MS Office for Mac 2011 vs iWork

saintforlife · Nov 19, 2011, 03:37 AM

Which one do you use? Which is better and more user friendly? When you compare Pages, Numbers and Keynote to Word, Excel and PowerPoint do all three of them stack up well against the respective MS applications? Is the learning curve for iWork steep if you have never used it? Who has made a switch to iWork and been completely happy with it?

miles01110 · Nov 19, 2011, 03:40 AM

iWork is probably more "user friendly" if all you need are basic documents and spreadsheets. Office is much better if you need as much of a guarantee of compatibility as one can expect with others using Office.

The learning curve for Office and iWork is not particularly steep for basic documents.

Ice-Cube · Nov 19, 2011, 03:51 AM

I use Pages and Keynote from iWork a lot for my work, however occasionally I would need to export them to ppt/doc for my colleagues to edit and that usually causes problem during the conversion. Other than that, really happy with iWork. Hope they launch a new version soon.

elpmas · Nov 19, 2011, 03:56 AM

I use Office, it cuts out the compatibility issue.

Risasi · Nov 19, 2011, 05:38 AM

I use a combination of Google Docs (multi-user collaboration is used in the office frequently) + LibreOffice, my only point being I don't think you should limit yourself to these two choice.

If you held a gun to my head I would choose MS Office...

molala · Nov 19, 2011, 07:38 AM

iWork for me. But it does get frustrating that I have to have to export to doc or xls or ppt for my Windows-using colleagues. Sometimes, I even have to open a powerpoint file again in Office and save as pptx otherwise they don't see some graphics.

glen e · Nov 19, 2011, 07:42 AM

I use keynote - on an ipad and an MBA, it's more robust and faster to create general business presentations.

For spreadsheets and docs though I use word and excel.

Big D 51 · Nov 19, 2011, 07:49 AM

I use office.

Xikum · Nov 19, 2011, 08:07 AM

Office for me. Mainly because I need to submit documents for my university essays, and so compatibility is key.

pollaxe · Nov 19, 2011, 08:09 AM

Office for me, I had iWork on there but I was getting too many Excel spreadsheets from work that wouldn't open so I had to go with the alternative.

Abazigal · Nov 19, 2011, 08:18 AM

Office, as it is used very extensively in my workplace and I cannot risk the inconvenience of possible incompatibility issues.

That said, I am not very happy with office for mac, as it seems to have some memory management issues (eg: word has a tendency to hang when editing 50+ page documents, not sure what I pressed though, but closing it means all unsaved work is lost). Given an opportunity, I would probably jump ship to iworks right away.

Jordan9 · Nov 19, 2011, 11:41 AM

I have both but use Microsoft Office for Mac the most. Not having to convert to .doc or .ppt is key, and knowing my teachers can open it and have a better chance of it opening fine is good.

tills24 · Nov 19, 2011, 01:33 PM

Same as most, I use Office because of compatibility with Windows users. Between work and school, I need to be able to end .doc's. Although I really do like Google Docs. We use it a lot at work within my group, because we can share them with one another easily.

erasr · Nov 19, 2011, 02:28 PM

Pages and Keynote are TOTALLY doing my head in with their exporting to Word and PPT.

They don't convert well when I'm sending to my manager/colleagues.

Everything about the 'Duplicate' and not having a 'Save as' features is doing my head in arrrrrrghhh!! Rant.

Kendo · Nov 19, 2011, 02:31 PM

MS Office. It is also a very valuable skill if you work in a corporate environment to be an expert in MS Excel and PowerPoint. You get noticed a lot quicker than your peers.

johnhurley · Nov 19, 2011, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kendo

It is also a very valuable skill if you work in a corporate environment to be an expert in MS Excel and PowerPoint.

That is right on target ... not sure about the getting noticed part though ( varies a lot probably ) that you followed it up with.

Kendo · Nov 19, 2011, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnhurley

That is right on target ... not sure about the getting noticed part though ( varies a lot probably ) that you followed it up with.

When you're the only individual on your team that knows how to do VLOOKUP and pivot tables, you'd be surprised how often your manager comes up to you. I pretty much now only handle special projects assigned to me by my manager and don't do the day to day peon stuff.

Being an expert in Excel is key in finance. So much so that as much as I love Apple products, I wouldn't waste my time trying to learn Numbers. I'd use that time to get better at Excel.

soulreaver99 · Nov 19, 2011, 03:19 PM

I use Office for compatibility reasons like everyone else. I work with a lot of ROI excel spreadsheets and can't risk any formula glitches when jumping from one software program to another.

