Microsoft and Apple Facing Off Over Office for iOS Subscription Revenues, Not SkyDrive

[Bill Killer]

Microsoft Excel is great. Web-based Google Excel not so much. Numbers is limited in data handling and advanced features, but the native app is snappy.

I am interested to see if Wolfram will use their engine to do a low cost spreadsheet like math and graphing package though. Do they have one already ?

To me, there is only one Excel, and it's not Google Excel.

 

[monkeybagel]

Microsoft Office is a great piece of software - at least until 2010/2011. But it is not something I need for my iPad. Microsoft needs to remember the iPad dominance started way before Office was even announced or speculated. And it will do fine without Microsoft Office. Sell it as an application and I would probably pony up as well as many other users. Rent it to me? Forget it.

 

[burtba]

Pages, Numbers, Keynotes, Documents to Go.

I dont care if MS use subscription or sell outright, why would I bother? What advantage could MS possibly offer that is not already offered in the above apps?

 

[Bill Killer]

Pages, Numbers, Keynotes, Documents to Go.

I dont care if MS use subscription or sell outright, why would I bother? What advantage could MS possibly offer that is not already offered in the above apps?

Compatibility with PC offerings.

 

[Abazigal]

If Office for Ios allows dropbox integration (i.e.: lets me directly edit documents in my dropbox), then I may consider. If it is going to work like iworks (where you have to open the app individually), then forget it.

 

[Al Muhammed]

Microsoft is trying to pull a sneaky Google move by introducing Office on iOS as a Trojan Horse but severely gimping the product like Google did with Maps. They think people will get so hooked on using Office on iOS but will grow increasingly frustrated that iOS Office will lack many of the key features found on Office for Windows 8 that they'll start jumping ship to the Surface tablet.

Keep dreaming Microsoft!

 

[skaertus]

I've seen this argument over and over again, and as far as PC replacement is concerned you and everybody else who makes it is right.

However, you're all missing the point of the iPad and iPhone and why they are growing for businesses.

First, iPhone has already been adopted by businesses and is the dominating force as far as enterprise smartphones are concerned. The primary concern here is email, calendar & contact access. Nobody is editing documents on 3.5-4" screens and they're not relying on them to view documents either. Existing apps that allow users to view these documents in a pinch are more than satisfactory.

Some people view the iPad as a replacement for a PC, others don't. Many view it as an additional piece of equipment and issue both a laptop and an iPad to their employees. More common however is employees buying their own iPads and using them for work, also called BYOD. They seek out the applications they like and use them as they please. Software choices are not forced on them by their IT departments.

iPads that are issued by companies are often used for things other than what conventional PC's are used for. They give the user access to an entire library of things like catalogs, PDF documents, photo galleries, video demos and the like. The devices are much easier to use for sharing things like these with customers and partners than a laptop could ever hope to be. The battery lasting all day long is a major positive as well.

A lot of companies issue laptops to employees instead of desktops now. This way the employee can have a full PC while they're at the office, but can also move to different rooms or take the work home with them.

Many people assume companies are choosing a desktop, portable computer and a smartphone. I'd say this is inaccurate. Portables are replacing desktops.

Microsoft Office for iPad would be welcome by many I'm sure, but not having it isn't going to keep iPads out of enterprise. They're already there and the people who use them love them. The same can't be said for their Windows PC's.

A reasonably priced MS Office application would likely be bought by most iPad owners, but it's not going to be a deal breaker for most people. If it is, it's just the first reason on the list of reasons not to buy one. Once it's available, they'll replace that with another reason.

What Apple really needs to do here is do a better job of promoting awareness of iWork. Most people don't even know what it is, but if they actually tried it (particularly for Pages and Keynote) they'd never go back to Office again.

You are right.

As for the iPhone, I have no doubt that it will replace BlackBerries, not PCs.

As for the iPad, the absence of Office will not keep it out of enterprise. However, the level of penetration of the iPad in the enterprise would be much higher if Microsoft Office was available.

