Microsoft Bashes Apple's iWork Software, New iPads

[Zeldain]

Exactly the same in reverse as well

Not at all. Apple literally showed the phone industry how to do smartphones. Now they've shown the PC industry how to do tablets. It would be a wasteland without what Apple did for them. We should all be thanking Apple profusely for making the whole industry better.

All Microsoft can compete with is price and "features" - they don't understand that post people who use these things do it because they fit their lifestyle... they're not buying them like they bought computers, but this is how Microsoft is trying to sell them. And why it is, and will continue to, fail.

 

[Motawa]

You MUST admit this demonstrates how overpriced iPads are. They don't do anything my phone can't do. A Surface Pro on the other hand is just superior in every way. Multitasking is now fantastic with the variable dual-app slider in Windows 8.1.

And it's a full computer! The Intel components and ventilation system is what drives the price. If a 128GB iPad can be justified for $799, please tell me how $999 for a WHOLE COMPUTER isn't worth it?! Microsoft nailed everything with the Surface Pro 2. Ultimate freedom with fantastic battery life.

To those who consider Windows 8 a flop, you're delusional. Sales mean nothing but they were certainly good, AND on a touch-enabled device it is such a lovely experience. For desktops it wasn't amazing but you got used to it. With 8.1, most quarrels were fixed, and for free. Mavericks is a mere Service Pack that has battery efficiency improvements. NOTHING more.

Need a hug?

 

[dss10]

Gold Standard??????

Say what you will about Word or Powerpoint, but Excel is pretty much the gold standard in spreadsheets and databasing. There's literally nothing else out there that does the job as good as it does.

Gold standard for some lazy executive who has all day to add up 5 numbers. This Gold standard statement is a total myth. Most of my peers both in my company and in my industry hate it and have found that 2010+ excel versions have added to their work load and added risk in their analysis. As I said, my job is spreadsheets and MS has continued to make their products a professional liability. If it weren't for M$ sunsetting its products and discontinuing support most of us would go back to 2008. I'm on Excel 2010 right now and between the stupid animations, having to go through 3 menus to print a range, and constant FU's with formatting and formulas due to the copy and paste function it’s a total disaster. Lotus123 was the best for usability, you didn't need to use a mouse, it was fast, and it was stable. From a UI perspective, the Ribbon and the animations are total screw ups. The current office products are the result of software development masturbation where someone is trying to prove their worth by both adding non-helpful features and additional code.

 

[Cryptex]

Need a hug?

It just sucks how much hate Microsoft gets when their products have actually been fantastic and better than the competition of late, but the "uncoolness" of their brand is holding the products back with the lack of popularity, sales and 3rd party support.

 

[johncrab]

Apple chose not to respond to the increasingly nasty iPad attack ads but rather, went straight for the MS revenue stream. MS has felt a need to follow Apple in lowering the price of Windows updates to match and now will be pressured to give away it's one remaining, relevant product which generates revenue.

I also wondered how long it would take MS to put out a story saying that free is a bad thing.

 

[TMay]

Nope, "blinkers", thats why I wrote that word

I'll remember that.

Thanks!

We can only learn so much about the British people through BBC, PBS, Doctor Who and film.

 

[johncrab]

Dear Mr Shaw. I replaced MS Office with Pages ($20) and Numbers ($20). I don't have to rent them or get stuck buying the software all over again for my travel computer. They are better apps which are easier to use. It's Office which has lost traction. I know you don't like your boss throwing chairs at yu so you say what he wants to hear but wake up and smell the coffee.

 

[mw360]

That comment shows you never tried a Surface. Its on screen keyboard with predictive text and gestures is great and at very least as good as the iPad one. Surface keyboards are an optional (but very well integrated) accesory if/when you need to type more than short messages and short emails (and they double as a screen protector). On screen keyboards have inherent limitations, in all platforms.

Can I use the on screen keyboard for Photoshop hotkeys? I've haven't used a Surface but I'm not under the impression that any of it is low quality or poorly executed, I just think the muddled concept of a convertible tablet/PC is clumsy, confused and backwards-looking.

 

[Marc-SP]

Icloud.com. U need an itunes account.

Thanks! I tried it and it really is a great web app . It is superior to anything I have seen before, but I hope that it will not be so for a long time . I love competence between tech companies!

.

 

[Xultar]

All I'm seeing here is a realization that MS needs to come to Jesus...

Because it is REDIC that MS office software costs more than buying a brand new desktop or laptop.

Seriously...the retail MS Office price is a sham representing a corporation that knows they need to get as much money off suckers as they can while they can before the suckers wake up and realize the deal.

I'm so disappointed in this snotty arse MS response.

 

[Mockenrue]

They should have stopped at the comparison with Office and left the Surface out of it. Microsoft Office is pretty great now. Miles ahead of iWork or Google Docs, and I don't mind using it on a daily basis at work. Sad thing is, Windows 8 is so off-putting that it ruins a decent device like the surface. I'm testing one at work, and the type cover, kick stand, and stylus are well designed and implemented... but I just hate using the thing. The metro apps aren't very useful, and the desktop is poorly supported on the touch/tablet form factor.

