ms office for iPad?

[jsh1120]

Looking at it from MS's perspective, they have 2 parts of their business really, windows and office. It seems that the iPad is damaging windows, so they'll want to fight back against it. An iPad version of office would help the iPad, not hinder it, so don't expect it any time soon

On the other hand, I bet there is an iPad running office somewhere in Redmond. If the iPad proves unstoppable, not having office on it would damage the office business unit. If windows 8 tablets aren't too successful I think they'll release office on the iPad.

Again, I think this underestimates the difficulty of making Office work on a device like the iPad. Apple is unable (I assume) to provide a OSX level version of Pages and Numbers for the iPad. Why would you think that porting an even more complex product like Office would be easier?

It's worth noting that Microsoft already has a simplified office automation product; they've had it for years. It's called Microsoft Works. (Note that Microsoft, unlike Apple, does not name the limited function version of their office automation product the same as the more comprehensive version.) If Microsoft were interested in producing software for the iPad, I'd assume Works rather than Office would be their choice.

 

[Bernard SG]

Again, I think this underestimates the difficulty of making Office work on a device like the iPad. Apple is unable (I assume) to provide a OSX level version of Pages and Numbers for the iPad. Why would you think that porting an even more complex product like Office would be easier?

It's worth noting that Microsoft already has a simplified office automation product; they've had it for years. It's called Microsoft Works. (Note that Microsoft, unlike Apple, does not name the limited function version of their office automation product the same as the more comprehensive version.) If Microsoft were interested in producing software for the iPad, I'd assume Works rather than Office would be their choice.

Except that the stripped down office suite bundled into WP 7 carries the glorious name of "Office"

 

[jsh1120]

Except that the stripped down office suite bundled into WP 7 carries the glorious name of "Office"

Not sure what you're referring to. Do you mean the "trial" version that comes bundled with Win 7 computers? If so, that's another issue altogether since it expires after 60 days.

 

[Bernard SG]

Not sure what you're referring to. Do you mean the "trial" version that comes bundled with Win 7 computers? If so, that's another issue altogether since it expires after 60 days.

Windows Phone 7

 

[jsh1120]

Windows Phone 7

Sorry. Missed the WP reference in your first post. To be accurate, though, the nomenclature for Office on the Windows phone is "Office Mobile," not "Office." Had Apple chosen to name Pages on the iPad "Pages Light" or "Pages Mobile," I wouldn't have mentioned the misleading characterization.

 

[psonice]

I doubt very much that they'd port "full fat" office to an iPad type device anyway. It would be a UI nightmare on a touchscreen, it'd be horrendously slow, and *very* few people would actually use all of it on such a device

For serious work, you need a reasonably fast computer and keyboard, and ideally a mouse or stylus that deals with a very complex UI nicely. I.e. NOT an iPad. So the higher-end windows 8 tablets will get office, along with a stylus or mouse, a fan and short battery life. Arm tablets will get a 'metro'/lite version intended for viewing documents and making minor edits or simple documents.

Does that sound like iWork on the iPad? Expect something more like that. Where windows 8 might have an advantage is that the intel tablets could run both versions, so you can plug a keyboard + mouse in for serious work, then switch to a simpler tablet version on the road.

 

[Bernard SG]

Sorry. Missed the WP reference in your first post. To be accurate, though, the nomenclature for Office on the Windows phone is "Office Mobile," not "Office."

Naw, it's just " Office":

 

[jsh1120]

Naw, it's just " Office":

Perhaps that's because they figure you understand you're looking at a mobile device.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/apps/office.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/features/default.aspx#office-hub

 

[FloatingBones]

Apologies for not understanding your point. I have to say though that using phrases like "market domination" when you're limiting your focus to less than 10% of the systems in use is, at best, hyperbole. The "market" for MS Office is the vast range of personal computers in use, not the tiny percentage that Apple constitutes of that total.

Thanks. My main objection is actually with the author who created that chart. When someone compiles statistics, they need to ensure that all of the data is normalized or to make certain that anything that would throw off the numbers is highlighted in the data. I didn't notice the strangeness the first time I looked at that chart.

There's no "right" or "wrong" with such things, but it is useful to know if a chart is doing an apples-to-apples comparison (so to speak).

Actually he appears to have meant the market to include only MS Office used on Apple products. Folks are free to make up any kind of definition they like on the internet but such a definition in this case is, at best, confusing. From Microsoft's perspective the "market" for Office is far larger than the small share used on Apple products.

You are correct about my intent.

I'm certain that Microsoft maintains distinct information and intelligence on Office for the Mac. They definitely track pricing and features of iWork. I'm certain they considered long and hard whether or not to list Office in the Mac App Store (so far, they've decided to not use that channel).

You know what? The terrible thing is that you might be right with that theory and that would mean Microsoft's top executives are betraying their shareholders.

I think this may be an extreme interpretation.

MS has two major product lines that, over time, have positioned themselves to have potential conflicts of interest.

Years ago, during the antitrust investigations, some suggested that MS would be better off with the OS and the Office groups put into separate companies. The current conflicts are one of the reasons why that would have been a good idea.

Except that the stripped down office suite bundled into WP 7 carries the glorious name of "Office"

I presume that that version of "Office" doesn't provide redline or footnotes?

 

[AHDuke99]

Economically, it would make sense for M$ to make it, actually. I doubt many people are buying Windows phone/tablets to run office, but if they made it for iOS, it's they could gain a lot of revenue from developing it. IMO, a tablet still isn't a good device for producing word documents though. Typing on a physical keyboard is far superior for a large document.

