He mentioned that 95 was "the most successful retail version". That claim may be true. WindowsXP licenses were overwhelmingly preloads, not retail packages.
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Microsoft Office 2015 (2016?)
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Dunno if I'd go that far. Certainly, 2010 was a step backwards from 2003 in the way that its menus are presented and how it was made difficult to have a quick print icon on the menu bar, amongst other options (save, save as, etc.).
And while I am unable to sync Outlook with Google Calendar (or indeed, any calendar that uses CalDAV or Exhange ActiveSync) I'll continue to use Thunderbird and the GCal add-ons.
Wow. That is very anti-Microsoft. And I must say it is also biased.
Microsoft Word was indeed one of several word processors in the 1980s and also in the early 1990s. I remember using MS-DOS in the early 1990s and there were a lot of alternatives. As far as I am concerned, WordStar and WordPerfect were the two leaders in word processing back then. First, it was WordStar, which just simply failed to keep its quality and market share, and was superseded by WordPerfect. Microsoft Word was a runner-up at the time, being number 2 among DOS word processors.
Thing began to change during the transition to the Windows world. You say that the reason why Microsoft Word is so popular is that companies do not want to spend money than necessary to buy better computers and, instead, buy pieces of crap. The fact is, everybody knows, and everybody always knew, that companies must be efficient in order to be competitive. Companies do not care about the quality of the products they are using in the production chain; they choose what best suits their needs, and produce the final result with the lowest cost possible. What they need is to keep the quality of their own final product, and not the quality of the means of production. Of course companies buy cheap PCs instead of expensive Macs, even if the PCs are crappy pieces of plastic and the Mac is a superior product. It just does not matter. An expensive Mac will not result in a better product for the company. In the cases where Macs result in a better outcome (or in cases where companies think Macs result in a better outcome), such as in film production, desktop publishing and photo management, the companies use Macs. Companies have ever worked like this. Everybody knows how companies work much before PCs and Macs were invented. Companies work like that since the industrial revolution and probably since much earlier. So, it is just a misconception to say that PCs took over because companies did not want to spend their money in Macs. It is not a matter of "want", it is a matter of "need" to stay competitive. Both Microsoft and Apple knew that and Apple still chose to produce more expensive products. So, it is not "Microsoft's fault" or "companies' fault", it is just the way things are and the choice made by Apple in the past.
In the beginning, Microsoft decided to port Word for Windows before everybody else made it. And Word for Windows was a better product than WordPerfect for Windows, or AmiPro, or other alternatives. In that time, Microsoft had limited ways to "push" Word into its Windows users and it did not offer Word for free either. People decided to buy Word for Windows because it was superior software, and this is Microsoft's merit. WordPerfect did not make well the transition to Windows, and it was late to the game. Word, in turn, was a better product, and Microsoft had learnt from the already successful Word for Mac.
In the end, Microsoft Word turned into Office, which grew larger and larger. It is indeed a superior product in the Windows platform to all other office suites. Yes, there are alternatives. But none of them is as good as Microsoft Office. I tried all the word processors and office suites available for both Windows and Mac. Apart from compatibility issues, I found that Microsoft Office is the superior product, the one that has the most features, and the one in which those features are best implemented. Apple Pages is OK for simple stuff, and has an elegant interface. But it has few features, and it does not match my needs. LibreOffice is OK, but it still does not have all the features, and some of them are really not well implemented. Mellel and Nisus Writer Pro are good word processors, but fall short of Microsoft Word. WordPerfect seemed to be nearly dead by now, and it got stuck in time.
I am not happy with Microsoft Office for Mac, but nobody could make a better office suite. Nobody will invest so much money as Microsoft into making good quality software for Mac as the low market share will not result in lots of profits. Not even Apple will invest billions of dollars into making a better iWork. Microsoft, on the other hand, will invest hundreds of billions every year to improve Office and prevent its users from migrating to alternatives. But at least with Office we have compatible filetypes to share. Everybody always wanted full compatibility with other users. Microsoft Office provides that, and the fact that it is the de facto standard helps. Everybody is supposed to be able to open Microsoft Office files, and this is a good thing.
I just purchased my first Mac and would like to buy a copy of Office for Mac. Do you recommend holding out for 2014? Would purchasing 2011 now allow me to get an upgrade to 2014? I'm assuming that just as any previous Office version on Windows you have to pay for every major upgrade which is fine by me. I just don't want to wind up buying two copies in one year.
Thanks!
Thanks!
It depends.
You have some options here.
1. Buy Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac. There are two options: the Home & Student (for US$ 140) and the Home & Business (for US$ 220) versions. Both versions include Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but only the latter offers Outlook as well. You will only be able to install it in one Mac computer. As for upgrade, Microsoft will probably not let you update to version 2014 when it gets released. You will probably have to buy another copy. Prior to releasing Office 2011, in October 2010, Microsoft announced, on August 2, that all users buying Office 2008 from that date on would have the right to update to Office 2011 at no cost. Microsoft has not announced Office 2014 yet and has not yet made any announcement, so a copy of Office 2011 bought now will probably have no right to upgrade for free.