Troneas · Nov 19, 2011, 04:12 PM

office for compatibility and because that's what I've always used in Windows.

jmgregory1 · 09:25 AM

Funny how so many people seem to talk about compatibility issues between iWork and Office. I agree that years ago there were issues, but frankly I've seen more issues with Office just not working. One example was a complex ppt presentation that my colleague couldn't get to run on Office. He sent me the file and I ran it perfectly with Keynote.

I've not had any colleagues mention issues with any exported iWork files I've sent them.

I also second the suggestion for using other options - as I'm constantly using Google Docs to collaborate with other office colleagues.

Hey Jude · Nov 19, 2011, 05:54 PM

I use Office 2004, so I shouldn't have voted in this poll. However, for what it is worth I use Office, and have zero experience with iWork.

Carry on.....

szolr · Nov 19, 2011, 05:58 PM

With Auto Save, Versions, full screen and stuff iWork is now a lot slicker. What I'd really like is for Office and iWork to use the same document formats-so all dock, xlsx and pptx. Then I'd probably switch back to iWork. But while there's compatibility issues, I'll stick with Office. I can save it in the default format and it'll open in Office 2007 or 2010 on Windows at university.

PlaceofDis · Nov 19, 2011, 06:09 PM

i typically use Office due to compatibility issues but i use iWork on my iPad when i'm on the go when needed.

thejadedmonkey · Nov 19, 2011, 06:27 PM

MS Office. One's designed for home use, one for work use. If I wanted a home use document editor, I'd use TextEdit.

Hexiii · Nov 20, 2011, 02:18 AM

Maybe I like iWork better on MacBook Air, because it can be maximized. The Office window is too small.

View Poll Results: Which office suite do you use on your Mac?
MS Office for Mac	81	75.70%
iWork	26	24.30%
Voters: 107. You may not vote on this poll

Nov 19, 2011, 03:37 AM	#1
saintforlife macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2011	MS Office for Mac 2011 vs iWork Which one do you use? Which is better and more user friendly? When you compare Pages, Numbers and Keynote to Word, Excel and PowerPoint do all three of them stack up well against the respective MS applications? Is the learning curve for iWork steep if you have never used it? Who has made a switch to iWork and been completely happy with it?
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 03:40 AM	#2
miles01110 macrumors 604 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: The Ivory Tower (I'm not coming down)	iWork is probably more "user friendly" if all you need are basic documents and spreadsheets. Office is much better if you need as much of a guarantee of compatibility as one can expect with others using Office. The learning curve for Office and iWork is not particularly steep for basic documents. __________________ Got a problem? Check here first.
	1

Nov 19, 2011, 03:51 AM	#3
Ice-Cube macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow	I use Pages and Keynote from iWork a lot for my work, however occasionally I would need to export them to ppt/doc for my colleagues to edit and that usually causes problem during the conversion. Other than that, really happy with iWork. Hope they launch a new version soon. __________________ sent from my iPhone.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 03:56 AM	#4
elpmas macrumors 68000 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Where the fresh snow don't go.	I use Office, it cuts out the compatibility issue. __________________ 13" Macbook Pro '10 27" iMac i5 TV3 iPhone 5 32gb
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 05:38 AM	#5
Risasi macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2011	I use a combination of Google Docs (multi-user collaboration is used in the office frequently) + LibreOffice, my only point being I don't think you should limit yourself to these two choice. If you held a gun to my head I would choose MS Office...
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 07:38 AM	#6
molala macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cambridge, UK	iWork for me. But it does get frustrating that I have to have to export to doc or xls or ppt for my Windows-using colleagues. Sometimes, I even have to open a powerpoint file again in Office and save as pptx otherwise they don't see some graphics.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 07:42 AM	#7
glen e macrumors 68030 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Ft Lauderdale	I use keynote - on an ipad and an MBA, it's more robust and faster to create general business presentations. For spreadsheets and docs though I use word and excel. __________________ iPhone5\|MacMini\|iPad4 & Mini Diff Needs, Diff Devices Carried in Saddleback Bags...
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 07:49 AM	#8
Big D 51 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Mobile, AL	I use office. __________________ Verizon iPhone 4g: 16 GB \| 13" MBA: 2.13 GHz, 4 GB Ram, 256 GB Flash Storage \| iPad 2: 16 GB \| iPod Classic
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 08:07 AM	#9
Xikum macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2011	Office for me. Mainly because I need to submit documents for my university essays, and so compatibility is key.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 08:09 AM	#10
pollaxe macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: West of England	Office for me, I had iWork on there but I was getting too many Excel spreadsheets from work that wouldn't open so I had to go with the alternative.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 08:18 AM	#11
Abazigal macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Singapore	Office, as it is used very extensively in my workplace and I cannot risk the inconvenience of possible incompatibility issues. That said, I am not very happy with office for mac, as it seems to have some memory management issues (eg: word has a tendency to hang when editing 50+ page documents, not sure what I pressed though, but closing it means all unsaved work is lost). Given an opportunity, I would probably jump ship to iworks right away.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 11:41 AM	#12
Jordan9 macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Texas	I have both but use Microsoft Office for Mac the most. Not having to convert to .doc or .ppt is key, and knowing my teachers can open it and have a better chance of it opening fine is good. __________________ MacBook Air 11", 4GB, 128GB SSD \| MacBook 2.0 C2D, 3GB, 320GB HD 32GB White iPad 2 \| 32GB White iPhone4S
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 01:33 PM	#13
tills24 macrumors member Join Date: May 2010	Same as most, I use Office because of compatibility with Windows users. Between work and school, I need to be able to end .doc's. Although I really do like Google Docs. We use it a lot at work within my group, because we can share them with one another easily.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 02:28 PM	#14
erasr macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2007	Pages and Keynote are TOTALLY doing my head in with their exporting to Word and PPT. They don't convert well when I'm sending to my manager/colleagues. Everything about the 'Duplicate' and not having a 'Save as' features is doing my head in arrrrrrghhh!! Rant. __________________ 2011 Air. 2010 Pro. iPhone 4S. Touch.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 02:31 PM	#15
Kendo macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2011	MS Office. It is also a very valuable skill if you work in a corporate environment to be an expert in MS Excel and PowerPoint. You get noticed a lot quicker than your peers.
	1

