Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Although don't new iOS 8 APIs allow any app to do this if they play by the rules...?

They do, but those APIs don't exist on Windows Phone, Windows 8, or the web. As mentioned in the original post, this is about more than just iOS.
 
Good. OneDrive support on OfficeMobile is dreadful (there has been a bug where it won't work if you have a complex folder structure, which was reported month ago, and has still not even been acknowledged).
 
I don't think they're actually changing their stance - I think they always intended to do this. Step 1, release the apps with only One Drive, encourage people to use it. Folks who try it and like it are customers gained. Step 2, get all the folks who dislike OneDrive or have a heavy preference for Dropbox to also become 365 customers by offering Dropbox integration.

This thread is a perfect example of how many folks only started using OneDrive because of Office for iPad but now prefer it. They wouldn't have had that if they offered Dropbox right away. But this thread also has folks who will now buy subscriptions because of Dropbox. MS is maximizing profits this way.

That's a good point point. But to be fair, I'd jump ship to Dropbox in a heartbeat if they had a more affordable plan. All I need is 20/25GB.
 
meanwhile Apple is asleep at the wheel concerning the promise of iCloud Drive......

How do you know Apple is asleep with iCloud?

On the contrary, I think Apple is working very hard on iCloud. They refined the syncing mechanism so much the sync is now flawless. They converted everything to be iCloud central. They gave the user the ability to put any file on the drive and it'll be synced with all devices. They allow gigantic email attachment through iCloud. Live collaboration with Apple's office. All this is being just last year and available now. I can only imagine more cool features will be coming next. Apple did emphasized that iCloud will be the central hub of everything. iCloud only missing a critical feature such as "sharing you file with a link", but not much else.
 
That's a good point point. But to be fair, I'd jump ship to Dropbox in a heartbeat if they had a more affordable plan. All I need is 20/25GB.

MS just recently announced that they were giving unlimited storage to Office 365 subscribers. I wouldn't be surprised if Google offers a similar plan.

This relegates storage to a feature, not a competitive advantage. So, I don't see how DropBox can survive long-term without their own Office suite.
 
I have a Dropbox account but haven't used it in over 2 years. Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive these days..



:apple:

Wow, really choosing to sell your soul there, eh? :eek:

This move by Microsoft is surprising indeed, and it seems to be a shot across the bow of Apple since I can't see Apple doing the same.

----------

They would ruin it beyond repair. Just look at iOS, no file system.

Stop with the nonsense. iOS does indeed have a file system, just not the traditional folder-based system that you are familiar with, and tightly-controlled user access.

What would you do with full file system access? How would it allow you to take more advantage of iOS devices? Please, do enlighten.
 
That's a good point point. But to be fair, I'd jump ship to Dropbox in a heartbeat if they had a more affordable plan. All I need is 20/25GB.

same here. I still use dropbox because it's rock solid and can't be beat for collaboration projects but I do use Onedrive too since it offers so much free space. But it glitches constantly on me (some files refuse to sync for reasons unknown) so I don't really trust it to work without issues.
 
What's the point? Here's my logic:

-To use iPad Office, you need to be 365 subscriber.
-If you're 365 subscriber, MS gives you 1TB on OneDrive.
-If you have 1TB on OneDrive, why the hell would you even need to pay extra cash for dropbox?

Plus, OneDrive is damn good. Not that dropbox is bad, but hey.. MS gives you the whole package: email, cloud and office. It's also cheaper if you consider the bang-per-dollar. Makes Apple Drive and its ridiculous prices looks lame. Cloud services should be cheaper. It's only a damn cloud.

Yeah, this is pointless since you already need an Office 365 subscription to use Office on iOS. If you already have unlimited storage on OneDrive, why would you NOT use the service you're paying for and opt for Dropbox?
 
Stop with the nonsense. iOS does indeed have a file system, just not the traditional folder-based system that you are familiar with, and tightly-controlled user access.

What would you do with full file system access? How would it allow you to take more advantage of iOS devices? Please, do enlighten.

I don't know about others, but I sometimes have the need to tweak my filing system on the go.
 
They would ruin it beyond repair. Just look at iOS, no file system.
I think they are finally facing up to the fact that people do want access to the filesystem - just look at the icloud drive in Yosemite. file system access on ios is a separate matter and it probably isn't coming.

IMO the biggest danger in Apple buying Dropbox would be that they might kill or ruin its crossplatform availability. I regularly collaborate with people on os x, windows, linux and unix using dropbox. hardly ever any issues. the best thing since sliced bread IMO. I don't want this ruined. So yeh, Apple buying Dropbox would not be a good thing.
 
