and update, yes.
Done right, it's actually a crazy powerful workflow.
Here's a trivial example... I do agility training with my dogs. I keep a spreadsheet of skills for each that I need to work on and add a check mark whenever I touch on that skill. I built it on my desktop using Google Drive, and keep a synced, offline version on my phone. Which means I can reference it and add that check mark when I'm actually training, or add a new skill to the list when I'm at class.
Now, is a spreadsheet the right tool for this sort of thing? Maybe a dedicated Android app would be better, but Google Drive is available on every device I care to use.
Obviously I'm assuming that this workflow is viable with whatever toolset Microsoft is offering. I have doubts that they could screw up something so simple, but lately I'm been amazed by their ability to do things exactly the least useful way.
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Durable, waterproof tablets will. Clipboards and paper are still a shedload more failure-tolerant than electronics.
Still, it's getting close and some of the cases available are pretty tough.
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People are going to compose documents, spreadsheets, etc. on a tablet??
Maybe I need more coffee, can someone explain why anyone would want this?
Sure - it's for editing existing documents that need polishing.
The use case is you are on your way to visit a client after an all-nighter. You spot a few issues that need editing, and this product has just enough functionality to let you do that. Or you're at lunch and realize a better way to say something. Whip out your phone and edit the doc.
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You're going to hate this, but I'm still using that same sheet today. I fill in the data, not on a tablet, but on my Samsung S2. It's perfect. I get off the crosstrainer, pick up my S2 (which has been sending music to my bluetooth speak
Welcome to the future (Score:2)
People are going to compose documents, spreadsheets, etc. on a tablet??
Why not? Attach a keyboard if needed. Just because you don't do it now doesn't mean it can't do a perfectly acceptable job given appropriate software.
Maybe I need more coffee, can someone explain why anyone would want this?
Because a tablet is underneath basically exactly the same thing as a laptop, just with an interface optimized in a different way. There is no fundamental reason why you can't attach a keyboard to a tablet and do word processing on it. A tablet certainly has sufficient CPU power for that task. As long as the software is designed with the tablet interface i
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I think it depends. We've been using Keynote on the iPad for over a year now. Keynote works well enough for our purposes and most of our field people are carrying iPads instead of Laptops.
Usually they aren't the ones creating the presentations. While it's not always ideal to work on, it's can be extremely handy if you need to make last minute tweaks to a presentation. It works extremely well for that.
Still, given the choice, most of our people would prefer powerpoint over Keynote. We've been experiment
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Not compose, but edit and update. Perhaps you're on your way to give a presentation, and you're reviewing it on your tablet (it's only consumption, no need to dig out the laptop). But you spot an error - a typo maybe. So you can quickly go and fix the error when you spot it, rather than dig out the laptop, fire it up, fix the error (while juggling the laptop).
Basica
Great work! (Score:2)
So finally iOS users can get the free cloud backup via the NSA that Office365 users enjoy!
Come on MS (Score:5, Insightful)
No iPad support, which is arguably the largest use case scenario.
You have to subscribe to Office 365.
You can't just buy it in the app store.
I honestly can't come up with a way they could have fucked this up any more. Once again MS snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.
Re:Come on MS (Score:4, Funny)
No iPad support, which is arguably the largest use case scenario. You have to subscribe to Office 365. You can't just buy it in the app store.
I honestly can't come up with a way they could have fucked this up any more. Once again MS snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.
Its kind of good sport to watch them shoot themselves in the foot over and over again. One of the wonders of the known universe is they still manage to turn a profit. Its a strange world sometimes.
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You can say that without it even crossing your mind that maybe they know something you don't?
Besides how to create monopolies and not pay a real price for it? They were really good at the whole "embrace, extend, extinguish" thing when they needed to, and they got away with it. Impressively so. But now that they've lost that tool, they seem to spend most their time shitting in their own nest. High quality shit, but shit nonetheless.
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Besides how to create monopolies...
You think that's easy?
Any business's primary goal is to take all the addressable market and would DIE to do that.
Anyone can start a lemonade stand, but being the only one to sell lemonade in the town, now that's hell of a lot harder.
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Ah well, there's always Quickoffice.
Re:Come on MS (Score:5, Insightful)
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they actually can't get a full office for that kind ui. probably because they can't agree on what would be good.
hence you have "desktop" on windows rt just for running it.
hence, no metro excel. hence, metro sucks.
