Microsoft Releases Office Diagramming App 'Visio Viewer' for iPad

[MacRumors]

Microsoft yesterday released an iPad version of popular Office diagramming and graphic app Visio. The iOS incarnation is limited to viewing Visio documents, leaving the editing of files to the desktop application, and instead focuses on bringing a touch-based browsing experience with intuitive pan and zoom features to users on the go.

Visio diagrams often comprise details that customers could miss on smaller screens. Built for iPad Retina display, Visio Viewer for iPad brings high-fidelity viewing of real-world processes and plans on the go. With the new exploration experience, plant managers can zoom in to production line issues from remote facilities, financial advisors can examine detailed workflows of a loan approval process while visiting clients around the world, retail district managers can conduct store management trainings with associates using detailed CAD-based store layouts and much more.

Visio Viewer for iPad can import documents from OneDrive, SharePoint, and email, with a search functionality built in to the interface for finding shape names, text, or data. Users are also granted the ability to adjust the visibility of different layers to reveal more structure in plans and diagrams.

Visio is a free download for iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Microsoft Releases Office Diagramming App 'Visio Viewer' for iPad

 

[beanbaguk]

I really need this on macOS....

 

[diggy33]

I really need this on macOS....

Have you tried OmniGraffle? We get MANY requests for Visio on Mac at my office, and people seem to think that OG Pro works the best as a 3rd party alternative. Hopefully this is a step in that direction for Microsoft, to put Visio and potentially Project on macOS

 

[2457282]

Why do they have office (word, excel, PowerPoint, outlook, onenote), but not Visio or projects for iOS or macOS? What's the holdup?

 

[sracer]

Why do they have office (word, excel, PowerPoint, outlook, onenote), but not Visio or projects for iOS or macOS? What's the holdup?

Resources. Microsoft probably doesn't have the manpower to develop those for other platforms.
Target audience. Visio and Project are more specialized so the percentage of people who need those is much smaller which leads back to resources... why expend significant resources on something that will be used by so few people?

Producing a Visio Viewer is a BIG step towards implementing full versions for iOS and macOS.

Microsoft has been dumb about a lot of things, but with regard to Office, they've been brilliant IMO. They rightfully understood that OneNote was the hook.

 

[superberg]

Now, if only they could make Visio itself less of a dog to work with. I have to use it for work on a semi-regular basis and its UI is maddening.

Having to run it in a Windows VM doesn't help.

 

[nt5672]

Why do they have office (word, excel, PowerPoint, outlook, onenote), but not Visio or projects for iOS or macOS? What's the holdup?

Very simple. Visio is pro software, Apple does not make pro hardware anymore so why should Microsoft care. Neither Apple nor Microsoft want this.

 

[CarpalMac]

I really need this on macOS....

This. Ended up using Lucidcharts which is awful and buggy.

 

[blackcrayon]

Very simple. Visio is pro software, Apple does not make pro hardware anymore so why should Microsoft care. Neither Apple nor Microsoft want this.

The MacBook Pro is pro hardware, especially when you're talking about the hardware capabilities needed to run something like Office. If you don't think so, you should look at the standard PC laptop builds used in an office. Are those people not "professionals"?

Now, I do agree with your conclusion, that the computers Apple makes may not be used very often for the typical Visio customer. Then again, there's Omnigraffle...

 

[temna]

Microsoft yesterday released an iPad version of popular Office diagramming and graphic app Visio. The iOS incarnation is limited to viewing Visio documents, leaving the editing of files to the desktop application, and instead focuses on bringing a touch-based browsing experience with intuitive pan and zoom features to users on the go.

Visio Viewer for iPad can import documents from OneDrive, SharePoint, and email, with a search functionality built in to the interface for finding shape names, text, or data. Users are also granted the ability to adjust the visibility of different layers to reveal more structure in plans and diagrams.

Visio is a free download for iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Microsoft Releases Office Diagramming App 'Visio Viewer' for iPad

This is the definition of #EPICFAIL.. They have been teasing Visio for iOS for months now.. Not Visio Viewer.. I'm pissed..
[doublepost=1481297330][/doublepost]

Very simple. Visio is pro software, Apple does not make pro hardware anymore so why should Microsoft care. Neither Apple nor Microsoft want this.

