All iPads Planning On Using Microsoft Office?

[sracer]

365 Subscription gives you more than just access MS office on your iPad, it also allows you to install MS Office to 5 computers and some Skype minutes and you will get new version of office when it comes available. I do not see how this is a bad deal consider MS office is much powerful software than any free app available.

It's the renting of software. THAT is why there is resistance. If one relies on a piece of software they might not want to be held hostage every year by paying the subscription.

If I shop around, I can outright purchase copies of MS Office for my devices for LESS that 2 years worth of 365 subscriptions. That one-time outlay will last much longer than 2 years. Heck, my MS Office 2003 disc is still fully functioning and saved me tons of money (and aggravation) over the years.

Companies do things that are of primary benefit to themselves. If a company moves away FROM purchase and TO subscription it isn't because it is better for the customer (regardless of what their promotional material says).

Yes, I will use it since I already have 4 years subscription from 365 University subscription. I am also tired of constantly converting to .docx and .xlsx from Pages and Numbers app.

That explains why you "don't know the hate to 365 subscription"... you already bought into it.

 

[MisakixMikasa]

It's the renting of software. THAT is why there is resistance. If one relies on a piece of software they might not want to be held hostage every year by paying the subscription.

If I shop around, I can outright purchase copies of MS Office for my devices for LESS that 2 years worth of 365 subscriptions. That one-time outlay will last much longer than 2 years. Heck, my MS Office 2003 disc is still fully functioning and saved me tons of money (and aggravation) over the years.

Companies do things that are of primary benefit to themselves. If a company moves away FROM purchase and TO subscription it isn't because it is better for the customer (regardless of what their promotional material says).



That explains why you "don't know the hate to 365 subscription"... you already bought into it.

That is only apply if you have only one computer. If you have say, 3 computers and many iPads at home, 365 subscription make lot of sense. One MS Office Professtional could cost you more than $300. If you need it on more than one computers, you would pay multiple of $300.

MS does not force you subscribe rom365 nor they force you stay forever. You can pay monthly or monthly. If you feel you do not need for this month, you simple do not pay. There is no such thing as hold you as hostage.

I subscribe to office 365 university for $79 for 4 years gives me 2 computers, I got 3 copies of office 365 university using different university email accounts. I subscribe to it because I see the value of the subscription. When the 4 years runs out, I probably will pay for $99 per year for the subscription.

 

[sracer]

That is only apply if you have only one computer. If you have say, 3 computers and many iPads at home, 365 subscription make lot of sense. One MS Office Professtional could cost you more than $300. If you need it on more than one computers, you would pay multiple of $300.

Actually it doesn't. The scenario I described was for 3 computers. It is a bit of a stretch in your scenario for a home to have 3 computers and MANY iPads at home that then require MS Office Professional.

If you are paying full price for multiple copies of MS Office Professional, then you aren't shopping around.

MS does not force you subscribe rom365 nor they force you stay forever. You can pay monthly or monthly. If you feel you do not need for this month, you simple do not pay. There is no such thing as hold you as hostage.

What happens when you stop paying the subscription? You can READ your files but you can't EDIT them. Want to edit your files? Pay up. (don't suggest switching to LibreOffice at that point because it isn't 100% compatible)

 

[MisakixMikasa]

Actually it doesn't. The scenario I described was for 3 computers. It is a bit of a stretch in your scenario for a home to have 3 computers and MANY iPads at home that then require MS Office Professional.

If you are paying full price for multiple copies of MS Office Professional, then you aren't shopping around.

Wait, I have 5 computers at home. One Mac Mini, one MacBook Air, one PC for gaming, 2 for my parents. And I have multiple iPads. I have 3 office 365 subscriptions covers 6 computers and all my tablets. I have office on my Mac, PC and my parents PC. All legit.

I am not paying full price for multiple copies of MS office Professional, I am paying for Office 365 Subscription and getting all and more apps from MS professional.

What happens when you stop paying the subscription? You can READ your files but you can't EDIT them. Want to edit your files? Pay up. (don't suggest switching to LibreOffice at that point because it isn't 100% compatible)

Yes, you can't edit them. Why? You don't want pay to use full functionalities of a paid software?

 

[Newtons Apple]

It's the renting of software. THAT is why there is resistance. If one relies on a piece of software they might not want to be held hostage every year by paying the subscription.

If I shop around, I can outright purchase copies of MS Office for my devices for LESS that 2 years worth of 365 subscriptions. That one-time outlay will last much longer than 2 years. Heck, my MS Office 2003 disc is still fully functioning and saved me tons of money (and aggravation) over the years.