 

[Lindsford]

You MUST admit this demonstrates how overpriced iPads are. They don't do anything my phone can't do. A Surface Pro on the other hand is just superior in every way. Multitasking is now fantastic with the variable dual-app slider in Windows 8.1.

And it's a full computer! The Intel components and ventilation system is what drives the price. If a 128GB iPad can be justified for $799, please tell me how $999 for a WHOLE COMPUTER isn't worth it?! Microsoft nailed everything with the Surface Pro 2. Ultimate freedom with fantastic battery life.

To those who consider Windows 8 a flop, you're delusional. Sales mean nothing but they were certainly good, AND on a touch-enabled device it is such a lovely experience. For desktops it wasn't amazing but you got used to it. With 8.1, most quarrels were fixed, and for free. Mavericks is a mere Service Pack that has battery efficiency improvements. NOTHING more.

In a way the really do though

 

[Zendokan]

I installed windows 8.1 last Saturday on a friends pc.
Show me someone who says that 8.1 is just as easy to use as win7 and I'll show you someone who has never worked with win8.1

Win8.1 just cleans up some bugs that Win8 had with closing programs and the resources that they hogged. Also the "fake" start-up button doesn't improve the workability much.
In the end I had to install a program that adds a start button like there was in Win7. Clamshell Classic View app or something with a name like that.



Microsoft Office is still the nr 1 productivity suite in the world and it's still the standard.
But I have replaced it with LibreOffice.org (the most up-to-date fork of OpenOffice.org) on pc's and my Macs.
It's also starting to get a decent adaptation rate in the business world and goverments in Europe.
Its standards are documented, open-source and supported/quality-controlled by a Foundation.
Except some minor errors that it has when opening MS Office documents that contain rich text data, it works perfect.

So you get a free full office suite that works now on Windows, Linux and OSX...and 2014 will be interesting because than the versions for Android and iOS will become available + "LibreOffice Online".

While Microsoft Office is not threatend by iWorks, they should keep more an eye on LibreOffice, because that could be taking a chunk out of their business.

 

[Meister]

Thanks! I tried it and it really is a great web app . It is superior to anything I have seen before, but I hope that it will not be so for a long time . I love competence between tech companies!

.

Yes its great.
For your information: dont count on it working with all systems.
It doesnt work on my winXP system at work.
I made a nice keynote and the animations werent displayed
Also i cant edit pages documents there either.

 

[Macist]

Go home Microsoft. You're drunk/

 

[mabhatter]

"How people actually work"

Sure, if by with a suface tablet, you mean tethered to a wall outlet.

Even worse, Surface users still have to live the WiFi lizard life. None of the models include LTE data connections. THAT is the killer App of iPads. The fact that they rock their own self contained wireless data wherever they are at.. No wifi leaching or expensive teathering.

 

[Daws001]

I don't know anyone who actually likes Word. Even my writing professors who require .docs only use it because it's so prevalent/dominant. I actually like Pages, though. It's simpler and just isn't as bloated and cluttered as Word. Word's interface is just...oof!

 

[slam5]

Don't you get it guys? Software is only good if it's expensive

But can you get iWork do real work? Does it have a database manager? Is there a powerful worksheet? No. Does it integrate email/sophisticated address book/calender well? Not really. Has it gain any traction since its inception in 2005? No Comparing iWork to Outlook is like comparing a bicycle to a Lexus. You get what you pay for. Apple should stick to making iPad and not in making software.

 

[Cryptex]

In a way the really do though

Justin Bieber and the Wii Fit are definitely the best thing to happen to music and gaming...................................wait. Sales indicate the strength of the marketing team, nothing more.

I admit that Apple creates the first, innovative device categories as with portable music players, smartphones and tablets, but post-Steve Jobs they've been getting trumped by competition in every category (in terms of quality, not sales). By all means the competition took a while to get there, but Apple has been stagnant for a while too. We haven't had a "one more thing" in years. Why? Because there isn't. Instead we are "forward thinking" with the iPhone 5s because they can't think of anything right now...

 

[typeadam]

Windows 8 sucks. Everyone knows it.

The Surface hasn't sold well at all, to the point of having the price slashed. Everyone knows it.

The iPad experience is better. Everyone knows it. Sales prove it.

Fail.

Agreed on all counts*!

I wish companies would keep their mouth shut regarding Apple b/c they just make themselves look like the idiots in the end.

TBH, I like MS and I do use their products but MS as a company is NOT superior to Apple and does NOT have the consumer reach and trust that Apple has. So why open your mouth, MS??

*Except Windows Explorer that comes w/ 8 - it's a Saturn V Rocket, whereas Finder is more of a wooden biplane...

 

[Marc-SP]

Can I use the on screen keyboard for Photoshop hotkeys? I've haven't used a Surface but I'm not under the impression that any of it is low quality or poorly executed, I just think the muddled concept of a convertible tablet/PC is clumsy, confused and backwards-looking.