As for iWork, while it's fine, it's by no means a perfect replacement for Microsoft Office and it won't suit all the needs of both businesses and individuals. Especially businesses. It doesn't have all the features of Office. And it doesn't have all the add-ons and the support of Office. But it can sure help filling the gap left by the absence of Office in the iPad.

 

[steve119]

I'm all for apple here, and they are absolutely right, why should a small company pay 30% but allow a multi billion corp like Microsoft change it in their favour?

Has to be fair allround.

 

[fertilized-egg]

If I were Microsoft I'd just bite the bullet and pay up. The worst thing that can happen to them is users learn to live without Office, or less Office as part of their workflow. I've already seen professional users who use Office less and less because they like to do a lot of tasks on their iPad.

As a side note, instead of subscription model, I'd like to see a full blown native version of Office but I'm not sure how great an iOS of Office will really be. Even the Mac OSX version or the WinRT version have their share of compatibility problems and limitations as with the current Windows Phone Office which is pretty much useless.

 

[Al Muhammed]

Creating the Office app for iOS is Microsoft waving the white flag on the Surface before even giving it a chance. Typical Ballmer bonehead move.

 

[asiga]

I'd happily buy Office for iOS, but provided it's a permanent license with a single payment. I'm not going to pay a subscription to use Office on iOS. I don't care who's gonna take that 30%. I'm not going to pay a subscription. Period.

 

[GermanyChris]

Well microsoft, use this to your advantage.

Release Office only for mobile windows and leverage that face: MS office available only on microsoft powered phones and tablets, great for businesses and consumers alike. The best compatibility between your desktop and tablet, at a level iOS cannot achieve.

If I were MS that's what I'd do.

 

[Bill Killer]

I'm all for apple here, and they are absolutely right, why should a small company pay 30% but allow a multi billion corp like Microsoft change it in their favour?

Has to be fair allround.

The argument is that a small development team does not bring in new potential users, while a big multinational corporation can open the doors to new markets, hence an incentive to reduce the royalty pay to Apple.

 

[jontech]

This is what happens when you press accept without reading the EULA

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The only killer application in the Office suite or me is Outlook and only when it's paired with exchange.

Pages and keynote are cheaper and offer cloud integration with the Mac. MS would have to top that to earn my business

 

[helicon1]

I don't understand why any business would need ex el for iOS. I spend all day trying to get it to do things it's not designed for and picking up the pieces when it falls over. Apple should continue its current approach but soup it up a bit. Custom apps. Specifically they should make FileMaker an official apple app. Simplify the product structure, slash the price and go for volume. If FileMaker was $50, on mac and pc, lots more companies could create their own solutions with better functionality than databases in excel or new files for every f&;#ing week. Only people too conservative to change would continue to use excel.

 

[The Phazer]

apple doesnt have to get a cut, if you remove all links and tap-thrus to alternative ways to enroll in the commercial service. thats apple's requirement.

see HBO-Go -- HBO's content. apple's store. apple doesnt get paid a portion because you paid for the content to HBO directly, and HBO doesnt solicit enrollment in the app itself.

A policy that does nothing but harm customers.

 

[sinsin07]

And that's coming from someone who is a worker, not an owner. You're arrogance is astounding. He actually takes the risk to OWN a company and you WORK for one. Please, get off your high horse because he probably makes plenty more than you do. And who's the one thinking "outside the box" using the same crap that dished out update after update in what we know as "ms office". Don't knock him, you might end up working for someone just like him one day.

Edit: Btw, those millions and millions of ipad users AREN'T using office.

You make assumptions, but that's OK, this is the internet where fantasy doesn't always meets reality. However I'm happy you got that off your chest. My work is done.

 

[VulchR]

Said it once, so I'll say it again:

Why doesn't MS decide on the price that it wants to charge for Office iOS, and then add 30% to provide Apple its cut.