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Problem is the "tablet" that does it costs as much as an ultrabook.
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The iPad support is not such a bit deal, as it's a version 1 product. Most companies introduce their apps on iPhone first as it's the bigger market, then add in iPad support later.
The enemy of my enemy... (Score:5, Interesting)
No thanks; I'll carry on using (free) Google docs plus the Apple apps I already purchased, (for les than the monthly cost of Ofice360) for those very rare occassions that I want to edit 'office' docs on my iDevices.
Follows announcement that search engine for Siri will go from Google to Bing.
http://tech2.in.com/news/ios/apple-ditches-google-partners-with-bing-for-siri-search/876324 [in.com]
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I kind of wish they went with Ask Jeeves instead.
Comment removed (Score:3)
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This has been going on for decades. Is this any different to even, say, Windows CE office apps?
MS has a market which it's tried to (or said it's tried to) break out of several times. Hell, it took since Windows XP Tablet Edition for everyone to say "Yeah, that's usable on a tablet now", by which time so many other competitors came and went in the same area that MS are still the outsider. It doesn't really care about / has no clue how to handle other platforms.
It likes Office on desktop because it sells O
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well it's just for checking stuff, mainly.
it's a complimentary offer to the office juggernaut.. not a product that would stand on it's own. it's just something they "have to have".
Bigger question is, what is up with MS Marketing? (Score:2)
Then, Microsoft releases Office for iOS? Such disorganization.
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Advertising the Surface based on Microsoft's effective monopoly in office software is going to get them slapped down hard by the EU at least. It's a textbook case of illegally using a monopoly.
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There is no Office for iPad.
Atleast read the post titles of the top two posts before rushing to post your two cents you think are worth millions.
He didn't say there was an Office for iPad. He said there was an Office for iOS. The last time I checked, you can run an iOS app in the iPad even if it was made for iPhone/iPod Touch. It may not optimized for an iPad's screen but it will run.
Also, read the part of the summary where it says Apple's forced 30% cut was keeping Office for iPad on hold, so Apple deserves part of the blame for that and the ad is justified in flaunting Office on Windows RT and Windows 8.
You complain of others not understanding an issue but you misstated the problem yourself in so many ways. Apple's 30% cut comes from two sources: 1) 30% of the price of the app or 2) 30% of any subscription revenue generated within the app. Microsoft is under no o
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This is the same for everyone not specially created for MS. MS wanted Apple to change the rules for them and how is that Apple's fault if they said no?
Because Office is not the same as every other 99c fart app on the App store.
Which app on the iPad among the million apps following the "rules" is going get more business sales in companies for the iPad apart from Office? That's a ton of $$$ if you count the huge margins on iPads. Thus, MS is in a way stronger negotiating position than the developer of a fart sounds app. If you can't understand that simple logic, I have nothing more to say to you.
Also, the ads didn't say it was Apple's fault. They said ther
Re:Bigger question is, what is up with MS Marketin (Score:4, Insightful)
Because Office is not the same as every other 99c fart app on the App store.
The Office app needs special rules because you and MS say it's special. Yeah, that's not a reason. So all the subscription based apps like the WSJ app can do whatever they want because they are special too?.
Which app on the iPad among the million apps following the "rules" is going get more business sales in companies for the iPad apart from Office?
Funny how you defined "business sales" because if you want to talk millions in sales to consumers you have to ignore Pandora, Kindle, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc.
Thus, MS is in a way stronger negotiating position than the developer of a fart sounds app. If you can't understand that simple logic, I have nothing more to say to you.
Pandora, Kindle, Angry Birds, etc. are not fart apps. It's not logic on your part; it's willful blindness as you appear to be a MS apologist.
If you went to any business in this world and you wanted them to make exceptions for you, you would say it's partially their fault if they say no? What kind of warped sense of entitlement do you have? Can you say to a potential landlord that you want to pay less rent than he's offering and then blame him because he didn't say yes? That the landlord is partially to blame that you were without an apartment. The delay was all MS. They wanted Apple to change the rules. Apple said no. End of story.
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Because Office is not the same as every other 99c fart app on the App store.
The Office app needs special rules because you and MS say it's special. Yeah, that's not a reason. So all the subscription based apps like the WSJ app can do whatever they want because they are special too?.
