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Questions about iWork and Microsoft Office for Mac
- Thread starter writer85
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iWork is the one that comes in a box marked "iWork". Microsoft Office, on the other hand, is labelled "Office:Mac".
Not to be an ass, but which one you should choose depends entirely on your needs. There are a bazillion threads around here about the benefits of each.
Not to be an ass, but which one you should choose depends entirely on your needs. There are a bazillion threads around here about the benefits of each.
If you're close to an Apple Retail store I would go in and play with them both. Ask a rep there to walk you through them if possible. If you do any presentations Keynote is superior to PowerPoint in my opinion. Numbers is less robust, but still capable. I like some of the presets. Pages still seems to lag a little behind Word in my opinion, but i haven't used Word 08 much... and for most people word processing is word processing... probably comes down to personal preference.
Office 2004/2008 for the Mac is not entirely equivalent to the Windows versions
They are not horrible, but many prefer the older 2004
If you need absolute compatibility, you might want to run the Windows version(s) through virtualization or Boot Camp
If you are just looking for functionality, iWork is a great value
If you are looking at price, Open Office/Neo Office is a free alternative
Woof, Woof - Dawg
They are not horrible, but many prefer the older 2004
If you need absolute compatibility, you might want to run the Windows version(s) through virtualization or Boot Camp
If you are just looking for functionality, iWork is a great value
If you are looking at price, Open Office/Neo Office is a free alternative
Woof, Woof - Dawg
I use both extensively...
I mainly use iWork at home and when freelancing, since it really is an easier, more productive package to use. But I use Office for Mac 2008 at my day job for the higher liklihood of compatability with my clients who pretty much use Office exclusively.
IMHO, iWork is the better package for the average user. It is has lots more power features aimed at making things look great with little effort. It's a typical Apple product, well thought out and functional. Office, on the other hand, has more power features for the programmer or power user who is building intergrated applications. VBA and Access are powerful, but used by less than 5% of consumers. If you need a database, Bento (by Filemaker) is a MUCH better choice than Access for most anyway.
You can get a 30-day trial of Office for Mac. A good way to get a feel for iWork is to watch the tutorials on the Apple web site.
I mainly use iWork at home and when freelancing, since it really is an easier, more productive package to use. But I use Office for Mac 2008 at my day job for the higher liklihood of compatability with my clients who pretty much use Office exclusively.
IMHO, iWork is the better package for the average user. It is has lots more power features aimed at making things look great with little effort. It's a typical Apple product, well thought out and functional. Office, on the other hand, has more power features for the programmer or power user who is building intergrated applications. VBA and Access are powerful, but used by less than 5% of consumers. If you need a database, Bento (by Filemaker) is a MUCH better choice than Access for most anyway.
You can get a 30-day trial of Office for Mac. A good way to get a feel for iWork is to watch the tutorials on the Apple web site.