Microsoft's Czech Unit Reportedly Confirms Office for iOS Coming in March 2013 [Updated]

[jonnysods]

Pumped. Although I don't mind Documents to Go.

[roland.g]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Update 8:29 AM: IHNED.cz's Otakar Schon has followed up to let us know that there was a miscommunication with the Microsoft representatives and that the timeline for an Office release on iOS and Android is "after March".

Why not just say "not today" or "after 2012".

What a joke. Not that I expect I would be the market for it, but that isn't just late to the party, that's after the party has gone to a new location. "Hey, where is everyone?"

[Anuba]

Originally Posted by roland.g

Why not just say "not today" or "after 2012".

What a joke. Not that I expect I would be the market for it, but that isn't just late to the party, that's after the party has gone to a new location. "Hey, where is everyone?"

When companies become gargantuan they tend to become lazy and complacent, with little incentive or pressure to tend to their minor sources of revenue. You know, like Apple has started doing with Macs now. iMac and Mac Mini haven't been updated in ages and Mac Pro has not seen a major update since dinosaurs walked the Earth. Logic Pro 9 is ancient and sports an Aqua-style UI that Apple left behind almost 2 years ago. It's 2012 and the latest iWork is called '09. Shall I go on?

[AppleMark]

Originally Posted by nfl46

Ah, I guess they are waiting on the iPad 4 in March.

The cynic in me would suggest that it would be just in time to only work with the Newer-than-the-last-new-iPad (iPad 4).

But then I suppose this is MS 2012 and not Apple (the we [used to] pride ourselves on backward compatibility hypocrites) we are talking about here.

Anyway..., looking forward to MS office on iPad, sorry Pages but you are not Word... Fingers crossed App Store approval guidelines allow it to work on my then to be 'old' iPad 3...

[babyj]

Originally Posted by Patriks7

I can't imagine how this can beat iWork with its iCloud integration.

Really?

The iOS apps will integrate with Skydrive, through which on the web you can already create and edit Office documents. So the Microsoft solution will allow you to work on the same documents through your Mac, PC, web browser or mobile app and share them with anybody.

The Apple office suite is looking more and more dated. They need a web based app, they need PC versions and they need to bring back iDisk. I've just dumped iWork for Google (Driver) / Microsoft (Skydrive), the web apps are fine for my needs and the extra features are very useful.

Not sure Office apps are really needed for iOS, the web based apps available through outlook.com / Skydrive are pretty good. If you haven't tried them you should.

[AppleMark]

Originally Posted by AngelaX88

I quit working at shoprite and now I make $35h - $80h...how? I'm working online! My work didn't exactly make me happy so I decided to take a chance on something new… after 4 years it was so hard to quit my day job but now I couldn't be happier. Heres what I do, http://bit.ly/PmN05i

I just quit my job this second too on the basis of your spamming. Who says spamming does not work?

[Want300]

Originally Posted by dolph0291

Even on a computer there are better options that are free and pre-installed. I don't understand this addiction to Word.

Thanks for the info.

On the quoted part: I assume it is because everyone uses it. All of my professors demand either .doc, .docx, or .pdf for my assignments.

So it is more the fact that it is the "standard"

[brand]

Originally Posted by aurichie

Users don't want Microsoft apps on their Apple devices. They want the total integrated solutions such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

Speak for yourself and not everyone else. There are a ton of users that want Office on their iOS devices.

[NewbieCanada]

Originally Posted by darko256

Will Microsoft put Access database software into the OSX version of MS Office 2013?

Access was introduced 19 years ago. If they've gone this long without porting it to OSX and its predecessors, why would they start now.

Originally Posted by BornAgainMac

Apple should come out with iWork for Windows like how they did iTunes, Quicktime, and Safari. Oh wait, those products are terrible on Windows.

Some of them are terrible on any platform!

[The Economist]

I know the pricing scheme from a very good source:

iOS Office 2013 for students: $199
iOS Office 2013 for home: $299
iOS Office 2013 Professional: $399
iOS Office 2013 Even more professional: $499
iOS Office 2013 Ultimate Signature Edition: $599

[D.T.]

Originally Posted by Want300

Thanks for the info.

On the quoted part: I assume it is because everyone uses it. All of my professors demand either .doc, .docx, or .pdf for my assignments.

So it is more the fact that it is the "standard"

A vast majority of people don't need Word or Excel, but when you _do_ need it, nothing else is a substitute.

If you're not writing 100+ page tech docs with complex layouts, external data sources, etc., most of the lower cost/free options will save out to a portable format (PDF, RTF).

Numbers vs. Excel is probably the most lopsided comparison, Numbers isn't even in the ballpark for many folks, but I think there's probably a larger contingent of "power users" on Excel vs. Word (just due to the nature of the usage).

I've tried a few of the OpenSource forks, Apple products, etc., but I just run into limitations or feature compatibility issues.

However, I totally dig on Keynote, and prefer it over PP (and generally don't need portability or the collaborator is using it)

[faizanshakyboy]

There was ZERO chance of Office for iOS shipping in November. It's release would crush sales of the MS Surface and other Windows Tablet devices. And you can bet it will be closer to an MS Office Document Viewer and only support editing documents in a minimal fashion, to validate Ballmers view of iPads as being consumer devices.

[Badandy]

Originally Posted by joneill55

Bing, bing, bing (pun) Winner, winner, chicken dinner! MS has been pretty irrelevant for a long, long while IMO.

...said no financial or accounting business ever

[Krazy Bill]

Originally Posted by george-brooks

I'll still use Pages. I haven't touched MS Office in 4 years.

You must never need to interact with the rest of the world then. That said, if you need garage sale fliers and Lost Dog posters then Apple Pages is the tool to use.

Originally Posted by children

eliminates the single biggest advantage Windows RT tablets have against the iPad..

Strange, isn't it? I even swore on my wife's dust-gathering iPad that MS would never do this. Then again, perhaps the profit margins per copy of MS-iOffice are higher than that of a surface tablet?

Still doesn't make sense to me. I'll believe it when I see it.

Edit:

Update 10:51 AM: Microsoft head of PR Frank X. Shaw released this statement on Twitter:
The information shared by our Czech Republic subsidiary is not accurate. We have nothing further to share.

LOL.

[NAG]

I'd rather have BBEdit on iOS but whatever.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by Decorative

Are productivity apps like Pages/Numbers worth it on the iPad?

If you need to do complex speed sheets don't use Numbers.

But I find Pages to be fine (not perfect) same for Keynote.

[Saladinos]

My guess is that this is a backup should Microsoft Surface flop. They probably want to have something ready to let Office continue to compete in the tablet space, but should Surface do well they won't release it.

At least, that's what a smart Microsoft would do. They also would keep it a better secret or the plan won't work.

----------

Originally Posted by D.T.

A vast majority of people don't need Word or Excel, but when you _do_ need it, nothing else is a substitute.

If you're not writing 100+ page tech docs with complex layouts, external data sources, etc., most of the lower cost/free options will save out to a portable format (PDF, RTF).

Numbers vs. Excel is probably the most lopsided comparison, Numbers isn't even in the ballpark for many folks, but I think there's probably a larger contingent of "power users" on Excel vs. Word (just due to the nature of the usage).

I've tried a few of the OpenSource forks, Apple products, etc., but I just run into limitations or feature compatibility issues.

However, I totally dig on Keynote, and prefer it over PP (and generally don't need portability or the collaborator is using it)

What exactly is missing from Numbers? I hear people slate it all the time, but what is it that they want from it? It seems it do the job for me.

[gatelylaw]

I was waiting to see if this Word for the iPad would ever see the light of day and, if it did, whether or not it would allow redlining on the iPad. If they did, I was going to go to a desktop and shed my laptop using the iPad as my laptop. Pages won't Redline. Docs to Go won't redline. CloudOn will, but it is painfully slow and cumbersome.

Bottom line, I got sick of waiting on Microsoft and bought a new 15" retina MBP so I can work outside of the office and review and revise documents in redline format. This is about the only reason I have to use Word, but until Pages does it or some other word processor for the Mac or iPad does it, I'll keep using Word for Mac.

[roland.g]

Originally Posted by Anuba

When companies become gargantuan they tend to become lazy and complacent, with little incentive or pressure to tend to their minor sources of revenue. You know, like Apple has started doing with Macs now. iMac and Mac Mini haven't been updated in ages and Mac Pro has not seen a major update since dinosaurs walked the Earth. Logic Pro 9 is ancient and sports an Aqua-style UI that Apple left behind almost 2 years ago. It's 2012 and the latest iWork is called '09. Shall I go on?

While I agree that Apple has too become complacent in many areas, Microsoft could make significant $$ at $10-15 per application for Word, Excel, PowerPoint on iOS. With the sheer volume that it would induce, they have been throwing away revenue not releasing it.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Update 10:51 AM: Microsoft head of PR Frank X. Shaw released this statement on Twitter:

Should we add this to the list of long and repeatedly rumored stuff that is likely to never happen. With the iPad Pro (rumored each year to come out in the Fall) and the 'real' TV now 'delayed until 2015

[linuxcooldude]

It says "Reportedly" confirmed on the Verge site. Considering its from the Czech Microsoft representative and not Microsoft directly I'm doubting the validity of the claim.

Also selling it on iOS & Android might take away sales from Surface tablet and WinRT OS as its going to be free on those, another negative on that.

My guess is that this is a backup should Microsoft Surface flop. They probably want to have something ready to let Office continue to compete in the tablet space, but should Surface do well they won't release it.

Was thinking this too...They also make most sales on business and enterprise so I'm not totally discounting a possibility MS Office going to iOS & Android.

[Ping Guo]

Originally Posted by joneill55

Bing, bing, bing (pun) Winner, winner, chicken dinner! MS has been pretty irrelevant for a long, long while IMO.

Yep, with 95% of the computers in the world running Windows, they're clearly heading into obscurity.

[shulerg]

Apple needs to get serious about iWork. I would gladly switch if the suite they're offering was truly competitive with Office.

[nsfw]

Update #5: Czech Microsoft rep looking for a new job this afternoon.

[macchiato2009]

seriously March 2013 ?

When will Microsoft realize that there will be soon more iPad users over the past 3 years than PC owners over the last 10 years ?