Which app on the iPad among the million apps following the "rules" is going get more business sales in companies for the iPad apart from Office?
Funny how you defined "business sales" because if you want to talk millions in sales to consumers you have to ignore Pandora, Kindle, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc.
Thus, MS is in a way stronger negotiating position than the developer of a fart sounds app. If you can't understand that simple logic, I have nothing more to say to you.
Lets say Apple demanded 100% instead of 30%, does this mean it's all MS's fault? Who is to say 30% is the "right" amount? You, the MS hater?
If you went to any business in this world and you wanted them to make exceptions for you, you would say it's partially their fault if they say no? What kind of warped sense of entitlement do you have? Can you say to a potential landlord that you want to pay less rent than he's offering and then blame him because he didn't say yes? That the landlord is partially to blame that you were without an apartment.
If I were renting a thousand apartments, yes I would ask the landlord for a discount. That is not a warped sense of entitlement, it's getting a good deal for your company. If you didn't, and paid one of your biggest rival companies extra money you didn't need to, you would be called an unknowing fool and would be fired from any half decent company for wasting money like
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Lets say Apple demanded 100% instead of 30%, does this mean it's all MS's fault?
Let's say Apple killed your dog and your mother while framing you for tax evasion, whose fault is it? You are listing hypotheticals that aren't close to reality because you don't have a real argument. The cut is 30% for everyone. And the thing you don't understand is that MS doesn't have to pay as long as they play by the same rules everyone follows. Netflix and Hulu don't get charged 30%. HBO doesn't get charged 30%.
Who is to say 30% is the "right" amount? You, the MS hater?
Apparently both Google and MS think 30% is the "right" amount as they charge the same
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It sad to see people on a site that used to stand for software freedom cheering on Apple and it's implementation of Palladium DRM for an OS, and developer abuse by taking forced cuts of app sales, just because MS is on the other end of the story. Or maybe you're just an Apple fanboy that hates software freedom and what it stands for.
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It sad to see people on a site that used to stand for software freedom cheering on Apple and it's implementation of Palladium DRM for an OS, and developer abuse by taking forced cuts of app sales, just because MS is on the other end of the story. Or maybe you're just an Apple fanboy that hates software freedom and what it stands for.
What do you mean forced cut? It's their store. If you don't like the terms of the App store you don't have to develop for iOS. You could go to MS--oh wait--they take the same cut. Or Android store--oh wait--it's the same cut. Do you have a point or do you just hate Apple?
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Their store? Sure take cuts, but what about providing options for people that want to use other stores or install apps directly?
If you don't like don't develop? That's like saying if you didn't like MS' monopoly on computers, become a hermit. On Android, you can host the APK on your own site or submit it to alternative stores like Amazon's. So there is competition for the 30% cut. You can start an Android store and charge only a 5% cut if you wanted to, to compete with Google Store, and if you provide a be
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Their store? Sure take cuts, but what about providing options for people that want to use other stores or install apps directly?
When I bought my car, how come I can't install parts from a competing manufacturer? You're missing the whole point. If you want to develop for iOS or use an iOS device, there are limitations. This is the same for WP store by the way. If you don't like it, don't buy the device. Don't develop for it. No one said that you are entitled to everything your way.
If you don't like don't develop? That's like saying if you didn't like MS' monopoly on computers, become a hermit.
Where you around during the 90s or were you a hermit? The problem was not that MS had/has a monopoly. The problem was how MS maintained that monopo
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But let's explore your 5% cut. Do you think you can maintain a store that handles billions of apps and media every quarter that services hundreds of millions of customers for 5%. Also your store has to deal with the content side like dealing with developers and all the uploads/updates. There is also the payment system which handles worldwide currencies and taxes. All that for 5%. Good luck to you. I would think that you would be in the red at 5%. There is a reason it's 30%. It's enough for all of them to cover their costs with some profit.
Let the market decide that instead of Apple. That's what innovation is all about, reducing costs, making it easy for developers and users. But no, Apple(and MS following in its footsteps) don't want to risk that, so they artificially restrict it using DRM.
If you want software freedoms, develop and buy Android. When did I cheer them on? I explained exactly what the Apple's policy is. If you don't like it, don't buy their stuff. Don't develop for it. You are not entitled to everything you want in life.
Wait, so one can't criticize Apple or complain about them?
