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My impression is that people are bashing this Office for iPad even before testing it, and just because they hate Microsoft.

I think its the idea of yearly payment for far more than a comparable offerings that cost $10, or are totally free.

MS is year(s) late with this, and while power users will want it, for the majority of others, they have moved onto something that fulfills their need without the expense.
 
As with many here, I'm disappointed (at least intellectually) in the choice here. I would think that they could have made two options available, either enabling full functionality of the iOS versions through an IAP or through Office 365 subscription. They could have made the IAP something like $20 for each app, and I'm sure they would still have had people choose that option over the subscription alternative.

As for hate aimed at the subscription model for software, there are a lot of reasons to dislike this model, from the consumer's perspective. The flip side is that there are a lot of reasons to like the model from the vendor's perspective.

First off, there is cost. If you compare cost of the subscription to the cost of the software over the life cycle of a given version, usually the subscription is a little less. However, if you follow the common consumer upgrade model and skip one or two versions between upgrades, then suddenly the subscription model can cost close to two or three times as much.

Second, there is life of the product. Under the subscription model, if you stop paying for the product, it stops working. Period. So, if your use slips down to only needing to access a file once every couple of months, you can't decide that the version you've got is good enough and figure you're done paying for it. If you do that, you lose your ability to access those files, even on those rare occasions that you need to,

Also, frequently, when an update is released, it is mandatory. Like things the way they are? Don't feel the need for the changes in the new version? Don't like the changes that were implemented in the UI? Tough.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the subscription model does a lot to eliminate the motivation from the developer to continue to innovate. If they keep getting paid for the work they did last year, why do they need to do more work this year?

Yes, there is still the pressure of competition, but the very nature of this discussion (Office is THE standard for office apps) makes it clear that competition doesn't necessarily apply as much pressure as trying to convince current customers to upgrade does.

So, yes, I am not someone who is in the subscription fan club. I think it is a bad idea and it takes more power away from the consumer and puts more in the hands of the corporations. Bad, bad, bad.
 
I already have a 4 year subscription to Office 365 (University), so this is great news for me :D. I'm sure there's loads of other people who feel the same way too.
 
FWIW, if you're at a university, the Office 365 subscription is $20/yr ($80 for a 4 year subscription). That's actually quite reasonable, and it allows for one install on the iPad and another on the desktop. I definitely wouldn't pay $100/yr for a normal 365 subscription.
Where do I go to be able to get this deal?
 
The real story is this....unless Microsoft creates a version of Office for Android, this effectively will kill any Android adoption for tablets in the corporate world.

Individuals will not go for the subscription model, but Fortune 500 companies already are in that arena.
 
How big are file apps for Word, Excel, and Powerpoint? I want to compare them to the monster size apps of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

Word is 247,
Excel is 222,
Pwpt is 205

Pages is 253,
Numbers is 223
Keynote is 444

That's download size. Installed size is larger, by 100

Megabytes.
 
Power≠Productivity

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are not as powerful as Microsofts suite.

And iPads aren't as powerful as full fledged computers- and yet millions of people figured out pretty quickly that a simple reliable device that did the most important aspects of computing well is more valuable than "power features." Most people continue to use MS Office stuff just because that's all they know. Are there special macro tricks that Excel can do that Numbers can't? Yes. Can Word do a mail merge that Pages cannot? Also yes. But a large majority of people would be served just fine with TextEdit, never mind Pages. So yeah, MS will probably trick a few of these folks that are afraid of change, but a lot of folks will consider how they've gotten along on their iPad until now sans official MS stuff and pass on a nickel-and-dime-you-to-death subscription model. Now you may very well be a power user that does indeed need every feature that full Office suite offers, my argument here is that there are a lot less power users out there than MS would have us believe.
 
Is this confirmed somewhere?

I am hoping this is the case...

Also, why all the hate behind software rental? Is it just a visceral hatred without looking at the pros and cons? When I looked at 365, the cost involved was an order of magnitude below what I would have had to pay outright - it was a no-brainer.
It's because they bought an overpriced device and have no money left over. ;)

People look at the numbers before you hate on subscription services. This is much better.

Adobe cc and now this.
 
Considering the complete iWork suite is free, I'll stick with that thanks. I have latest MS Office for Mac version through my employer and that's all I'll need in terms of MS Office programs. When they make this free for iPad without an Office 365 subscription, I'd consider downloading it then for an iPad (for the day I get one). You know, just in case I'm feeling masochistic. :D
 
Is there IAP for the subscription model? If not then I'm assuming Apple wouldn't get a cut of anything?

An app of mine got rejected for even appearing like it was trying to get around IAP (even though it wasn't).

Your app can be rejected if you charge a subscription to make them work, or even to unlock more features, if you provide a mechanism to sign up for the subscription inside the app and Apple doesn't get a cut.
 
I would happily pay for these apps individually at a cost of around €15 but €100 a year for having office on my iPad isn't good when I can have the iWork suite for free or use Google Docs. Bad move Microsoft.
 
They lost me at "/month" and "/year".

Edit: OK, that's not fair. They lost me at "Microsoft".
 
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Why do some people worry about that so much? Why do you honestly care? At the end of the day it shouldn't matter to the consumer who gets paid what. Whatever money Apple makes from developers goes into making better products for their customers. Let it go.

Because we small time developers get punished for tricks like that. Why shouldn't Microsoft's fees be part of that "making better products" ideal? Double-standards suck.
 
THANKS MICROSOFT!!!!

You just solved one of my biggest gripes with iPads: viewing office documents without any weird formatting or need to save the files as PDF.

For those who edit files, there is a subscription available, also :)
 
The real story is this....unless Microsoft creates a version of Office for Android, this effectively will kill any Android adoption for tablets in the corporate world.

Individuals will not go for the subscription model, but Fortune 500 companies already are in that arena.

Exactly.

But isn't that who already makes up most of Office purchases anyway?

I'm confused why so people in these comments think Microsoft Office is some huge consumer application.
 
So, yes, I am not someone who is in the subscription fan club. I think it is a bad idea and it takes more power away from the consumer and puts more in the hands of the corporations. Bad, bad, bad.

Nicely written post. I agree with what you said but they have never taken power away from the consumer, merely created the illusion of it. If people don't subscribe to these models they will go away. On the other hand, if this model is profitable...
 
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