Exactly what I've wanted - goodbye iWork.
Precisely. Don't understand why people buy 200gb of iCloud Drive storage to use with their 32gb iPads. :D

I split a $100 subscription to Office with 5 other <cough> family members. For $20 we all get the full suite of apps on all our Macs, tablets and phones. Plus 1TB of storage.

Yeah, I know - it's that evil annual "subscription" thing but this will soon be the way of the world anyway. May as well get on with it.
 
Precisely. Don't understand why people buy 200gb of iCloud Drive storage to use with their 32gb iPads. :D

I split a $100 subscription to Office with 5 other <cough> family members. For $20 we all get the full suite of apps on all our Macs, tablets and phones. Plus 1TB of storage.

Yeah, I know - it's that evil annual "subscription" thing but this will soon be the way of the world anyway. May as well get on with it.

What's the point of all that iCloud storage space if you can't use it in place of Time Capsule.
 
This is a bit like Apple adding native support for DropBox and an option to backup to it. But they won't, because they close the OS, but we said that about third-party keyboards (I think), so bring on iOS 14!
 
same here. I still use dropbox because it's rock solid and can't be beat for collaboration projects but I do use Onedrive too since it offers so much free space. But it glitches constantly on me (some files refuse to sync for reasons unknown) so I don't really trust it to work without issues.

Dropbox tries to stay up to date with OS X technologies and Mac compatibility, Microsoft doesn't care.

For example, Windows and OS X allow different characters for file names. OneDrive only allows Windows compatible characters. Dropbox has notification support for file syncs. Finder icon status (granted it's through a hack that isn't allowed in the MAS). And OneDrive still doesn't have a dark menubar icon. I don't like the second hand treatment, but OD is still the best deal for me since I use Office extensively.
 
Dropbox tries to stay up to date with OS X technologies and Mac compatibility, Microsoft doesn't care.

For example, Windows and OS X allow different characters for file names. OneDrive only allows Windows compatible characters.
Perhaps this is why some of my files refuse to sync.
Dropbox has notification support for file syncs. Finder icon status (granted it's through a hack that isn't allowed in the MAS). And OneDrive still doesn't have a dark menubar icon. I don't like the second hand treatment, but OD is still the best deal for me since I use Office extensively.
yes, nothing beats Dropbox in terms of features. file sync notifications are particularly handy for me when working on the same file with a number of other people. as far as file update status in finder icon, AFAIK in Yosemite it is finally possible to do it using supported tools (extensions) which is what Dropbox is now doing.
 
This is what I have been waiting for for like 2 years now. First Microsoft gives us Office for iPad and now this. I can finally leave the MacBook Air at home during trips and can make small revisions to my projects without having to grab a laptop. This is going to make my life so much easier. I'm glad that I went ahead and purchased the Microsoft Office for iPad.
 
What's the point? Here's my logic:

-To use iPad Office, you need to be 365 subscriber.
-If you're 365 subscriber, MS gives you 1TB on OneDrive.
-If you have 1TB on OneDrive, why the hell would you even need to pay extra cash for dropbox?

Plus, OneDrive is damn good. Not that dropbox is bad, but hey.. MS gives you the whole package: email, cloud and office. It's also cheaper if you consider the bang-per-dollar. Makes Apple Drive and its ridiculous prices looks lame. Cloud services should be cheaper. It's only a damn cloud.

Microsoft is smart enough to realize that people don't pick their cloud service based on which ties into a neutered tablet productivity app. They are far more concerned with keeping people using Office than OneDrive. Providing extra flexibility might keep customers from leaving for iWork or Google docs.

Plus, not all Office365 accounts include the storage bump. I get Office365 through my university and it doesn't include any extra storage. I still prefer Dropbox (as do many people I collaborate with) because it's cross platform support is unmatched and the Mac OneDrive client sucks. So this update is great news for me at least.
 
Perhaps this is why some of my files refuse to sync.

yes, nothing beats Dropbox in terms of features. file sync notifications are particularly handy for me when working on the same file with a number of other people. as far as file update status in finder icon, AFAIK in Yosemite it is finally possible to do it using supported tools (extensions) which is what Dropbox is now doing.

I was reading about that in the Ares Technia review and they mentioned that. Still, it will be like 18 months before OD incorporates that, if they do.
 
I'm trying to understand this upcoming change with Office for the iPad integrating with Dropbox. Presently I have both Apps on my iPad, but Office (Word, Excel, etc.) does nothing for me because I have not subscribed to Office. Will that now change:
1) Will I be able to view my Word docs in Office that are sitting as files in my Dropbox?
2) Will I be able to edit those files without a subscription to Office?
 
Last edited:
One small step for relevance...

Almost there. Ok, now Microsoft. Get to work on the addition of a buy once, non-subscription full version of Office for iOS. It shouldn't take long.

Until then, you're just leaving more income and installed base behind.
Your choice.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.