Really, trolling an Apple board with this "Apple does not male pro hardware anymore" crap? The MacBook Pro IS pro, just because people are whining about the USB C ports doesn't make it not pro. Really?!?

 

[nt5672]

The MacBook Pro is pro hardware, especially when you're talking about the hardware capabilities needed to run something like Office. If you don't think so, you should look at the standard PC laptop builds used in an office. Are those people not "professionals"?

Now, I do agree with your conclusion, that the computers Apple makes may not be used very often for the typical Visio customer. Then again, there's Omnigraffle...

Well if writing emails and editing a 4 or 5 page document is pro, then I hope that makes you feel good. It is not uncommon for me to write documents with more than a 1000 pages. I would certainly not use Word for that (even though I was forced to try a couple of times and Word crapped all over itself). I have been required to work on spreadsheets that maxed out excels capabilities in both memory and row columns. So yes someone does this, but they are not pros. If you have never done anything that maxes out Office and shows what a poor program it is, then no you are not a pro. Sorry, don't mean to offend, but reality is reality. I have used Visio to produce 100 linear feet of 4 foot wide documents with minimal paper breaks. Try editing this on 13 inch Apple laptop. You will go crazy in spite of the retina display. And yes I have to both edit and present these documents in remote locations on my own hardware. And yes I ran Visio on my Apple laptop which had unacceptable performance and even with 17 inch display was unacceptable, but required.

Everyone wants to be a pro these days. In reality there are still people to that do Pro work that taxes all hardware today. It is simply a cop out for Apple to say, "hey we no longer need to make the best because the teenagers and college students that are in the in crowed don't need it." Then turn around and call that Pro. Pro used to mean near top of the line hardware. Under Cook it does not even come close.
[doublepost=1481298501][/doublepost]

This is the definition of #EPICFAIL.. They have been teasing Visio for iOS for months now.. Not Visio Viewer.. I'm pissed..
[doublepost=1481297330][/doublepost]

Really, trolling an Apple board with this "Apple does not male pro hardware anymore" crap? The MacBook Pro IS pro, just because people are whining about the USB C ports doesn't make it not pro. Really?!?

Sorry did not mean to attack your self-esteem. You really are a good and valued person and I can tell because you are so sensitive about a computer with the word "Pro" in the name whether deserved or not.

BTW, the pro problem is not only about USB C ports.

 

[itguy06]

Resources. Microsoft probably doesn't have the manpower to develop those for other platforms.
Target audience. Visio and Project are more specialized so the percentage of people who need those is much smaller which leads back to resources... why expend significant resources on something that will be used by so few people?

Producing a Visio Viewer is a BIG step towards implementing full versions for iOS and macOS.

Microsoft has been dumb about a lot of things, but with regard to Office, they've been brilliant IMO. They rightfully understood that OneNote was the hook.

Really? MS has plenty of resources. It's greed plain and simple. Mac use is increasing in the enterprise and they want to keep people on Windows because of licensing and mindshare. 2 apps that have been constantly requested (at least since 2002 when I became a Mac user) for the Mac are Vizio and Project. You'd think in 14 years they could do SOMETHING.

But then again they still fail at feature parity between Windows and Mac versions of OneNote and Outlook. IMHO OneNote is vastly overrated.

 

[sracer]

Really? MS has plenty of resources. It's greed plain and simple. Mac use is increasing in the enterprise and they want to keep people on Windows because of licensing and mindshare. 2 apps that have been constantly requested (at least since 2002 when I became a Mac user) for the Mac are Vizio and Project. You'd think in 14 years they could do SOMETHING.

That school of thought was applicable 10 years ago... not so much now. It's also simplistic to think that a corporation as large as Microsoft gives a blank check to their teams to spend what they want on development. There are tactical and strategic plans that are budgeted for. Microsoft is not the nimble startup it was 40 years ago.

Nadella understands that Operating System revenue continues to decrease but that software and more specifically service and subscriptions will take Microsoft through the next stage.