I think you try to confuse it, hehe . Let's see. Trying to use a desktop app with on screen keyboard of course doesn't work well. Desktop software was not designed to be used that way. There is not much to be done about that.

That's why if you plan to use desktop apps often in Surface Pro (the Surface "no-pro" only allows modern touch apps, aside from Office) the Surface keyboards are a great companion. Or the dock, so when you are at home you can use Surface Pro as a desktop computer with big screen, full keyboard and mouse, but whe you leave just take the Surface pro and go.

 

[AXs]

I personally think he's half right.

The surface pro does seem like a more productive piece of machinery. I mean, my iPad Retina doesn't even support flash.

But that's why I have my macbook.

The iPad is more of a fun interface where I CAN use it to check mails, browse sites, read stuff, play some games...

but truth is the surface pro is MUCH more equipped. and much more universal supportive.

So then why does it flop? That should hurt more Mr Microsoft Whoever-you-are.

You have a more productive and more capable product that's cheaper, which includes MS Office- your most high grossing and used software included for free...

Yet no one buys it.
Take a hint.

 

[nefan65]

I installed windows 8.1 last Saturday on a friends pc.
Show me someone who says that 8.1 is just as easy to use as win7 and I'll show you someone who has never worked with win8.1

Win8.1 just cleans up some bugs that Win8 had with closing programs and the resources that they hogged. Also the "fake" start-up button doesn't improve the workability much.
In the end I had to install a program that adds a start button like there was in Win7. Clamshell Classic View app or something with a name like that.



Microsoft Office is still the nr 1 productivity suite in the world and it's still the standard.
But I have replaced it with LibreOffice.org (the most up-to-date fork of OpenOffice.org) on pc's and my Macs.
It's also starting to get a decent adaptation rate in the business world and goverments in Europe.
Its standards are documented, open-source and supported/quality-controlled by a Foundation.
Except some minor errors that it has when opening MS Office documents that contain rich text data, it works perfect.

So you get a free full office suite that works now on Windows, Linux and OSX...and 2014 will be interesting because than the versions for Android and iOS will become available + "LibreOffice Online".

While Microsoft Office is not threatend by iWorks, they should keep more an eye on LibreOffice, because that could be taking a chunk out of their business.

^^^ THIS!
I use iWork daily in my job, but the remainder of the company uses Office 2007/2010/2011[Mac]. I have no issues with the few documents/spreadsheets I need to create/share. However, we're faced with the dilemma of having to upgrade 250 plus seats [plus true up] of Office. With the new 365 mess, we're looking at an annual cost of $40K! Or we can buy outright at some astronomical price of $120K. So we're off on a fact gathering/trial on OO, and LO. I also use both on a personal level, and love them. Easy to use, fast, and sharing with Office counterparts has been 99.99% seamless.

Over the next couple of years we're on a quest to reduce the "MS" footprint in our organization. Our main app, and CRM are both Web based, so this may be the path we go...

 

[Michael Goff]

This is a "serious" website, with "serious comments" (a contradiction in terms, if there ever was one)?

He's entitled to his opinion. I think it shows a bit about how Apple "gets some things," and appeals strongly to some users, in a way that Microsoft doesn't seem to.

Having said that, I do think the Ribbon is a disaster, but entirely due to my own issues: I've used the old fashioned Word toolbars since 1992, and I just can't seem to ever be able to find what I want, when I want it.

It cracks me up when I break out my old OS 9 Pismo, and can do things faster sometimes using that, than on an OS X Mac with newer Word...

Apple gets some users, Microsoft gets some users. There is no company that gets all users. I guess I have an advantage that in was quickly able to adapt to the ribbon.

Haha, you are right. It seems bad sales only proof things for non-Apple products. Good point!

For an Apple fanatics (that are NOT all the people that enjoy Apple products ):

- Apple product sales = good = great product

- Apple product sales = bad = really great product, but the ignorant masses misunderstand it because it is too innovative.



-NON Apple product sales = good = Mediocre product. People buy just it because the masses are missinformed and they lack the class and money to choose a quality (Apple) products instead.

- NON Apple product sales = bad = pure garbage without ANY redemming quality. No need to even have a look.

Exactly!

You're right. I thought it was, until I used Windows 8. The "ribbon" is only the second worst.

::rolls eyes::

 

[sguser]

I'm in the same boat. I got Surface Pro for free at the Build'13 conference in June. I've really tried to use the device; taking it to meetings and writing email. I just hated this thing. Finally I gave and sold it last week.

They should have stopped at the comparison with Office and left the Surface out of it. Microsoft Office is pretty great now. Miles ahead of iWork or Google Docs, and I don't mind using it on a daily basis at work. Sad thing is, Windows 8 is so off-putting that it ruins a decent device like the surface. I'm testing one at work, and the type cover, kick stand, and stylus are well designed and implemented... but I just hate using the thing. The metro apps aren't very useful, and the desktop is poorly supported on the touch/tablet form factor.