Office or iWorks?

MauerFan · Jun 23, 2012, 07:32 PM

I am going to need one of these for schools and was wondering what the difference is. Obviously iWorks is cheaper but does Office do some things better? I currently have Office on my PC.

SandboxGeneral · Jun 23, 2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MauerFan

I am going to need one of these for schools and was wondering what the difference is. Obviously iWorks is cheaper but does Office do some things better? I currently have Office on my PC.

I have both and have used Office for Windows forever. I recommend going with Office for Mac as well. Far more features, better compatibility and you're already used to how it works.

MauerFan · Jun 23, 2012, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SandboxGeneral

I have both and have used Office for Windows forever. I recommend going with Office for Mac as well. Far more features, better compatibility and you're already used to how it works.

Thanks!

GGJstudios · Jun 23, 2012, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MauerFan

I am going to need one of these for schools and was wondering what the difference is. Obviously iWorks is cheaper but does Office do some things better? I currently have Office on my PC.

I use MS Office for Mac daily and can tell you it runs perfectly fine. I routinely share files with Windows users and have no problems at all. If you don't want MS Office for some reason, there are many alternatives, such as iWork, NeoOffice, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, Google Docs, etc. Searching the forum will reveal dozens of threads discussing these various alternatives and the pros and cons of each.

snberk103 · Jun 23, 2012, 08:31 PM

Depends on what you want to do with the documents.

For sharing around (including submitting editable docs to faculty) Office is probably better.

If your documents are for yourself or going straight to print or PDFs then iWorks may be better. If your faculty will accept PDFs... then you may not need Office. If you collaborate a lot, then you probably do. If you need fancy schmancy footnotes then you need to do some more research.

Office has more features... but if you aren't using those features they can get in the way. iWorks has most features that most people need, and it's better at making your documents look good.

For more details, you should read one of the other 900+ threads that already exist.....

jlc1978 · Jun 23, 2012, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MauerFan

I am going to need one of these for schools and was wondering what the difference is. Obviously iWorks is cheaper but does Office do some things better? I currently have Office on my PC.

Try NEO Office or one of the other variants. It's free and will handle most school needs. I know a number of students who used it for. Four or more years of school no problem.

Sounds Good · Jun 23, 2012, 08:35 PM

If we have iWork on a Mac, and a Windows user has Office, can we seamlessly share files back and forth? (like .doc, .xls, etc) Or not so much?

djharris · Jun 23, 2012, 09:04 PM

Ask your school if they have any discounts on office for Mac. My college allowed purchase for $80 (some may offer it for free) and the local public school district allows download for $10 through the home use program for parents to purchase on behalf of students. Dept of the navy civilians and active duty can also use the home use program at that price for personal use through NMCI.

OCICILIONI · Jun 24, 2012, 02:07 AM

I recommend Office for MAC. Unfortunately, most schools are still running windows computers. It is nice to be able to take a Microsoft office document that you created on your Apple computer using Office for Mac and email it or put it on a thumb drive and be able to open it on a school computer when you have to print a file at school. Also, with presentations, PowerPoint is still more universally utilized than Keynote.

Many schools have licensing where you can get Office for Mac at a discounted rate.

RocketRed · Jun 24, 2012, 02:23 AM

Office for Mac 2011.

clukas · Jun 24, 2012, 08:10 AM

same recommendation from me, office for mac has more features, and better compatibility with Microsoft Office on Windows. Also look out for student discounts, I used this website to buy office for myself (http://www.software4students.co.uk/p...e-for-mac-2011) and they are Microsoft approved retailers.

maflynn · Jun 24, 2012, 08:14 AM

Overall, I think MS Office a superior product. It has more features, is the industry standard and Microsoft seems to update Office more then apple does with iWork (On OSX).

I found numbers to be very lacking in what it has to offer in functions and compatibility with excel. While the UI is quite well done, the stuff behind the UI is lacking.

thejadedmonkey · Jun 24, 2012, 08:14 AM

One is for work, one is for play.

Get Office.

jojoba · Jun 24, 2012, 08:15 AM

Agree with the others, you might be better off with Microsoft Office for mac. I work in a windows environment and frequently have to collaborate with people on Word docs and Power Point presentations, as do my students because they do a lot of project work. I think the iWorks office is very nice, but with MO for mac you don't need to worry about compatibility issues when you're working with others on a product.

snberk103 · Jun 24, 2012, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thejadedmonkey

One is for work, one is for play.

