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New Office Versions and Virtual PC 6.1
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re-activate?!?
Yes, I do. Where did I mention Office in my post? You don't have to buy Office to run VPC. I use it to run some third-party Windows clients that aren't available on the Mac. And I didn't pay for a Windows license, since I already had win2k from an old PC that died.
How does VPC give MS leverage? I am not sure I understand that. VPC has really lost a lot of its value and usefullness to the terminal client for OS X. Why run virtual when you can interact with an app running native on another box? As a recent "switcher", I have found OS X to be very capable of doing everything I need without Windows, and for the odd app or developing ASP.Net, using the terminal client works better than VPC. In fact, apart from Office, Apple has an extremely versatile platform. I think it's in their best interest to offer a competing product. Will Microsoft quit developing Office if Apple does? One can hope.
Office v.X is the biggest selling software package for Mac, and it significantly helped drive the switch to OS X. People who work in dual-format environment and switchers use and need Office. Hoping that Office will die is a foolish thing to do, in my opinion.
AppleMatt
Educational Upgrades
Now that Microsoft has a special version of Office for Students and Teachers, do they still offer MS Office standard at educational pricing?
I imagine they don't. Which means instaed of buying Office at ed pricing while in school and being able to upgrade it to a regular Office so you can legally use it for your work, you now have to buy Office all over again or get charged with violating the user agreement (using your copy for non-educational purposes).
Now that Microsoft has a special version of Office for Students and Teachers, do they still offer MS Office standard at educational pricing?
I imagine they don't. Which means instaed of buying Office at ed pricing while in school and being able to upgrade it to a regular Office so you can legally use it for your work, you now have to buy Office all over again or get charged with violating the user agreement (using your copy for non-educational purposes).
Well, I am being a bit facetious, but my sarcasim derives from the fact that MS can't or won't compete fairly. If Apple develops an Office suite that plays nice in a Windows world, the Apple faithful will stop buying MS Office. There is no doubt in my mind that any offering from Apple will be superior in all respects, so MS will either have to compete or quit. Which do you think they will do? I think we despise MS because if they can't force you out, buy you out, or intimidate you out, they pick up their toys and go home. Let MS give us a good reason to buy their product, other than they are the only one. My point is I hope for competition, but my cynacism tells me they will quit rather than compete.
$150 is very reasonable for the software you're getting. Too many of your are irrationally anti-Microsoft.
My university offers Office v.X to students for $70. It used to be $20. But when the old deal with Microsoft ran out, the new one established was decidedly worse. Still, $70 is better than $150.
But when the old deal with Microsoft ran out, the new one established was decidedly worse. Still, $70 is better than $150.I have an order on hold for the older version of Office v. X for Mac. Should I ditch it and save myself $50, or keep my order that I've got now? (this is assuming that I can still get updates for my older version...i would much rather be able to upgrade)
Re: Re: No individual VPC
Yet.
Microsoft bundles. This is has been their principal competitive strategy for a couple of decades now, so we earned the right to be suspicious of their methods and motives a long time ago. Some of us are asking ourselves what Microsoft's primary purpose was in purchasing VPC (and simultaneously attempting to keep other PC emulators from entering the market). If I was allowed only one guess, it would be that they are looking down the road toward the discontinuation of OfficeMac and selling VPC plus Office for Windows in a bundle to Mac owners.
No, not this year. Probably not next year either. Later.
So the sky may not be falling, but it's turned a funny color -- and it looks like Windows blue to me.
Yet.
Microsoft bundles. This is has been their principal competitive strategy for a couple of decades now, so we earned the right to be suspicious of their methods and motives a long time ago. Some of us are asking ourselves what Microsoft's primary purpose was in purchasing VPC (and simultaneously attempting to keep other PC emulators from entering the market). If I was allowed only one guess, it would be that they are looking down the road toward the discontinuation of OfficeMac and selling VPC plus Office for Windows in a bundle to Mac owners.
No, not this year. Probably not next year either. Later.
So the sky may not be falling, but it's turned a funny color -- and it looks like Windows blue to me.
Re: Re: Re: No individual VPC
Well, anything's possible... but Microsoft's acquisition of VirtualPC technology from Connectix was primarily due to their interest in Connectix's Virtual Server product on the PC side.
The Mac version of Virtual PC was simply a side-effect of the acquisition.
I don't think this is all part of their "evil plan"
arn
Well, anything's possible... but Microsoft's acquisition of VirtualPC technology from Connectix was primarily due to their interest in Connectix's Virtual Server product on the PC side.
The Mac version of Virtual PC was simply a side-effect of the acquisition.
