Office for Mac 2016 - Very Disappointed

[brosenz]

I just installed the new version Office for Mac 2016 and I am very disappointed that it is still a 32 bit application and it's not possible to use Outlook in Full Screen mode, is it just me or Microsoft is not listening to their customers? what are the changes compared to Office for Mac 2011?

 

[Toltepeceno]

I've been running it since it was released beta and like it. I hated 2011, used the windoows version in parallels insteas. I like 2016 though.

 

[Michael Goff]

I just installed the new version Office for Mac 2016 and I am very disappointed that it is still a 32 bit application and it's not possible to use Outlook in Full Screen mode, is it just me or Microsoft is not listening to their customers? what are the changes compared to Office for Mac 2011?

Aside from large portions of the codebase, adding features that the OS X version lacked next to the Windows version, and improving the UI, I take it?

 

[bubsdaddy]

In my workplace, we are switching from Office to Office 365. Our workplace is exclusively Windows 7. On Microsoft's recommendation, we are converting all 64 bit Office installations to 32 bit. Office 64 bit has compatibility issues and the only feature is the ability to acces files larger than 4 GB. Office 365 for Windows is also only available in 32 bit. Perhaps the same thing applies to OSX.

 

[pickaxe]

Don't forget no RTL support after 25 years. What the hell.

 

[maflynn]

I wasn't expecting much and I wasn't disappointed, its better then the previous version and its visually more appealing since they spruced it up. I still prefer the windows version, but in a pinch this works for me.

 

[Significant1]

I agree, it really fell like a step back. The new version is dumped down, to level the field with other platforms, just like Apple did with iwork. So many things missing from word 2011. No focus, publishing and notebook view, no toolbar customization etc. On top, I also don't like the visual appearance. So I will keep office 2011 version installed. I am quite happy with Word 2011 anyway, so don't really need a new version.

 

[BornAgainMac]

It makes more sense to use Office 2013 for Windows in a VM for Mac users. Documents can be stored on the Mac side so you get the benefits of Spotlight, Time Machine, Tagging. Get the 64-bit version of Office for Windows on top of that if you want it. Best of both worlds.

 

[sracer]

It makes more sense to use Office 2013 for Windows in a VM for Mac users. Documents can be stored on the Mac side so you get the benefits of Spotlight, Time Machine, Tagging. Get the 64-bit version of Office for Windows on top of that if you want it. Best of both worlds.

More sense if... you happen to have an extra Windows license laying around and want to spend time installing, configuring, and maintaining the virtual machine. And if one is using Parallels, plan to pay for a Parallels upgrade every time you upgrade OSX.

 

[campyguy]

More sense if... you happen to have an extra Windows license laying around and want to spend time installing, configuring, and maintaining the virtual machine. And if one is using Parallels, plan to pay for a Parallels upgrade every time you upgrade OSX.

I'm not picking nits with you as it's a pretty decent point regarding PD, however, my purchases of PD and perfect compatibility went from version-to-version 3-5-7-10 and I didn't skip a OS X update. I'll make a Yosemite VM and nest a Win VM inside it if PD 10 won't run on 10.11.

I ran XP SP3 for several years without issue and 8.1 has been bulletproof. I still have my XP Pro VM and fired it up just a couple of months ago - no problems with it - PD is easier to network than a native Win install IMO. My Win 8.1 upgrade was $10 from XP and my Win 10 update will cost me $0. 9 years of Win OSes plus a couple of more years of Win 10 for about $139 isn't too bad - I still hate the Registry with white hot passion, tho'.

 

[campyguy]

Personally and for my small company, I'm not at all disappointed in the Office suite update. 64-bit apps are a non-issue to me, even as an Office suite app user before Office even existed (1989) - when was the last time you worked on an Excel workbook that needed more than 2GB of file space or 64,000 worksheets? Excel isn't intended to be a repository of data - it's a data processor, and I've helped design two light rail lines and report budgets of tens of millions of dollars (in one workbook) with Excel's help. As to Word/PowerPoint, the same file size constraints apply, and I really don't use Outlook for the Mac yet - it's only been out of beta for a few days now...