Companies do things that are of primary benefit to themselves. If a company moves away FROM purchase and TO subscription it isn't because it is better for the customer (regardless of what their promotional material says).



That explains why you "don't know the hate to 365 subscription"... you already bought into it.

Like it or not the "rental of software" will become more and more prevalent for premium software. It is here to stay

 

[sracer]

Like it or not the "rental of software" will become more and more prevalent for premium software. It is here to stay

Yeah, I know. I'm painfully aware that I'm an "old school", knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, neanderthal throw-back. I don't rent my music, videos, or software. I remember the time before personal computers when the "cloud" was a raised floor and glass room. And I'm not going back to that future.

 

[sflomenb]

Nope, not even considering it.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Yeah, I know. I'm painfully aware that I'm an "old school", knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, neanderthal throw-back. I don't rent my music, videos, or software. I remember the time before personal computers when the "cloud" was a raised floor and glass room. And I'm not going back to that future.

LOL!

I bet I am "older school" than you and that IS the reason I want Office.

 

[AppleRobert]

Whomever needs Office probably has it. So how does the powers that be draw Ipad owners into getting it if not subscribed for already?

Any possibility of a reduced rate to capture additional users?

 

[sracer]

LOL!

I bet I am "older school" than you and that IS the reason I want Office.

I'd take that bet... but it would be hard to collect since I'd have to navigate my walker around the large stacks of punch card decks.

Whomever needs Office probably has it. So how does the powers that be draw Ipad owners into getting it if not subscribed for already?

Any possibility of a reduced rate to capture additional users?

There's a few possibilities...
They could make a free version of Office for iOS that is OneDrive-only based. Free would be incentive to get it. The "OneDrive-only" aspect gets people using OneDrive. They could then follow that up with a subscription version that increases OneDrive storage capacity.

I can't see Microsoft making a flat-out purchase option for Office as long as Apple's 30% appstore cut is in effect.

 

[jweinraub]

I am on the fence at this point, it requires a subscription as far as I know. Just wondering about your plans.

Where did you read it was subscription? I thought Office 365 is the subscription model while the new upcoming product will be a one time download fee? I didn't think there was much of anything known on this yet until the MS press conference.

 

[sracer]

Where did you read it was subscription? I thought Office 365 is the subscription model while the new upcoming product will be a one time download fee? I didn't think there was much of anything known on this yet until the MS press conference.

It is being widely reported, here is one such report:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/17/5519614/office-for-ipad-satya-nadella-march-27th-event

"Microsoft has been working on the software for a number of months now, having first introduced an iOS version of Office for the iPhone in June last year. We understand the iPad variant of Office will be similar to the iPhone version, and will require an Office 365 subscription for editing. We’re told that document creation and editing is fully supported for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps. Overall, the interface and features are expected to be similar to the existing iPhone version."

How did you arrive at your understanding that it would be a one-time download fee? Don't get me wrong, I hope that you're right, but I haven't see that anywhere.

 

[wrinkster22]

I have the pages application and it was free and I don't see any reason to change

 

[JoeRito]

As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather use a decent product that's free versus a great product that costs money - especially a subscription.

And I'm not even convinced that Office is a "great" product - just ubiquitous at this point. I have no issue using iWork at home.

Subscription software baffles me....an online game, I can understand. There's constant upkeep required. But for Office? If I didn't have to use it at work, I would've given it up years ago when I made the switch to a Mac.

Well said. The consumer will demand a subscription free version and even then, they are too late.

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iWork's and google drive are currently meeting my needs quite well. I for one won't be in a rush to install office should it ever come out for the iPad.

1 year ago, I would still have cared, but I have since adjusted my workflow to minimize the need for office. Microsoft can only blame themselves for dragging their feet on this matter.

So true, I think we've all developed work arounds: Google drive, iWorks usually work fine for me. Excel still at work, but Numbers can replace many spreadsheets... A little more development from Numbers and Office is RIP.

 

[HenryDJP]

Well said. The consumer will demand a subscription free version and even then, they are too late.

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So true, I think we've all developed work arounds: Google drive, iWorks usually work fine for me. Excel still at work, but Numbers can replace many spreadsheets... A little more development from Numbers and Office is RIP.

Microsoft will get some or maybe quite a few iPad users to fork out the cash for the subscription but not me. I'm great with iWork and I have 50GB free storage with Box which also has a desktop client for my Mac so I keep my files in sync on the Mac, iPad And iPhone. Not too keen about dealing with Google's office and storage solutions.