THIS is why there is now a Visio Viewer (and a full version of Visio to most likely arrive later)

 

[FloatingBones]

Can anyone explain why you can't just export a high-resolution PDF of a Visio drawing and pan/zoom through that? Does this viewer app do more than view the drawing?

 

[alphaswift]

Can anyone explain why you can't just export a high-resolution PDF of a Visio drawing and pan/zoom through that? Does this viewer app do more than view the drawing?

You could do that assuming the Visio author remembered to do that.

 

[RobinInOR]

Can anyone explain why you can't just export a high-resolution PDF of a Visio drawing and pan/zoom through that? Does this viewer app do more than view the drawing?

I believe the viewer also allows you to dynamically look at any defined data attached to the objects, if you use those kind of features. I'm mad that my office365 subscription I purchased didn't include Visio. Must have increased the cost so I skipped it.

 

[alphaswift]

.. Hopefully this is a step in that direction for Microsoft, to put Visio and potentially Project on macOS

I've been wanting to switch to Mac for years, but as a PM, won't until there's native Project on macOS.

 

[threesixty360]

Well if writing emails and editing a 4 or 5 page document is pro, then I hope that makes you feel good. It is not uncommon for me to write documents with more than a 1000 pages. I would certainly not use Word for that (even though I was forced to try a couple of times and Word crapped all over itself). I have been required to work on spreadsheets that maxed out excels capabilities in both memory and row columns. So yes someone does this, but they are not pros. If you have never done anything that maxes out Office and shows what a poor program it is, then no you are not a pro. Sorry, don't mean to offend, but reality is reality. I have used Visio to produce 100 linear feet of 4 foot wide documents with minimal paper breaks. Try editing this on 13 inch Apple laptop. You will go crazy in spite of the retina display. And yes I have to both edit and present these documents in remote locations on my own hardware. And yes I ran Visio on my Apple laptop which had unacceptable performance and even with 17 inch display was unacceptable, but required.

Everyone wants to be a pro these days. In reality there are still people to that do Pro work that taxes all hardware today. It is simply a cop out for Apple to say, "hey we no longer need to make the best because the teenagers and college students that are in the in crowed don't need it." Then turn around and call that Pro. Pro used to mean near top of the line hardware. Under Cook it does not even come close.
[doublepost=1481298501][/doublepost]

Sorry did not mean to attack your self-esteem. You really are a good and valued person and I can tell because you are so sensitive about a computer with the word "Pro" in the name whether deserved or not.

BTW, the pro problem is not only about USB C ports.

How did you exist in the days of pentium pc's?
Or even 10 yrs ago?
Pro doesnt mean pushing machines to it's limits. It doesnt mean doing more than the software was designed to cope with either! Pro just means you make money with it. That's all.

I suggest you may need a different methodology to increase your ability to get you work done. How about splitting up your documents so you dont have this 1000 page memory hog? Or breaking down you diagrams into more manageable chunks? Because, that is actually what "pro's" end up doing. Managing expectations and not crying when they reach limits and just getting on with it in the most organized way possible.

I just find it laughable when people expect their edge case to be the norm for everybody.. really?

 

[nt5672]

How did you exist in the days of pentium pc's?
Or even 10 yrs ago?
Pro doesnt mean pushing machines to it's limits. It doesnt mean doing more than the software was designed to cope with either! Pro just means you make money with it. That's all.

I suggest you may need a different methodology to increase your ability to get you work done. How about splitting up your documents so you dont have this 1000 page memory hog? Or breaking down you diagrams into more manageable chunks? Because, that is actually what "pro's" end up doing. Managing expectations and not crying when they reach limits and just getting on with it in the most organized way possible.

I just find it laughable when people expect their edge case to be the norm for everybody.. really?

Yeah, right. Never said the norm for everybody. Apple has always made low end stuff for the masses.

You have obviously never tried to index and cross reference multiple Word docs on OS X. You obviously don't understand the problems I explained because you jump to solutions that are not well informed or you think that I am stupid and unknowing. Yes there are less than optimal ways around these problems, that was not the point. The point was that if you are just doing 5 or 6 page word or 40 page powerpoint documents you may be a business user, and you may be getting paid to describe things using your computer, but that does not require Pro hardware.