The bigger issue IMHO with the Office apps relative to 32/64-bit is that - in my office - all 14 of the add-ins we use are all 32-bit and won't work with 64-bit apps - on both Windows and OS X, an "issue" that MS has tried to address for several years now on both OS platforms - I'm having the exactly the same problem related by bubsdaddy. Most of the add-ins developers wrote their code in older code and won't update them or they're just too damned lazy, likely the former perspective because there's not a lot of coin in that realm any longer for most of them. My Win Office installs are all 32-bit, as is the Win OS. If you "need" more data headspace, then you're not using Office apps - you've already made that call to Oracle or one of their competitors....

 

[JuryDuty]

I'm not disappointed either. Runs fast, is reliable, has many features the 2011 version lacked. Everything I need, and I use it daily.

 

[Significant1]

I'm not disappointed either. Runs fast, is reliable, has many features the 2011 version lacked. Everything I need, and I use it daily.

What new features does it have, that you where missing in 2011?

I only noticed all the things which are missing. Except realtime collaboration, which I have no need for.

Especially focus view or some other true fullscreen view is something I miss in word 2016, on my MBA 11".

 

[sracer]

What new features does it have, that you where missing in 2011?

I only noticed all the things which are missing. Except realtime collaboration, which I have no need for.

Especially focus view or some other true fullscreen view is something I miss in word 2016, on my MBA 11".

I make heavy use of fullscreen mode on my MBA 11. Yet another reason for me not to move up to 2016. (requiring Yosemite is the first)

 

[Happy Snowman]

Office 2016 is really sluggish and glitchy on my MBP.

For those upset about the removal of Notebook View in Word, my guess is that Microsoft wants us to shift over to OneNote, as that application is built for note taking.

 

[MLinneer]

Aside from the Gawd-aweful long start times, I haven't had any issues with Office 2016. Once Word or Excel are up and running, they run just as fast as 2011 did. I've really been impressed with the Onedrive sync. Edit a file and save it, and it's updated instantaneously on my PC. I edited a file in Pages the other day and tried to open it this morning from iCloud... none of my edits were there. Thankfully, I cross-save to my local so no harm but still. It's an iCloud problem (nothing to do with Pages) and it's been happening a lot lately. Apple needs to get on their J O B.

 

[Mal67]

I would really like to see a compare list with this version of Office vs Office 2013 for Windows. I guess one will be out there somewhere or out soon enough.

 

[JuryDuty]

What new features does it have, that you where missing in 2011?

I only noticed all the things which are missing. Except realtime collaboration, which I have no need for.

Especially focus view or some other true fullscreen view is something I miss in word 2016, on my MBA 11".

One big feature was the ability to split your document and work in two places at once. 2016 finally has that on the Mac.

It also seems to work a lot faster and smoother to me. Plus, it pretty much looks exactly like the Windows counterpart, which makes it very easy to use in a work environment where you have PCs and Macs.

 

[Isamilis]

I still use XP and Office 2010 in PD under MBA. With 500mb RAM, it's very light for my MBA 8GB.

I'm not picking nits with you as it's a pretty decent point regarding PD, however, my purchases of PD and perfect compatibility went from version-to-version 3-5-7-10 and I didn't skip a OS X update. I'll make a Yosemite VM and nest a Win VM inside it if PD 10 won't run on 10.11.

I ran XP SP3 for several years without issue and 8.1 has been bulletproof. I still have my XP Pro VM and fired it up just a couple of months ago - no problems with it - PD is easier to network than a native Win install IMO. My Win 8.1 upgrade was $10 from XP and my Win 10 update will cost me $0. 9 years of Win OSes plus a couple of more years of Win 10 for about $139 isn't too bad - I still hate the Registry with white hot passion, tho'.

 

[Significant1]

One big feature was the ability to split your document and work in two places at once. 2016 finally has that on the Mac.