 

[kaielement]

iWork has meet all my needs and if ms office is tied into office 365 no thank you. They should give you the option to buy one time or use 365 like they do on the PC side of things.

 

[neutrino23]

No. I use iWorks and Dropbox. Pages works great for the reports and documents I generate myself. It also does a good job editing and opening word docs I get from corporate. Numbers works well to open the simple spreadsheets I get from corporate. I use Keynote a lot and that's much better than PowerPoint anyway. For my special charting needs I use DeltaGraph.

 

[thelookingglass]

Since MS decided to take their sweet time with this AND appear to be requiring a subscription, I'll just stick with my iWork/iCloud solution which has been working much better than I expected. I'm sure there are those who will require MS Office compatibility. But for the rest of us, MS is slowly losing its hold.

 

[scottw324]

The subscription service, no. I have MS Office on my Mac Mini, Quick Office or Pages/Numbers/Keynote for iPad, and MS Office for my Windows 8.1 Asus Transformer T100. I do not need a subscription service to have the most up to date version. The options I use in Office haven't changed in like 10 years.

 

[dumastudetto]

Never ever will I use Office on my iPad. The subscription element is an absolute deal breaker for any savvy consumer.

Anyway Pages is a far superior experience and if you love Apple you'll stay loyal to this app.

 

[dalestrauss]

Office for iOS Not Meant for Most Thread Posters

If you are satisfied with Pages, Numbers, QuickOffice, or Polaris, you are NOT the target audience for Office for iOS, and you are just preaching to the rest of the similarly voiced choir. Same for those who just can't see any value in a $99 family subscription. However, if you have a spouse and three kids all using Office, three of four have iPads, all have iPhones, then $99 per year is a cakewalk. Likewise, if you exchange documents with other Office users (Mac or PC) and they are anything more than simple paragraphs, then you have to have 100% fidelity with the file format or you get reformatted gibberish both ways.

That's the fact, Jack...

 

[Jessica Lares]

If you are satisfied with Pages, Numbers, QuickOffice, or Polaris, you are NOT the target audience for Office for iOS, and you are just preaching to the rest of the similarly voiced choir. Same for those who just can't see any value in a $99 family subscription. However, if you have a spouse and three kids all using Office, three of four have iPads, all have iPhones, then $99 per year is a cakewalk. Likewise, if you exchange documents with other Office users (Mac or PC) and they are anything more than simple paragraphs, then you have to have 100% fidelity with the file format or you get reformatted gibberish both ways.

That's the fact, Jack...

Yep. It is like Android guys preaching how the Nexus 7/etc are better than the iPad to iOS users.

You either need Office, or you don't. My brother is learning word processing/presentation now he's in middle school, and the district has moved away from Microsoft, in exchange for the cheaper Google Apps/Drive. My dad is the one who has Office on his Mac.

I have Office 2003 myself, but I have never actually had the need to use it. All my teachers want things in paper form, and dealing with PDFs is easier than ever now.

 

[dalestrauss]

Yep. It is like Android guys preaching how the Nexus 7/etc are better than the iPad to iOS users....

I agree 100% - there are just too many user considerations to say ANY choice is good, bad, or indifferent except for your own use case - that's been the nature of the PC industry since CP/M and Osborne. Worse still, what is often a superior hardware (Next Cube) or software (WordPerfect, Lotus 123) solution, doesn't always survive in the market.

 

[ScottNWDW]

I will probably reinstate my Office 365 subscription to try it out as well as the new version of Office for Mac.

For those of you complaining about the high price of the subscription, It really is not that bad of a price. For $99 a year or $10 a month you get to install it on 5 computers. That is only a bit less than $20 a piece at $99. And on top of that you could install it on your iPhone, and most likely iPad. Before I cancelled the subscription I had it on a MacBook Pro, an iMac, PC, and the iOS app on an iPhone, iPad 4 and iPad mini. Not only that you always have the latest version.

Currently I am using iWork across all my platforms and it is nice that I can use it without any issues. I work I use Office on Windows, but we just upgraded to Office 2010. Yes I sais Office 2010, we were using 2007 before that.

I am more familiar with Office but the past few months I have been using iWork and getting used to it. I will try Office on the iPad and give an updated Office for Mac a shot. If only to satisfy my curiosity.

Microsoft doesn't deserve that type of loyalty, they should have released the iPad version years ago. But it still doesn't deny the fact that Office is a standard, and therefore I will try it out.

 

[Fattytail]

If it's full featured enough, I'll try it out. If it's just another gimped mobile version, then no thanks.