On my part, I would love to have Office on the iPad, for it would make the iPad a truly viable replacement for a lap top for most of my work on the go.

By the way, for those of you talking about the death of desktops and serious business software like Office, there are those of us who use computers for heavy duty work. A powerful desktop allows to do so much more in my field (neuroscience) than a tablet or laptop. The day that Apple takes OS X away from its UNIX roots and starts making it more like iOS is the day I'll start having to use Linux.... Yuck.

 

[charlesdayton]

+1..

I don't use Office... Heck, I don't even use Pages/Numbers, or any IOS-Apple iWorks stuff....... So really i'm a minority..

But it would be good, at least, to include something like Office WITHOUT having to pay extra for it.... You already pay a subscription for Office 365, with Windows, just to edit your own documents... If thats not stupid, i dunno what is.

Why should you need do this for IOS too?

As I mentioned, Docs to go is just $10 and has full office compatibility without the subscription.

 

[macs4nw]

It's a slippery slope if you let one developer in with different rules than what the rest are playing by.

For APPLE, it's "opening a can of worms".

.....Apple is correct in not changing their policy for MS. Why would it?.....MS has no leverage here.....

Something tells me MS has different long-term goals with this, and they believe they can ultimately win this. Otherwise, why not just accept the rules, and take that 70%. In this instance, MS needs APPLE more than the other way around, and they're now losing out on OFFICE market share for mobile platforms as well as on tons of cash for their $hareholders.

 

[OllyW]

Said it once, so I'll say it again:

Why doesn't MS decide on the price that it wants to charge for Office iOS, and then add 30% to provide Apple its cut.

They would actually need to add 43% to their price as Apple will also take a 30% cut of the extra they add on.

 

[VulchR]

They would actually need to add 43% to their price as Apple will also take a 30% cut of the extra they add on.

Touché. Still, that would be fine by me.

 

[scottness]

Can someone PLEASE explain what is so magical about excel? Seriously, some of the crap I hear people doing on it, I'm think you've got to be kidding. Most of these "corporate" things you use excel for is the equivalent of using paint instead of photoshop. WTH do you use excel instead of programs that have been built ground up to specialize in that stuff? It's absolutely ridiculous what crap is deemed "corporate excel" worthy. Don't get me wrong, i'm absolutely sure it has it's place, but it appears to be the "everything to everyone so I'm only sub par for all roles".

For those of you who disagree, have you used specialized software that was meant to be used for what you're doing instead of excel? If so, how much easier did it make your life? Did you say, "wow, that's just how it should be done."?

There's nothing magical about excel.

Specialized apps are often useful, but less flexible and far more expensive--depending on what you're doing. I couldn't do much of what I do without excel. You obviously don't need the flexibility Excel offers.

 

[bushido]

Pages, Numbers, Keynotes, Documents to Go.

I dont care if MS use subscription or sell outright, why would I bother? What advantage could MS possibly offer that is not already offered in the above apps?

90% of the earth population can actually open it without formatting issues

 

[KnightWRX]

It's apparent a lot of people still don't understand what IAP is, what it provides for the 30%. No marketing, no bandwidth, no hosting, no downloads. IAP provides payment. That's it. It's clear as day in the documentation :

https://developer.apple.com/library.../StoreKitGuide/Introduction/Introduction.html

Important: In-App Purchase only collects payment. You must provide any additional functionality, including unlocking built-in features or downloading content from your own servers.

I don't know why it's so hard for other people to grasp when Apple spells it out so clearly.

Apple set the rules so that 3rd parties are forced to use Apple as a payment processor, disallowing any use of any 3rd party payment processors, even if you as a developer already have a huge setup and contracts for payment processing and they are asking for exhorbitant fees for the priviledge.

As much as I don't like Microsoft, I can't agree with Apple here. Especially considering that IAP has become a huge bag of legal hurt for smaller developers because of the unresolved Lodsys situation (trial set for next year only, patent validity has been upheld).