Pro hardware is hardware geared to the top end. Apple calling the current line Pro is geared towards people with low self esteem and uncritical mind. If your computer use can be done on an iPad or MacBook 13 inch, then more power to you. You have a product that suits your needs. If calling it Pro hardware helps your self esteem, then I am happy for you. But your not being realistic to ignore my needs and others that need more performant hardware to get our jobs done. And trying to convince us that we really don't need it because you want to call your own less intensive needs Pro is just sad. You should talk to someone.

Apple calling the current products Pro is a laugh and for the first time in its history people are laughing at Apple because their marketing and Ive-ness is totally out of control. Do they hit some major use cases, yes. Are they Pro use cases, no. Apple should quit trying to be something they are not. Either they should produce Pro hardware, or drop the Pro name and price. Of course simple minded people see Pro and immediately think they are buying the best most performant hardware. Thats why Apple does it. You should ask yourself if you are part of the problem or part of the solution?

Apple cannot get headphones done right so it makes sense that they don't dip their toes into higher end hardware. If that is the case then the marketing message and cost are both out of line.

 

[threesixty360]

Pro hardware is hardware geared to the top end. Apple calling the current line Pro is geared towards people with low self esteem and uncritical mind. If your computer use can be done on an iPad or MacBook 13 inch, then more power to you. You have a product that suits your needs. If calling it Pro hardware helps your self esteem, then I am happy for you. But your not being realistic to ignore my needs and others that need more performant hardware to get our jobs done. And trying to convince us that we really don't need it because you want to call your own less intensive needs Pro is just sad. You should talk to someone.

If you need the word "Pro" to be on a product in order to make use of it then you have other issues my friend!

Pro is just an indicator, it's not a benchmark of specification. In fact it's almost as meaningless as a go faster stripe on a car. It all just depends on what particular use case you have. Apple just don't cater for your particular use case. (I'm not sure many people do to be fair).

This current macbook pro using Final Cut Pro X pisses on benchmarks of comparable software, so for people that buy into Apple's solution for video editing that is definitely "Pro".

It's like in music software where you can complain about how many tracks with fx your system cant run or you can bounce down the tracks and commit to decisions earlier. Doesnt mean your not "pro" or you cant make records. It's just and adjustment in workflow.

My point with your post is that 10yrs ago what you are trying to do couldn't be done with a laptop at all!
So I dont understand how your line of work has only been viable in the last few years with i7 3kilo Alienware laptops..(which is really what you should be using).

I mean, MS have only had 64-bit versions of Office available for a few years so how you were running Visio docs that big even on desktop I dont quite get (but if you were, fair play...)

Really, Apple have determined that the majority of their customers who are professionals and can pay professional money for hardware would rather prioritize lighter, thinner, cloud based, less leads hanging out etc.. workflow than the opposite. If thats what their research suggests and they sell a lot of these machines then they were right. If not, then their wrong and you are free to buy your mammoth Alienware machine and deal with the "glories" of Windows..

It's a free country... vote with your wallet, thats what everyone else is doing!

 

[mi7chy]

This is the definition of #EPICFAIL.. They have been teasing Visio for iOS for months now.. Not Visio Viewer.. I'm pissed..

Why is this a surprise? It's always been a stripped down version if running on a blown up phone with usually 1GB DRAM. Plus, it's probably part of Microsoft's strategy to exclusively offer the full version on their upcoming Surface Phone.

 

[temna]

Why is this a surprise? It's always been a stripped down version if running on a blown up phone with usually 1GB DRAM. Plus, it's probably part of Microsoft's strategy to exclusively offer the full version on their upcoming Surface Phone.

Wow, really? I can get most of what I need to do with the iPad versions of Word and Excel. Why would it be such a stretch to expect some editing and file creation abilities on the iOS version of Visio. But no, we get stuck with a viewer. And considering Microsoft's ongoing phone strategies, the Surface Phone will be an even bigger fail than Visio Viewer is.