Get Office.

Funnily enough, I use iWork for all of my "work" and NeoOffice - the Office clone - for my "play".

It all depends on a person's particular needs. I wouldn't recommend iWork for everyone... but for a large set of people, iWork is better than Office.

Sweeping Statements.... sigh.....

Jun 23, 2012, 07:32 PM	#1
MauerFan macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2012	Office or iWorks? I am going to need one of these for schools and was wondering what the difference is. Obviously iWorks is cheaper but does Office do some things better? I currently have Office on my PC.
	0

Jun 23, 2012, 08:31 PM	#5
snberk103 macrumors 601 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: An Island in the Salish Sea	Depends on what you want to do with the documents. For sharing around (including submitting editable docs to faculty) Office is probably better. If your documents are for yourself or going straight to print or PDFs then iWorks may be better. If your faculty will accept PDFs... then you may not need Office. If you collaborate a lot, then you probably do. If you need fancy schmancy footnotes then you need to do some more research. Office has more features... but if you aren't using those features they can get in the way. iWorks has most features that most people need, and it's better at making your documents look good. For more details, you should read one of the other 900+ threads that already exist..... __________________ My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - Jack Layton
	0

Jun 23, 2012, 09:04 PM	#8
djharris macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Virginia, USA	Ask your school if they have any discounts on office for Mac. My college allowed purchase for $80 (some may offer it for free) and the local public school district allows download for $10 through the home use program for parents to purchase on behalf of students. Dept of the navy civilians and active duty can also use the home use program at that price for personal use through NMCI. __________________ --Dave 13" MBP Mid-2009, Mid 2010 Mac Mini Server, 64GB Wi-fi iPad 3rd Gen., Verizon Wireless, HTC Thunderbolt (Rooted, Skyraider ROM)
	0

Jun 24, 2012, 02:07 AM	#9
OCICILIONI macrumors member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Orlando, FL	which for school I recommend Office for MAC. Unfortunately, most schools are still running windows computers. It is nice to be able to take a Microsoft office document that you created on your Apple computer using Office for Mac and email it or put it on a thumb drive and be able to open it on a school computer when you have to print a file at school. Also, with presentations, PowerPoint is still more universally utilized than Keynote. Many schools have licensing where you can get Office for Mac at a discounted rate.
	0

Jun 24, 2012, 02:23 AM	#10
RocketRed macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2012	Office for Mac 2011. __________________ I'll show you who's boss of the gym!
	1

Jun 23, 2012, 08:35 PM	#7
Sounds Good macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jul 2007	If we have iWork on a Mac, and a Windows user has Office, can we seamlessly share files back and forth? (like .doc, .xls, etc) Or not so much?
	0

Jun 24, 2012, 08:10 AM	#11
clukas macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2010	same recommendation from me, office for mac has more features, and better compatibility with Microsoft Office on Windows. Also look out for student discounts, I used this website to buy office for myself (http://www.software4students.co.uk/p...e-for-mac-2011) and they are Microsoft approved retailers. __________________  iMac 27 (Late 2012)  13" 2010 MacBook Pro (Mid 2010)  iPod Touch 3nd Gen 8 GB  iPhone 4  iPad 4
	0

Jun 24, 2012, 08:14 AM	#12
maflynn Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: May 2009 Location: Boston	Overall, I think MS Office a superior product. It has more features, is the industry standard and Microsoft seems to update Office more then apple does with iWork (On OSX). I found numbers to be very lacking in what it has to offer in functions and compatibility with excel. While the UI is quite well done, the stuff behind the UI is lacking. __________________ I know that I know nothing ~ Socrates
	0

Jun 24, 2012, 08:14 AM	#13
thejadedmonkey macrumors 604 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Pa	One is for work, one is for play. Get Office. __________________ 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

Jun 24, 2012, 08:15 AM	#14
jojoba macrumors 65816 Join Date: Dec 2011	Agree with the others, you might be better off with Microsoft Office for mac. I work in a windows environment and frequently have to collaborate with people on Word docs and Power Point presentations, as do my students because they do a lot of project work. I think the iWorks office is very nice, but with MO for mac you don't need to worry about compatibility issues when you're working with others on a product.
	0


MacRumors Forums > Apple Applications > Mac Applications and Mac App Store

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode