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Hmm...I'm no fan of Word, and barely have to use it in my life, or any word processor. But this entire comment is about users, not software. And that type of user can't handle any software, IME.

I understand your point, but I think you might be understating the intimidation potential of massively featured software like Word. A basic principle of human engineering is prioritizing features based on their importance in completing the primary tasks. Word presents users with a huge number of features equally prioritized, which I think is why so many people don't know what to do but just start typing in the default document. Result: a lousy looking document that looks like every other lousy looking document created in Word.

Besides, worst case scenario, why would anyone pay $69 a year for software that they can't use properly, when they could get software they can't use properly for free?
 
MS Office is the standard for business use. Period. This cannot be argued.

ms word is a nightmare for me. each time i have to download and edit a '.doc' i have to worry about macros, embedded ****, ole, whatever else what could be used to put a piece of malicious software on my computer. numbering and styles get messed up/duplicated/triplicated just because of different locale setting.

it's just a word processor, like many others, and it also may not be the brightest one out there. it even lacks some basic "DTP" like features which are available in many other "word processors".

you could state the same about microsoft windows (insert number here) to be the de facto standard for business use. even if it is so, it's not because of it's superiority, it's probably because all those it folks know this, and don't know / never used anything else.
 
Great deal, although it was a good deal at $99. This has much better value. Just the storage alone is almost the entire amount. Apple charges $40 for 20gb, which is included in Microsofts $69, essentially making Office $29 and that's even before you value the Skype minutes.

Anyone griping about $29, or $2.41/month is just bellyaching over nothing IMO.

The gripers need to save the $29 for their Invisible Shield screen protector (AKA $30 plastic film). Also $50 for a smart cover (AKA piece of polystyrene with a magnet). Then $60 for a set of Apple's proprietary to non-proprietary connectors that cost them around $3 to manufacture. Plus $40/year for iCloud storage that you can't even stick files on and $25/year to stick your songs in the cloud (subscriptions suck but these are okay since they're Apple's). And you have to buy a new set of these every year because the newest $800 iPad will come out and it'll be 2 mm thinner than the last one and you don't wanna be the guy that owns the thicker iPad

But software > $5, too expensive
 
No, this plan was announced before iPad version was released.

Anyway, a lot of the comments are from ignorant users who didn't do their research before downloading, or want everything for free, or at 99cents.

Thanks, I hadn't heard of it before and during the release of the apps.

And I do agree, the "free/99cent"-crowd is definitely not the target group, I wonder what people sometimes expect for larger scale apps to cost (audio/music stuff or as in this case business related software)... maybe some people are still used to getting a copy of their neighbours office version "for free". :D
 
I don't mind subscription music, but I do despise subscription software because it feels like they are holding my data hostage. I had a flickr account and other cloud based accounts and the minute you stop paying you lose all your data. No thanks.

But it comes with the official "Mortgaged to Microsoft" holographic logo sticker.
 
Google Drive is Free
Apple iWork is Free

So why isn't Microsoft Office Free?
:(

Because Office has waaaaaay more features. If you can't justify paying, chances are you don't need Office and iWork/Google Docs/LibreOffice will all do you fine.
 
The gripers need to save the $29 for their Invisible Shield screen protector (AKA $30 plastic film). Also $50 for a smart cover (AKA piece of polystyrene with a magnet). Then $60 for a set of Apple's proprietary to non-proprietary connectors that cost them around $3 to manufacture. Plus $40/year for iCloud storage that you can't even stick files on and $25/year to stick your songs in the cloud (subscriptions suck but these are okay since they're Apple's). And you have to buy a new set of these every year because the newest $800 iPad will come out and it'll be 2 mm thinner than the last one and you don't wanna be the guy that owns the thicker iPad

But software > $5, too expensive

This made me smile... because its true. You did however, miss they need to buy the newest rMBP for $1600+ because it has a modest 5-8% faster CPU and ThunderBolt 2.
 
This is actually more expensive. You're better of with the $99 version.

I don't need Office anymore (unless I'm at work and luckily I don't have to bring my work home), so Google Docs is my go to.

I do wish Google Docs would become apps on their own however. Once that's done, it's over for Microsoft.
 
I understand your point, but I think you might be understating the intimidation potential of massively featured software like Word.
Yeah, I've admitted to many that I don't understand such people. Hard to be confident in an opinion.
 
Microsoft Launches 'Office 365 Personal' Plan for One Mac and One iPad at $69...

US is $70 (or $79) for 4 years last time I checked.


£90 in the UK for life. Not 4 years.


The gripers need to save the $29 for their Invisible Shield screen protector (AKA $30 plastic film). Also $50 for a smart cover (AKA piece of polystyrene with a magnet). Then $60 for a set of Apple's proprietary to non-proprietary connectors that cost them around $3 to manufacture. Plus $40/year for iCloud storage that you can't even stick files on and $25/year to stick your songs in the cloud (subscriptions suck but these are okay since they're Apple's). And you have to buy a new set of these every year because the newest $800 iPad will come out and it'll be 2 mm thinner than the last one and you don't wanna be the guy that owns the thicker iPad



But software > $5, too expensive


Or alot of people get office for cheaper than the subscription to office365 (HUP is a one off fee of £8.95, home and student is £90 one off payment, both for life), so why should we pay more than we have to for the same software? Down people want to be sensible with their money, rather than splash it around... :p
 
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I think for business it's better to rent then buy software. The rent is 100% deductible from income as a business expense.

For person use there is

Apple iWork
Libre Office (aka "open office")
Google Docs

All of which are free, zero cost. Will propel pay extra for MS Office? A few might. I use MS Power Point to verify my presentations will display correctly in Windows PS but do the work on Keynote. For that use case I'm best off with an older version of Power point because it is a better test of compatibility. (You never know what version of PP might be on some PC. So it is best to test using an older version)
 
This thread kills me.

$69 for a year of service that's a proven productivity tool and more robust than the "free, stripped down options - let's face it iWork on iOS/OS X is now a joke) is a deal breaker, but a $3500 rMBP (because they upgraded everything) is money well spent.
 
Somehow you think:
20gb OneDrive space
60 Skype minutes per month
1 tablet and 1 traditional PC license

is only worth 25$ a year?

Worth less than that if you don't care about OneDrive and Skype. And yeah, it's cheaper than updating your Office every 2 years, but who does that?! If it weren't for Apple's killing of Rosetta, I'd still be using Office '04. Now I'm at '08. So much cheaper than paying monthly.
 
Nope, not going to rent software. I don't object to buying software and paying for value. I do object to renting software and paying for rent.

But really, this deal is not aimed at consumers, it's aimed at the corporate market. It's just a worse fit for the consumer market than usual for Microsoft.
 
Worth less than that if you don't care about OneDrive and Skype. And yeah, it's cheaper than updating your Office every 2 years, but who does that?! If it weren't for Apple's killing of Rosetta, I'd still be using Office '04. Now I'm at '08. So much cheaper than paying monthly.

Where did you get Office for 100$?

I'm not interested unless the bridge is free.

I laughed, I'll admit it.
 
Sneaky? What part of being upfront with everything is sneaky?

Because most people, like you, cannot calculate the actual cost, a similar approach is being taken by the providers of cell phones. How many people have actually calculated what the real expense is.......about 10 bugs seems zo little isn't it? But they are making big money at your expense.
 
I'd certainly prefer to pay once, but then again I've said before that Microsoft can name its price, on the iPad. If you need MS Office, you need MS Office. Between those who really need it, and those who believe they need it, Microsoft (and Apple, through in app subscriptions) are going to do quite nicely out of this.
 
that is not a proper use of that valuation technique because unlike corporations, its not reasonable to apply the going concern assumption on humans..

further, the subscription model is more like telling customers they have to 're-buy' ms office every year for $69.99
its not like microsoft invests in one product, releases it and expects the customers to re-pay $69.99 every year for it. instead, with that subscription, comes the unearned revenue liability of updates and new softwares and at the very least new versions

Oh yes it is, because after a few year the NPV of the extra period becomes insignificant. On average the turn-around point is about 35 years at most, which most of us still have to go (hopefully).

Do you really think they have 'invented' subscription to pleasure you, or to create recurring revenues for them?
 
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