Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
That might be true. But feature wise iWorks is leagues ahead IMHO (YMMV) And talking about business and office stuff: it is so easy to create PDF files on MAC. Does Windows 7 even come with a default PDF viewer?

So much for 'cutting edge' business tools. :p
 
Microsoft doesn't make MS Works any more; it's now an ad-supported, cut down version of MS Office called MS Office Starter Edition, which only comes with new OEM PCs. This limited MS Office only has Word and Excel, and is extremely cut down from its usual versions. This is better for compatibility, but ads? Really, Microsoft? They bundle this with a lot of new PCs, too, even high-end ones. I was on Dell, Alienware and HP's sites configuring PC laptops for the hell of it, and I saw MS Office Starter offered on just about all those computers.

And no, Windows doesn't come with out-of-the-box PDF support; you'll have to download Adobe Reader or Foxit. And to generate PDFs, you'll need yet another application. I honestly don't think that this is a dealbreaker for most people (they're accustomed to downloading Adobe Reader anyway), but having those things built into the Mac is pretty cool.
 
Seems they'd rather shoot themselves in the foot for the sake of their poor excuse of a "Get a PC Campaign."

Sad.



Priceless, truly priceless. :p
I remember Reading somewhere that the only reason office mac exists is because Microsoft have to continue to develop it as a condition of Apple dropping their look and feel lawsuit in the '90s - if true would explain a lot
 
I remember Reading somewhere that the only reason office mac exists is because Microsoft have to continue to develop it as a condition of Apple dropping their look and feel lawsuit in the '90s - if true would explain a lot

There is quite a bit of truth behind this - MS's Mac BU being one of the company's most profitable divisions, notwithstanding.

Microsoft doesn't make MS Works any more; it's now an ad-supported, cut down version of MS Office called MS Office Starter Edition, which only comes with new OEM PCs. This limited MS Office only has Word and Excel, and is extremely cut down from its usual versions. This is better for compatibility, but ads? Really, Microsoft? They bundle this with a lot of new PCs, too, even high-end ones. I was on Dell, Alienware and HP's sites configuring PC laptops for the hell of it, and I saw MS Office Starter offered on just about all those computers.

And no, Windows doesn't come with out-of-the-box PDF support; you'll have to download Adobe Reader or Foxit. And to generate PDFs, you'll need yet another application. I honestly don't think that this is a dealbreaker for most people (they're accustomed to downloading Adobe Reader anyway), but having those things built into the Mac is pretty cool.
Agreed.

I had grown enormously tolerant, of a great many things, while a Windows user.

Life certainly seems much better now.
 
And no, Windows doesn't come with out-of-the-box PDF support; you'll have to download Adobe Reader or Foxit. And to generate PDFs, you'll need yet another application. I honestly don't think that this is a dealbreaker for most people (they're accustomed to downloading Adobe Reader anyway), but having those things built into the Mac is pretty cool.
Built-in PDF support in Windows would require a miracle.
 
That might be true. But feature wise iWorks is leagues ahead IMHO (YMMV) And talking about business and office stuff: it is so easy to create PDF files on MAC. Does Windows 7 even come with a default PDF viewer?

No but it comes with XPS, which has the same functionality as PDF
 
No but it comes with XPS, which has the same functionality as PDF

Had to google it up. I never came across a .xps document in the wild. Is it relevant somewhere? In our company we use 90% .pdf(s) for docs and manuals.

This is what I found:

Microsoft are known not only for Windows operating system but also for development of extensions which not many of the people have tried or heard about it. Microsoft never tends to stop developing, releasing programs and extensions like docx file format forcing people to download Microsoft 2007 or find a alternative way to open those files Another Microsoft extension is XPS which is an PDF format alternative.

What is XPS File Extension

XPS is XML Paper Specification which is used in Windows Printing machine and doesn’t support non Microsotf platforms.

Hmmm, ok...
 
{Edit: posting sequence flipped}
Built-in PDF support in Windows would require a miracle.

For the most part, it merely takes a credit card...to go buy a license for Adobe Acrobat (Standard; not the free 'Reader').


Microsoft doesn't make MS Works any more; it's now an ad-supported, cut down version of MS Office called MS Office Starter Edition, which only comes with new OEM PCs. This limited MS Office only has Word and Excel, and is extremely cut down from its usual versions. This is better for compatibility, but ads? Really, Microsoft? ...

Oh, that sounds so pleasant of a product. :rolleyes: Unfortunately, I suspect that iAds might bring the same lousy experience to iOS.


And no, Windows doesn't come with out-of-the-box PDF support; you'll have to download Adobe Reader or Foxit. And to generate PDFs, you'll need yet another application. I honestly don't think that this is a dealbreaker for most people (they're accustomed to downloading Adobe Reader anyway), but having those things built into the Mac is pretty cool.