Not sure what you mean. It has real-time collaboration which I said was the only new feature I found, but don't personally have a need for. But if you mean master/sub-document, then it is an old old feature, from the time when computers where not very powerfull and also present in Word 2011 http://phdindistractions.blogspot.dk/2012/06/practical-tip-for-dealing-with-large-ms.html

It also seems to work a lot faster and smoother to me. Plus, it pretty much looks exactly like the Windows counterpart, which makes it very easy to use in a work environment where you have PCs and Macs.

It is not slower and has the elastic animation when panning around + cursor movement animation, but 2011 is plenty fast here. But it is lacking the ribbon customization option available on Windows (unless they also have been removed) and fell more dumbed down to level the field with Android, IOS and HTML just like Apple did with iWork. Is true fullscreen/print preview editing, or what is called, stillnpossible in latest Word version on Windows?

 

[JuryDuty]

Not sure what you mean. It has real-time collaboration which I said was the only new feature I found, but don't personally have a need for. But if you mean master/sub-document, then it is an old old feature, from the time when computers where not very powerfull and also present in Word 2011 http://phdindistractions.blogspot.dk/2012/06/practical-tip-for-dealing-with-large-ms.html

No, I mean using the View/Split Document command, which lets you work in two places in a document at once. This is SUPER helpful when working with larger documents. I couldn't believe 2011 didn't have this when I switched to Mac.

 

[Significant1]

No, I mean using the View/Split Document command, which lets you work in two places in a document at once. This is SUPER helpful when working with larger documents. I couldn't believe 2011 didn't have this when I switched to Mac.

Well, you are also mistaken. Word 2011 has that feature. Just drag the splitter from top of the scrollbar or in menu->window tell it to split.

Edit: Another tip, if you didn't know. Both can also open multiple windows of the same document.

 

[JuryDuty]

Well, you are also mistaken. Word 2011 has that feature. Just drag the splitter from top of the scrollbar or in menu->window tell it to split.

Edit: Another tip, if you didn't know. Both can also open multiple windows of the same document.

LOL I can't believe I missed that!

Oh well. I'm actually on Office 365, so it's a moot point for me--I'm upgraded automatically and might as well. I find 365 worth it for the unlimited OneDrive account, which I use to back up my entire Macbook, including iTunes library.

That said, if you own just the 2011 version and don't need a feature like that, maybe it's all you need.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Personally and for my small company, I'm not at all disappointed in the Office suite update. 64-bit apps are a non-issue to me, even as an Office suite app user before Office even existed (1989) - when was the last time you worked on an Excel workbook that needed more than 2GB of file space or 64,000 worksheets? Excel isn't intended to be a repository of data - it's a data processor, and I've helped design two light rail lines and report budgets of tens of millions of dollars (in one workbook) with Excel's help. As to Word/PowerPoint, the same file size constraints apply, and I really don't use Outlook for the Mac yet - it's only been out of beta for a few days now...

The bigger issue IMHO with the Office apps relative to 32/64-bit is that - in my office - all 14 of the add-ins we use are all 32-bit and won't work with 64-bit apps - on both Windows and OS X, an "issue" that MS has tried to address for several years now on both OS platforms - I'm having the exactly the same problem related by bubsdaddy. Most of the add-ins developers wrote their code in older code and won't update them or they're just too damned lazy, likely the former perspective because there's not a lot of coin in that realm any longer for most of them. My Win Office installs are all 32-bit, as is the Win OS. If you "need" more data headspace, then you're not using Office apps - you've already made that call to Oracle or one of their competitors....

On the Windows side, I hear what you're saying on the 32/64 bit and add-ins. However, with large spreadsheets pulling directly from Teradata databases to do pivot tables, and PowerPivots and all that, getting to the 2GB limit comes pretty quickly, especially during the development cycle.

The one thing that disappoints me about Microsoft is their death grip on a certain technology, and when it comes time to upgrade, nothing works, or there is a list of things that won't work.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Great, another version of Office. Now I'm going to have to re-learn everything again...