 

[jsh1120]

Economically, it would make sense for M$ to make it, actually. I doubt many people are buying Windows phone/tablets to run office, but if they made it for iOS, it's they could gain a lot of revenue from developing it. ...

A lot of revenue? Let's say they sell 10 million copies at $20 apiece. That's a chunk of change...$200,000,000. Of course, Microsoft's 2011 revenue is over $75,000,000,000. And 10 million copies is a very, very optimistic figure. What's a "lot of revenue" to you and me is a blip to Microsoft.

 

[FloatingBones]

Quarter by quarter iPad sales

I've lost track of the count of iPad sales, but I believe by end of this quarter, that would be around 50 million cumulative.

I went back and looked at the results from Apple's quarterly financial statements. As a side comment, I was a bit surprised how easy it was to find this information.

FY10Q3 6/26/2010 3.27M
FY10Q4 9/25/2010 4.19M
FY11Q1 12/25/2010 7.33M
FY11Q2 3/26/2011 4.69M
FY11Q3 6/25/2011 9.25M


The dates are the end of each of the reporting periods. I get 28.73M iPads through 6/25.

This financial article from 10 days ago gives FY11Q4 iPad sales projections in the range of 12M to 16.5M units for the quarter. At the end of this quarter, it looks as if total cumulative iPad sales will be above 40M but below 50M.

Predictions for FY12Q1 are interesting: many are already predicting sales north of 20M.

By the time Windows 8 tablets are out, I think iPad will have hit the 100 million milestone: using the same conservative assumption of 10%, that will be $500 million revenue left out.
Meanwhile Apple is working on improving iWork for iPad. The more it goes, the less relevant becomes the perspectives of Office for iPad.

If Win 8 is released in the fall of 2012, 100M iPads by that point sounds entirely possible.

When Apple previewed iOS 5 on on 6/6/11, they demoed iCloud synchronization with the iWork programs: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Apple has given access to a beta version of the updated Pages to developers; that access was so they could observe a well-behaved iCloud program synchronizes its data.

Will Apple add any features before iOS 5 is released? Apple certainly isn't talking. I am certain they understand the value in getting more features in the iOS version of Pages as quickly as possible.

I hope the numbers were helpful.

 

[Bernard SG]

Thanks a lot FloatingBones!
Some reports say that Q3 2011 shipments could be as high as 20 M already, so that range of 12 to 16.5 m seems to be on the conservative side of things; but my 50 m guess is over-optimistic anyway, though not too far off.
More than 2 iPad's are sold every second now. That's just mind-blowing.

 

[Mac.World]

Office makes M$ more money than anything else the company produces. While windows 8 will sell millions of copies on pc's all over the world, M$ just doesn't make much money off of it. Office is their cash cow and if Ballmer is smart, he'll have his Office for Mac division start looking into Offce for iOS.
Imagine the millions of users that would spend $10 for Word or $10 for PowerPoint on an iPad, and of course $3 goes straight to Apple. Talk about win win for both companies. I'd buy them. I prefer office over iWork.

 

[jsh1120]

Office makes M$ more money than anything else the company produces. While windows 8 will sell millions of copies on pc's all over the world, M$ just doesn't make much money off of it. Office is their cash cow and if Ballmer is smart, he'll have his Office for Mac division start looking into Offce for iOS.
Imagine the millions of users that would spend $10 for Word or $10 for PowerPoint on an iPad, and of course $3 goes straight to Apple. Talk about win win for both companies. I'd buy them. I prefer office over iWork.

Yeah, let's assume they sell 10 million copies. That's $70 million revenue to Microsoft. That would be increased revenue to Microsoft amounting to less than .1% of Microsoft's total 2011 revenue. And of course there would be the lost sales of Windows 8 tablets to consider. Let's assume they lose a million sales and that they make, say, $20 per tablet. Net gain $50 million. Not exactly a bonanza.

 

[Mac.World]

Yeah, let's assume they sell 10 million copies. That's $70 million revenue to Microsoft. That would be increased revenue to Microsoft amounting to less than .1% of Microsoft's total 2011 revenue. And of course there would be the lost sales of Windows 8 tablets to consider. Let's assume they lose a million sales and that they make, say, $20 per tablet. Net gain $50 million. Not exactly a bonanza.

Then why does M$ sell Office for Mac? Not a lot of revenue in it, yet M$ has an entire division set up to produce Office for Mac. It would take very little effort on their part to port office to iOS. Sure, it may not be their biggest money maker by itself, but all office sales are combined regardless of OS. You are looking at office for iOS as a stand alone product, when it is not.

 

[Bernard SG]

Then why does M$ sell Office for Mac? Not a lot of revenue in it, yet M$ has an entire division set up to produce Office for Mac. It would take very little effort on their part to port office to iOS. Sure, it may not be their biggest money maker by itself, but all office sales are combined regardless of OS. You are looking at office for iOS as a stand alone product, when it is not.

It will definitely take some significant effort to re-think the UI and carefully choose what to do and more importantly what not to do in a tablet version of Office. I think that's what they're struggling with, preventing the release of an iPad Office.

I also suspect that they lack top-notch Cocoa-Touch coders for such an endeavor and that anyway, Microsoft software engineers loathe Xcode and objective-C. That's probably why Excel for Mac, while fully functional and powerful, is a terrible resource hog that easily gets sluggish, far from being a model of good coding.