2. Buy Microsoft Office 365. It is an annual or monthly subscription of Microsoft Office, and, as such, you always get the latest version available (no need to update). However, if you decide not to renew your subscription, then you lose access to the software. In this case, if you buy Office 365 now, you will be able to update it to Office 2014 whenever it is available. There are two options of Office 365 that may fit your needs. The first is Office 365 Home, which gives you the installation of Office 2013 for Windows or Office 2011 for Mac (or a later version whenever available) for up to 5 PCs or Macs, plus an installation of Office for up to 5 tablets (including the iPad). It costs US$ 100 a year. The Office 365 Personal is a more limited version, as it allows only one installation of Office on a PC or Mac plus one installation on a tablet, for US$ 70 a year. Whichever the version you choose, you will have all the software available to you: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for Mac, and all that plus OneNote, Publisher and Access for Windows.
I do have Office 365 Home, and I do not regret it. I have Office 2011 installed in my Mac and I know I will get the 2014 version whenever it is available. Plus, I have Office 2013 for Windows running on Parallels. In addition, I have Office installed on my iPad and I also have access to Office online. I think it is the best option, and worth it.
Thank you so much. That was extremely informative. I think I will stick with the iLife suite for now and wait until 2014 is released and just purchase a copy of that.
You are welcome. Note that Microsoft is pushing its users towards Office 365. So, want it or not, it is the best and most complete solution to choose from right now. However, it is up to you to decide which version to buy.
as long as i can buy office 14 for mac via HUP, i'll be happy, £8.95 one off fee, none of that subscription nonsense for me.
Actually, I was very skeptical about this subscription model. The first thing I thought was, "here Microsoft goes trying to get our money every year for the very same product".
But then I ended up choosing Office 365 when Office 2013 came out. Actually, it was not a choice. At least here in Brazil, Office 2013, unlike Office 2010, was available as a license for one computer only and I wanted to install it on two computers (so I would have to buy a second license). Plus, I was thinking of buying another Mac and I wanted both Office for Windows and for Mac.
In the end, I went with Office 365 and I actually like it. It allows me to run Office 2011 on my Mac, Office 2013 on Parallels and Bootcamp, and Office on the iPad. And I still have more licenses to use in other computers that I may decide to buy.
With HUP, i get office professional and can install it on 2 devices, for £8.95 as a one off cost. The only thing I'm missing is having it on the iPad, which sucks, but since MS are not going to cater to my needs, I'll work around that I guess.
I was a long time Windows user and I had 2013 for my Windows 8 computer. Office 2011 isn't in the same ballpark. It has some quirks which are annoying (especially the paste functionality) but despite this its still the best word processor on Mac IMO.
I have high hopes for 2014 (whenever they decide to release it)
I have high hopes for 2014 (whenever they decide to release it)
Mac users have had to put with new versions of Office that were less then their windows counter parts - very frustrating
I'm hoping that Office 2014 bucks that trend.
Mac users have had to put with new versions of Office that were less then their windows counter parts - very frustrating
I'm hoping that Office 2014 bucks that trend.
That is true. However, I do not know if that really bothers me right now. Office has a lot of features, but the thing that matters are the features that I really use. I do not care if Microsoft does not bring all the features to Office for Mac, as long as everything I need and want is there.
Office for iPad does not have all the features, and I would not expect them all to appear on the Mac version.
I addition, I would not expect software like Publisher or Access or Visio to be available on the Mac. The Mac Office will probably get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook, and that is it.
What I really expect is that Microsoft makes Office for Mac better. Office for Windows has a great interface and is fast and light. Office for Mac is a dog. It could be a lightweight, with a good interface, just like the Windows version. I hope Microsoft implements this at least.
Yes. I personally do not use Access, but I know it is a very capable and fully-featured piece of software. I guess it would not be easy to port it to the Mac.
I think the Mac Office team is already having a lot of work in this new version without having to port Access or any new software. The iPad version was probably one of the causes of delay of the Mac version, despite the team telling the opposite.
Hi everyone, does anybody have any info if Microsoft will allow an upgrade from Office 2011 to 2014 for a lower cost than purchasing 2014 without owning a previous version. I don't really want to use Office 365 and be tied into yearly subscription but looking to install office.
Am I correct in saying that Office 365 is the same as Office 2011 for Mac if so how likely is it that it will be updated with features of Office 2014. I'm contemplating to dive in and buy Office 365 if Microsoft are leaning towards subscription based only.
Office 365 is a service you subscribe to, and not a specific product. For instance, subscribing to Office 365 Home gives you the following:
- the ability to install the most up-to-date version of Microsoft Office apps in up to 5 PC or Mac computers;
- the ability to install the most up-to-date version of Microsoft Office apps in up to 5 tablets;
- the ability to access Office online;
- 20 GB of cloud storage (OneDrive); and
- 60 minutes of Skype calls per month.
It happens that the latest version of Office for Mac is Office 2011. So, Office 365 grants you the right to install this version on your Mac. When Office 2014 is released, then you will be able to download it and install it on your Mac if you have Office 365, because your subscription will allow that.
It's 20GB per person. You can have up to 5 persons sharing the same subscription=100GB total
Oh, OK. Thanks for the clarification. Anyway, the purpose of my post was just to show that Office 365 is not a particular office application, but rather the subscription of a service.