Nov 19, 2011, 03:19 PM	#18
soulreaver99 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southern California	I use Office for compatibility reasons like everyone else. I work with a lot of ROI excel spreadsheets and can't risk any formula glitches when jumping from one software program to another. __________________ Macbook Pro Retina 13" 2013 \| iMac 27" 2011 iPhone 5 32GB \| Samsung Galaxy S4 32GB visit the geeks office for more foodporn and tech!
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 04:12 PM	#19
Troneas macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2011	office for compatibility and because that's what I've always used in Windows.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 04:48 PM	#20
jmgregory1 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2010	Funny how so many people seem to talk about compatibility issues between iWork and Office. I agree that years ago there were issues, but frankly I've seen more issues with Office just not working. One example was a complex ppt presentation that my colleague couldn't get to run on Office. He sent me the file and I ran it perfectly with Keynote. I've not had any colleagues mention issues with any exported iWork files I've sent them. I also second the suggestion for using other options - as I'm constantly using Google Docs to collaborate with other office colleagues. Last edited by jmgregory1; Oct 24, 2012 at 09:25 AM.
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 05:54 PM	#21
Hey Jude macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Florida	I use Office 2004, so I shouldn't have voted in this poll. However, for what it is worth I use Office, and have zero experience with iWork. Carry on.....
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 05:58 PM	#22
szolr macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: London, UK	With Auto Save, Versions, full screen and stuff iWork is now a lot slicker. What I'd really like is for Office and iWork to use the same document formats-so all dock, xlsx and pptx. Then I'd probably switch back to iWork. But while there's compatibility issues, I'll stick with Office. I can save it in the default format and it'll open in Office 2007 or 2010 on Windows at university. __________________ 13" Macbook Pro, 2.3 GHz i5, 4GB RAM \| 24" iMac, 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM \| iPhone 3GS \| TV2
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 06:09 PM	#23
PlaceofDis macrumors 604 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicago.	i typically use Office due to compatibility issues but i use iWork on my iPad when i'm on the go when needed. __________________ dim my eyes on the waves of confessions...
	0

Nov 19, 2011, 06:27 PM	#24
thejadedmonkey macrumors 604 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Pa	MS Office. One's designed for home use, one for work use. If I wanted a home use document editor, I'd use TextEdit. __________________ MacBook Air • 17" MacBook Pro • iPod Nano • Apple TV Custom Windows 7 Desktop • Surface RT • WP7 "Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment." - Mulla Nasrudin
	0

Nov 20, 2011, 02:18 AM	#25
Hexiii macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Prague, Czech Republic	Maybe I like iWork better on MacBook Air, because it can be maximized. The Office window is too small.
	0

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