Why do you spend so much time criticizing Microsoft, even going to the trouble of submitting stories with spinned and biased summaries etc. when it is the easiest ever to avoid MS products right now
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Let the market decide that instead of Apple. That's what innovation is all about, reducing costs, making it easy for developers and users. But no, Apple(and MS following in its footsteps) don't want to risk that, so they artificially restrict it using DRM.
Is your complaint that there is DRM? You realize that developers want to be paid for each copy right? Without DRM they can't do that. It's not artificially restricted. Now if you don't want to charge for our app, then you don't have to list a price. But thousands of other developers want their money. It's the same with other media.
Wait, so one can't criticize Apple or complain about them?
You can complain all you want. But you are not entitled to anything. I can complain that I can't date a supermodel but I'm not entitled to a supermodel girlfriend.
Why do you spend so much time criticizing Microsoft, even going to the trouble of submitting stories with spinned and biased summaries etc. when it is the easiest ever to avoid MS products right now?
MS is op
Other way around, innit? (Score:2)
iOS Finally Gets Microsoft Office App
FTFY.
Anyone else finds it funny? (Score:2)
Microsoft releases a half-baked Office for iOS while Apple is going to release a near-complete version of iWork for Web browsers? Even if iWork "Web Edition" doesn't offer everything the OS X version does, I'm pretty sure it will have things like text alignment, fonts, colors and frickin' bullet lists.
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What do you mean six years? Although iWork for iOS came out only a little over a year ago, the original iWork for OS X is 8 years old. And before that there was Appleworks, released in 1984.
Apple haters don't even know their computer history and then bitch about Apple as if Microsoft is the only game in town.
It's not like it was Apple's job to release Office anyway, it's a Microsoft product. What next? Are you going to complain about Nintendo not releasing Zelda for your Xbox360?
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Actually it's very nice. It doesn't do everything Microsoft Office does, but what it does do it does better.
Were it not for the fear of file incompatibility, most people wouldn't use MS Office. It's bloatware.
Good for viewing documents on the go (Score:1)
One file format to rule them all (Score:4, Interesting)
It's pretty obvious what Microsoft are doing here:
1. release a very limited version of Office for iOS
2. dumb users will badmouth iOS/iDevices because "it can't even handle a full version of Office"
3. the Office file formats get to survive a little longer because "it's even compatible with Apple devices"
Very sneaky, but what do you expect from Microsoft?
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Office drives the server rich applications: Dynamics, Sharepoint, Exchange Lync. That plus office is the big money. And those applications could be on Linux just as easily. Ironically I think office might be more dominant without the OS franchise to protect.
But "Office"-type Apps Exist Already? (Score:2)
I don't understand how this is a big deal.
I have installed Officesuite Pro on both a tablet and smartphone.
I can create and edit documents quite easily and no subscription is needed. I paid £9.99 and more than happy with it.
It's also "Office" compatible (e.g. excel and word)
Not to mention the other officesuites out there too (e.g. King office is even free)
It all works really well with a bluetooth keyboard linked to a tablet too.
I imagine corporate types are asking for Microsoft Office for IOS - beyond
It is understandable and quite logical. (Score:2)
80-20 rule (Score:2)
font options, text alignment, bulleted lists
You know how they always say "80% of the users only use 20% of the features". Well, those features look like they belong solidly in that 20% that they should have focused on. I'm pretty sure that even 1980s vintage copies of WordPerfect running on DOS supported those features.
Word and Excel on a Phone (Score:2)
The mobile app market is an endless greased-up cash grab by stupid people who do not understand the concept of the "wrong tool for the job."
Doing real "work" on a mobile phone is like assembling a car engine with your teeth. It is completely retarded.
And who cares? (Score:2)
Are people who bought an Apple product lamenting that they don't have a Microsoft product available to them?
I should think that for most people, this would be a big giant "who gives a damn?" kinda thing.
But, who knows ... maybe half of all iPhone users have been saying "gee, if I only had Office, this experience would be complete". Then again, I guess some people need to read excel documents at 2am on their phone -- but I wouldn't be one of them.
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Hah, you must mean Citrix, right?
Not that it was "invented" by either of them, but Citrix added terminal server capabilities to NT 3.51, then Microsoft screwed them by putting in their own "terminal server" into NT 4.0, giving Citrix only the small market that needed extremely low bandwidth.