As mentioned, it's the full Adobe Standard. MSRP is $300, with a current street price of $250. It is worth also noting that this generally high price point pushes it out of the personal consumer market and into business applications. IME, Acrobat Std has been pretty solid over the years, although it does have its quirks and is often "Adobe Bloat" slow & bulky. I'll skip the gory details (including how it's currently crashing my Windows laptop).


Now to keep in line with the News Item's topic ('PC vs Mac' Windows website), from this competitive OS Advocacy perspective, OS X's ability to export to PDF without having to spend $250 as you do on Windows does represent a "Reverse Apple Tax".

I'd not suggest giving Apple a figurative full $250 credit on this one, since the two capabilities clearly differ. While OS X can export to PDF, it can't make exportable forms with locked/unlocked data entry fields, nor can it (easily?) take existing PDFs and make a PDF "Binder" (simplistically, a single PDF output assembled from multiple PDF inputs) with bookmarks, etc. From a Pareto Principle ("80/20 Rule") perspective, the simple Export to PDF is IME the generally most commonly used feature attribute, so if I were to suggest a cash equivalent value for this "Tax", I'd say (YMMV) it should be credited at at least half of the MSRP, which would be $150, but IMO, Adobe's prices are a bit inflated, so I'll round that down to only $100.


-hh
 
Had to google it up. I never came across a .xps document in the wild. Is it relevant somewhere? In our company we use 90% .pdf(s) for docs and manuals.

This is what I found:



Hmmm, ok...
I sent my transcript in .XPS to the company I'm currently working at and had no issues.
 
Microsoft doesn't make MS Works any more; it's now an ad-supported, cut down version of MS Office called MS Office Starter Edition, which only comes with new OEM PCs. This limited MS Office only has Word and Excel, and is extremely cut down from its usual versions. This is better for compatibility, but ads? Really, Microsoft? They bundle this with a lot of new PCs, too, even high-end ones. I was on Dell, Alienware and HP's sites configuring PC laptops for the hell of it, and I saw MS Office Starter offered on just about all those computers.

And no, Windows doesn't come with out-of-the-box PDF support; you'll have to download Adobe Reader or Foxit. And to generate PDFs, you'll need yet another application. I honestly don't think that this is a dealbreaker for most people (they're accustomed to downloading Adobe Reader anyway), but having those things built into the Mac is pretty cool.

We deal with PDF's heavily. Back in my old windows days, to create a PDF I needed Office ($500) and Acrobat Professional ($400). That's $900 for third rate products!! Talk about the biggest scam out there. Open Office is free and has PDF support. But I use Preview most of the time now.
 
We deal with PDF's heavily. Back in my old windows days, to create a PDF I needed Office ($500) and Acrobat Professional ($400). That's $900 for third rate products!! Talk about the biggest scam out there. Open Office is free and has PDF support. But I use Preview most of the time now.

you do know that their have been a lot of free PDF printers out their for years right. To the computer it see a printer. Now it is a virtual printer that just outputs to what ever PDF file you want to call it. I been using some open source ones like that for years.
 
We deal with PDF's heavily. Back in my old windows days, to create a PDF I needed Office ($500) and Acrobat Professional ($400). That's $900 for third rate products!! Talk about the biggest scam out there. Open Office is free and has PDF support. But I use Preview most of the time now.

Microsoft wanted to add the functionality to save to PDF into Office 2007, but Adobe threatened to sue. They made it an add-on. I believe its now standard in Office 2010 though. No, its not as easy as being built in, but what can you do in those situations?
 
The aggressive PC vs Mac campaign continues not only on the website but in the retail channel. Microsoft has opened up retail store #4 in my hometown of San Diego in the Fashion Valley mall, RIGHT near the Apple Store.
 
Microsoft wanted to add the functionality to save to PDF into Office 2007, but Adobe threatened to sue. They made it an add-on. I believe its now standard in Office 2010 though. No, its not as easy as being built in, but what can you do in those situations?

I was fed up and went to Linux. That was great! Then I went to Mac last year (one year next month) and that was even better! Still though - $500 for Office 2011 is crazy when iWork is $79 and Open Office is free!
 
Question

Ok, when you go the page that looks at computers (like their featured $999 with stats that are par for Apple), Do these computers come with an OS preinstalled? or is that something to buy then install? Also, aluminum is the only material I need in my computer's body. :cool:
 
Microsoft wanted to add the functionality to save to PDF into Office 2007, but Adobe threatened to sue. They made it an add-on. I believe its now standard in Office 2010 though. No, its not as easy as being built in, but what can you do in those situations?

oo that is a nice feature I did not know about.

I am not surpised that Adobe would threaten to sue MS if they put in save to PDF in office. I would not be surprised if MS just paid off Abobe so they could of finally done it.
 
I was fed up and went to Linux. That was great! Then I went to Mac last year (one year next month) and that was even better! Still though - $500 for Office 2011 is crazy when iWork is $79 and Open Office is free!

I think you know your mistake in comparing the $500 edition of Office to iWork :rolleyes:
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.