I don't think this is all part of their "evil plan"
arn
I read somewhere that Apple was coming out with an Office Suite called Iworks. It was supposed to be compatible with MS Office and the review I read was really saying it was going to be great. Has anyone else read this. I think it was in one of the British Mac magazines. I hope it is true.
So where was this somewhere you read? Would be great if it was true, and indeed with the MS/Apple ties becoming much looser, one would expect Apple to be coming up with an improved Office suite over Appleworks very soon ...
VPC and Office for $7? Bonus!
That's what I did with the 2001 edition, and I can get the same deal with the Professional edition, which means I get Virtual PC and everything for $7! Sweet action!
I used Virtual PC 2.0 on my old beige G3 MT, and it was interesting to see Windows 95 on my Mac, but the performance was less than impressive. I suppose VPC ships with XP, eh? I'll have to see how version 6 runs on my PowerBook.
That's what I did with the 2001 edition, and I can get the same deal with the Professional edition, which means I get Virtual PC and everything for $7! Sweet action!
I used Virtual PC 2.0 on my old beige G3 MT, and it was interesting to see Windows 95 on my Mac, but the performance was less than impressive. I suppose VPC ships with XP, eh? I'll have to see how version 6 runs on my PowerBook.
If Apple does "weave their magic" as you put it they have to be very careful about it. There are a lot of companies and more then a few users that won't touch open office. That's a fact. Yes it will be a fine product for consumers but not in a business environment. Not yet at any rate. If Apple did decide to work with Sun on this it would have to be super ultra mega top secret in the deepest bowels of Apple until a finished product is ready to ship. None of this public beta crap that occurred in Safari.
Microsoft gets a whiff of this they could pull another Internet Exploder and up and kill Office. (Granted in that case they weren't actually making money off the software so no great loss in canceling future versions of IE.) In any case Apple needs to tread lightly around the Redmond giant. At least until they can successfully trip em.
Re: Re: Re: Re: No individual VPC
Yes I know, but note I qualified the acquisition of VPC with their suppression of other PC emulation products. It's never entirely outlandish to look for ulterior motives where Microsoft is concerned. Microsoft got where they are today by consuming every bit of the pig, including the squeal.
Yes I know, but note I qualified the acquisition of VPC with their suppression of other PC emulation products. It's never entirely outlandish to look for ulterior motives where Microsoft is concerned. Microsoft got where they are today by consuming every bit of the pig, including the squeal.
I'm pretty sure that the announcement of Document (or iWorks, or whatever they call it) is not imminent, and my reason is that MacRumors has no rumors to that effect!
I read it in magazine, but it basically said the same thing as this quote that I got off of ThinkSecret.com:
"If you're waiting for AppleWorks 7, look instead for iWorks, coming from Apple later this year. Sources said that iWorks will consist of a word processing application tentatively called "Document," Apple's Keynote presentation software, a spreadsheet application, and a database app. Unlike AppleWorks 6's integrated format, iWorks' apps will be separate programs but connected, much like Apple's iLife. Look for more details on iWorks from Think Secret in the near future."
Jeff
VPC Upgrade for Office X woners
Does anyone know if there is an upgrade path for current Office X owners? The only one I saw was for Office 2001 owners? I would like VPC, but not for $250 or $350.
Does anyone know if there is an upgrade path for current Office X owners? The only one I saw was for Office 2001 owners? I would like VPC, but not for $250 or $350.
Opening shots in war for developers?
If they make a seamless windows experience much like our "Classic environment", with high performance (via a good chunk of Windows-on-VPC running native PowerPC code), and maybe even let developers use fat binaries - developers might just say it's not worth continuing with their Mac version.
Apple could hit back with Cocoa on Windows & Linux, AppleWorks on Windows, and so on. Maybe both sides are preparing their arsenals but holding off till the other side fires.
Just thoughts!
Greg
edit: sorry - AND they can make the same money selling this as a Windows license. They retain their revenue from lost Windows on x86 sales.
OR... this could be all about getting developers locked into Windows.
If they make a seamless windows experience much like our "Classic environment", with high performance (via a good chunk of Windows-on-VPC running native PowerPC code), and maybe even let developers use fat binaries - developers might just say it's not worth continuing with their Mac version.
Apple could hit back with Cocoa on Windows & Linux, AppleWorks on Windows, and so on. Maybe both sides are preparing their arsenals but holding off till the other side fires.
Just thoughts!
Greg
edit: sorry - AND they can make the same money selling this as a Windows license. They retain their revenue from lost Windows on x86 sales.
Is it just me, or is microsoft.com unusably slow at the moment?
Edit: Of course, the exact instant I posted the question, it went and sped itself up.
Edit: Of course, the exact instant I posted the question, it went and sped itself up.